en-US Sun, 06 Apr 2025 10:51:16 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 222286657
She's thirteen, scared, and looking for the father she's never met. And suddenly I'm the one making the call I swore I'd never make, pulling Ford away from his Navy post and into my carefully constructed life. But something about her story doesn't add up, and when a body washes up on our quiet beach, the whole island starts to unravel.

Now a teenage girl is counting on me, a murderer walks freely among us, and the only person I can trust is the former best friend who broke my heart a decade ago. And the people threatening everything I love? They're counting on the fact that Ford and I are too broken to work together.

They don't know how wrong they are.

In this small tourist town, old wounds run deep and deadly secrets hide in plain sight. And this time, running away isn't an option—for any of us.]]> 345 Harper Jackson Vanessa 0 currently-reading 5.00 2025
author: Harper Jackson
name: Vanessa
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 229098871 Derek Hollins. Safety for the Vegas Storm.

My reputation precedes me. I was the dirtiest of dirty players in the league. I thrived on it.

Until my son came along.

I gave up everything for him. Turned over a new leaf. Put my past behind me.

I wasn’t looking for love—until a chance encounter with a sexy nurse changed everything.

Sutton is sunshine personified. Like me, she’s putting her daughter first. But I want more of her. Any little piece she’ll give me. Sutton awakens feelings in me that I thought were long gone.

Until my past rears its ugly head. Can she see me for the man I’ve become?

If only I can change the play...]]> 266 Emily Silver Vanessa 5 4.54
author: Emily Silver
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.54
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves:
review:
This was such a hard to put down cute read. Derek and Sutton meet when Derek takes his son to the ER because he broke his arm at school. There’s an instant attraction between them. As they begin to fall and build something together, we’re reminded a little of Derek’s past and how he changed his life to be a better person for his son to be proud of. For Sutton, this is a second chance for love and she’s a bit wary to start something. But as they reach their HEA, they begin to build a blended family full of love and care for each other. Troy and Lydia are adorable together and become instant friends. Their story can be read as a standalone but for more of Derek’s past, he comes out in Best Kept Secret and in his son’s college story in Sideline Infraction. Such a beautiful redemption story you won’t want to put down.
]]> 217980246 The final installment of the bestselling paranormal/urban fantasy romance from Sadie Kincaid comes Bound in Blood.

But if the chosen one can slay the three-headed dragon��
If the untamable beast does kneel at its new master’s feet,
and the light is tempted back from the darkness,
then they shall awaken the protector of man.
And the sun must swallow the shadows
to bring a balance that reigns through the ages.

When the lines between good and evil grow increasingly blurred, it becomes impossible to distinguish the heroes from the villains. Ophelia Hart must call on powers old and new to save her fated mates and to stop darkness from consuming the world. Promises will be made. Oaths will be sworn and secrets revealed. And those who are bound in blood have no option but to fight until the end.

A war is coming.
And everyone must choose a side.]]> 414 Sadie Kincaid Vanessa 5 Amazing!!!

This is the last book of the trilogy and it does not disappoint. Ophelia and her men go through challenges and are pushed to limits they didn’t know they had. Be prepared for a wild and emotional rollercoaster that will have you not only on the edge of your seat but also holding on to that edge. Things happened as they should and even though we got some surprises, it was still a great ending. ]]> 4.40
author: Sadie Kincaid
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves:
review:
Amazing!!!

This is the last book of the trilogy and it does not disappoint. Ophelia and her men go through challenges and are pushed to limits they didn’t know they had. Be prepared for a wild and emotional rollercoaster that will have you not only on the edge of your seat but also holding on to that edge. Things happened as they should and even though we got some surprises, it was still a great ending.
]]> 61035352
Is it so bad that I tricked my older brother’s best friend into taking my virginity?
Maybe.

In my defense, it was Dante Reid—my crush, my first love, and the one I ended up pushing away.
Our paths split in opposite directions.
I went to college on one coast while he returned to work with the US Army on the other.
The end.
Or so I thought.

After graduating and attempting a bucket list of self-discovery, guess who I find standing outside the jail, bailing me out from a crime I didn’t commit?
Dante freaking Reid—this time with more muscles, more tattoos, and more demands.
One of which is to move in across the hall from him so he can keep me safe. Like I need protection after a little felony mix-up.

I don’t.
Unless it’s from him.
Because Dante has been my downfall before ��

And living next to the guy I gave my innocence to a long time ago may actually end in my complete devastation.

Shain Rose is back with another light mafia standalone romance with forced proximity, steam, and bucket list to cross off. This is a standalone romance with 95,000+ words.]]> 368 Shain Rose Vanessa 4 Dante Armanelli ]]> 4.06 2022
author: Shain Rose
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves:
review:
Dante Armanelli
]]> 218014044 An instant #1 New York Times bestseller!
The global phenomenon by Callie Hart--a highly addicting enemies-to-lovers Romantasy with razor-sharp banter, heart-stopping action, and blistering hot romance.��

Do��not��touch the sword. Do��not��turn the key. Do��not��open the gate.

Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen’s reservoirs for as long as she can remember.��In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn’t much a girl wouldn’t do for a glass of water. But a secret is like a knot. Sooner or later, it is��bound��to come undone.

When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently reopens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares…but it turns out they’re real, and Saeris has landed right in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed.

The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist’s magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him…��or her. Death has a name. It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate. His past is murky. His attitude stinks. And he’s the��only��way Saeris is going to make it home.

Be careful of the deals you make, dear child. The devil is in the details...

N.B. Quicksilver contains depictions of graphic violence/adult situations and is therefore recommended for readers 17+. For a full list of tropes and TWs, please visit the author's website.]]> 615 Callie Hart Vanessa 5 could not put it down!!

This book was amazing! The world building, the characters and the plot all hook you in. Saeris and Kingfisher take you on a wild ride that you will not want to end. The growth of their characters and the chemistry they are both clearly trying to fight is melting hot. But as they fight for not only their lives, but of the lives of the people they care about, you can’t help staying on the edge of your seat in anticipation. The plot twists will have you almost falling off that edge you’re on but you catch yourself just as fast. Saeris and Kingfisher’s relationship takes you on an emotional ride but I was totally here for it from start to finish. Definitely a must read and I can’t wait for the next book and wants to come next for these characters. ]]> 4.51 2024
author: Callie Hart
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/30
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves:
review:
could not put it down!!

This book was amazing! The world building, the characters and the plot all hook you in. Saeris and Kingfisher take you on a wild ride that you will not want to end. The growth of their characters and the chemistry they are both clearly trying to fight is melting hot. But as they fight for not only their lives, but of the lives of the people they care about, you can’t help staying on the edge of your seat in anticipation. The plot twists will have you almost falling off that edge you’re on but you catch yourself just as fast. Saeris and Kingfisher’s relationship takes you on an emotional ride but I was totally here for it from start to finish. Definitely a must read and I can’t wait for the next book and wants to come next for these characters.
]]> 43174956 He craved my loyalty, so I let him feast on my soul.
I wanted a husband, but he gave me a monster.
So, I made it my pet.
The lines between what was real and what wasn’t were blurred.
Our story was a lie.
Until now.]]> 254 Amo Jones Vanessa 0 to-read 4.02 2017
author: Amo Jones
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 221073634 Discover a brand-new world where demons, vampires, fallen angels, gods, and fae roam the earth in modern day San Juan Islands in Immortal Sun, a gripping romantasy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken. There isn't a lore that doesn't exist around Mt. Olympus, and nobody is safe from the wrath of the gods who watch.


My only goal: Beat him at his own game and escape.
His: Save the world, by way of me.

Thousands of names have been written on the ancient parchment, but it moans for one last signature.

He promised he would help me find my brother.
He lied.

I don't know why I immediately trusted Cyrus. He was stunningly gorgeous, nice, and so accommodating that maybe I felt too safe—maybe that was the first red flag.
The second was that he always said my missing twin was fine, that he'd come back when the internship was supposed to start again.
Looks are deceiving. And I forgot..

Now I'm completely screwed. I'm trapped here until the eclipse and the great Sun God says I'm the last sacrifice he has to make in order to ascend to Olympus. I have so many questions about the mixed mythology but what I don't have is answers.

He says I'm the last name he needs to enter on the pages of the Book of Life—a book that contains every descendent of his mortal enemy. He says he'll reward me with any immortal god for twenty-four hours. He doesn't know that my only goal is to do exactly what he does.

Burn the world down��Him included.]]> Rachel Van Dyken 1957700963 Vanessa 5 4.16 2024
author: Rachel Van Dyken
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves:
review:
I was instantly hooked and kept on the edge of my seat throughout the whole journey. It was definitely a great ride and kept me intrigued with everything going on. Cleo arrives to Seattle to try to find her twin brother that apparently has gone off grid. But she has a feeling that something isn’t right so she is on a mission to find him. She meets her new boss Cyrus and slowly learns things aren’t as they seem. The growth of the relationship between Cyrus and Cleo is amazing and is something that keeps you hooked. I found the mixture of Roman, Greek and Egyptian mythology intriguing and amazingly written. There is so much to be said about this journey but I would hate to accidentally leave a spoiler, but it is most definitely a must read. Rachel does not disappoint in giving us a world you don’t want to leave and become attached to these characters. I can’t wait for the next book.
]]> 62923533
Is it her destiny to love him?

Or is it her destiny to die?

Valtu Aminoff is no stranger to tragedy. Though many know him as the enigmatic vampire that inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Valtu’s complex life is far more horrific than any fiction could imagine. When you lose the love of your life over and over again, it can do more than break your heart—it can corrupt your soul.
It's up to his new lover to decide if Valtu's damaged soul is even worth saving.

But destiny isn’t done with Valtu yet. And tragedy is always around the corner.

Black Rose is the sequel to Blood Orange and is not a standalone. Snap up this completed dark gothic vampire romance duet if you like:
High spice
Dark Academia
Gothic Setting
Vampires vs Witches
Spooky vibes
Reincarnated love
Dracula re-telling
Fantasy romance
Please check inside the book for content warnings.

"Every vampire has a sad love story to tell."]]> 408 Karina Halle Vanessa 0 to-read 3.52
author: Karina Halle
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.52
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 58245394 From New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle comes a dark and delicious Dracula retelling filled with secrets and lies, dangerous liaisons and a forbidden, student-teacher, second chance love story with a twist.

"My heart will always find yours."

Dahlia Abernathy has only known revenge. When her parents were killed at an early age by vampires, Dahlia spent the rest of her life under the thumb of the Witch's Guild being trained to kill them. Her latest mission sends her undercover to a prestigious music academy in Venice, Italy. Her goal? To kill Professor Valtu Aminoff, her teacher and the notorious vampire who inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula.

But getting close to a dangerous vampire like Professor Aminoff is one thing. Falling for him is another. With Dahlia's appearance disguised under a glamor spell, Valtu has no idea that the woman who has become his new dark obsession is actually the reincarnation of the woman he loved and lost twice before.

And Dahlia doesn't remember that the very man she has been sent to kill is the love of her life.

Will their love come through and transcend time once again? Or are the fated lovers destined to let history repeat itself?

Blood Orange is a modern-day Dracula retelling about the "real-life" Dracula that inspired Bram Stoker. This is a dark vampire romance with plenty of content warnings (please check interior of book for extensive list as it is +++++spicy) and while it is a spinoff of The Dark Eyes Duet, you do not need to read any other books before Blood Orange.]]> 314 Karina Halle Vanessa 0 to-read 3.81 2022
author: Karina Halle
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216004383
Lulu Sonnet is the bane of my existence.
She’s caused me more physical pain than any man should ever endure.
From an accidental throat punch to a near death by shovel��
Don’t even get me started on that vicious pool ball accident where she almost robbed me of my family jewels.
She’s a hot little heathen, and what’s worse?
She’s staying in my brother’s rental house while I’m temporarily living in the guest house.
And now she needs a favor.
A fake boyfriend.
I’ll dote on her for a few weeks, she’ll return the favor so my boss’s daughter will stop nagging me, and then we’ll part ways.
It seems simple enough.
Until we end up in the same shower.
And then the same bed.
The lines are blurring.
She’s beautiful and fierce and sexy all at the same time.
But Lulu isn’t staying in Rosewood River forever.
The place I call home is just a pitstop for her.
But suddenly everything I thought I wanted is no longer important to me.
My fake girlfriend has turned my world upside down.
And now nothing feels right without her.]]> 347 Laura Pavlov Vanessa 5 4.42 2025
author: Laura Pavlov
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves:
review:
This is the second book in the Rosewood River series and it is definitely a great time. I was instantly hooked and loved it from start to finish. Lulu and Rafe enter a fake relationship that benefits them both, but when rules start being broken and lines get blurred things don’t seem so fake anymore. The banter is top notch and had me laughing out loud so much. The chemistry between them is not instant unless you count Lulu punching Rafe in the throat the first time meeting him as the beginning of their chemistry. As things begin to feel more real than they are ready for, they also are nearing an expiration date because Lulu is moving to Paris. When they think it’s really the end for them, they make it to their HEA. Their road was a little bumpy but it was such a great time with plenty of laughs, banter and the Chadwick group chat was beyond hilarious. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
]]> 218681876 The course of their lives and the trajectory of the town sets them on a collision course for disaster.

Everleigh

One night changed my whole life.
After the truth about that night came out, I knew I had to leave.
Taking my broken heart with me.
I had no choice but to go back.
I knew it would slice me back open again.
But sometimes, the root of the flower you planted starts to grow again, no matter how many times you’ve cut them down.
He was my everything, and then he was my nothing.

Brock
My father taught me honor and integrity.
And in one split second, I ruined it all.
I lost everything I ever wanted.
But I had no choice.
I tried to go on with my life.
And the only good thing I had was my daughter.
Never expected to see the one woman who I’d loved and lost here again.
They say time heals old wounds.
They were wrong.
It just splits you open, making you bleed out.
I just have to survive again.]]> 296 Natasha Madison Vanessa 5 4.24 2025
author: Natasha Madison
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/14
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves:
review:
This is book 3 in the dream series and Natasha does not disappoint. I have been loving this series about a group of friends that were together on a night that ended in trauma and years later they return to the small town that tore 5em apart. This book is about Brock and Everleigh. Brock made a choice that tore him and Everleigh apart all those years ago after that traumatic night. Now Everleigh is back in their small town to care for her mother and they both still hold anger towards the other. Their journey feels like an insta-love but what they thought was hate was always love that never went away. As they work through the hurt they both feel, they also revive the love they had for each other. It’s definitely an emotional ride with steamy moments but I loved every minute of it. This series is becoming one of my favorites by Natasha and I can’t wait for what is coming next.
]]> 221609317
Um, no. Because that’s how fairytales start and Ivy Addison is no princess. In fact, she’s very happy being an absolute nobody.
She doesn’t have glass slippers or a trust fund or “graces”—and she’s pretty sure she doesn't need rescuing. She also most definitely isn’t overworked as the housekeeper for a rowdy pack of royals... and she certainly has no feelings for any of them.

Well, aside from Asher, the Crown Prince and star of all her mortifying dreams. Or Sebastian, the oh-so-charming baron who always has a smile just for her. And Dair, the dangerous duke with all sorts of bad ideas in his eyes.
Turns out, there’s a reason she can’t stay away. But when these famously eligible men find out their maid is their mate��

Can the royal alphas convince Ivy they’ll be her happily ever after?


Tropes:

RH/why-choose
Royal romance
Only soft for her
Fairytale reimagining
Innocent, kind-hearted FMC
Brooding prince MMC
Charming, golden-retriever MMC
Morally gray duke MMC
Fated mates
Rags-to-riches
Second-chance
Hurt/comfort
Groveling
Touch her and d**
Omega awakening
Rut/knotting/heat

Welcome to Ari Wright's Royalverse! Once Upon A Pack is a why choose Omegaverse romance intended for readers 18+. It contains knotting, heat, swoony alphas, and absolutely no choosing! HEA guaranteed!]]> 475 Ari Wright Vanessa 4 4.22 2025
author: Ari Wright
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/10
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves:
review:
4.5⭐️ This is my first book by Ari Wright and it will not be my last. I was instantly hooked and I could not get enough. Ivy is a maid for the royal family and finds out she not only has one but 3 mates. Ivy has believed to be a beta all her life, but one night she attends a ball at the mansion where she works. She gets the attention of not only the prince but also the duke and the baron who have formed a pack looking for their mate. The last person they expected to be mated to was the girl who has been cleaning their rooms. The road to their HEA is a lot of learning and growing together as a pack. Overall it was a great ride with moments that will have you fanning yourself and swooning right a long with Ivy. Definitely a must read you will not want to put down.
]]> 223950952
Hunter swept into my life like a hurricane. Cold, broody, and clearly hates me—if only I hated him too.
So imagine my surprise when he offered to train me. Accepting his offer was something I never should have done, but with my life on the line, what choice did I have?
His sole mission is to keep me safe, but my heart craves more. He claims he’ll never fall in love, yet his actions give me hope that he might change his mind. But I’m afraid that by the time he’s done with me, my heart will be in shreds.

Hunter

I don’t let anyone close, especially not close enough to see the demons that have haunted me for years. But Bailey makes me desire things I shouldn’t. I can’t stay away from her, no matter how much I want to.
Bailey challenges and provokes me to the point of implosion. Yet, she’s mine to protect and keep safe. No one will ever get close enough to hurt her, even if her presence is my greatest torment.
I hope she’s ready to face the consequences of taunting and tantalizing me. One time should cure me of this insanity, but deep down, I know one taste of her will never be enough.
I don’t know who’s corrupting who anymore. I just know I can’t stop myself. I am screwed either way.]]> Bianca Borell Vanessa 5 4.64
author: Bianca Borell
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.64
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves:
review:
This is the last book in the Corrupt Legacy series and it does not disappoint. Hunter and Bailey take you on a wild ride full of angst, tension and banter that will have you not wanting it to end. Hunter doesn’t do love but things change when he can no longer fight what has always been there between him and Bailey. The chemistry between Hunter and Bailey is top notch and beyond just steamy. They are both obsessed with each other but Hunter just takes it to a new level. The way he’s soft with only Bailey, will have you getting a warm feeling in your chest. But the plot twists will have you almost falling out of your seat and teary eyed with what happens next. But things happen as they should and once you reach their HEA it feels like all the characters in the series get their final HEA along with Bailey and was such a great read that I couldn’t help but devour even though I wanted to take my time since it was the last book of the series. Such an amazing end to a great series that I would reread again and again.
]]> 220871769 I'm forced to marry the girl I hate... but my feelings will never change.

Our marriage was arranged when we were children.

Over the years, I fell in love with Lyrical Haynes and worshipped the ground she walked on.

Until one fatal night changed both our lives forever.

I learned she killed my sister.

Now I'm out for blood.

I'll become the villain she'll wish she'd never met.

I will dedicate my life to ruining hers.

No matter what, I will never forgive her.

And she's in for a world of pain from the moment I slide my ring on her finger... to her last, dying breath.

This book is a dark college romance and contains dark themes. It's a complete standalone that doesn't end with a cliffhanger.

The tropes

Revenge
OTT Hero (Over the top h)
J/P Hero (Jealous/ Possessive Hero)
Stalker
Obsessive Hero
Arranged Marriage
Morally Black Hero]]> 337 J.M. Stoneback Vanessa 5 3.90 2024
author: J.M. Stoneback
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/04
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves:
review:
This is the first book in the Gods of North Haven University series, also my first book by J. M. Stoneback. It does not disappoint. Snow and Lyrical are in an arranged marriage but after the death of his sister, Snow blames Lyrical for, he uses their engagement to get revenge for her death. As they get closer, Snow’s feelings for Lyrical return and he no longer wants revenge against her. They also begin to find clues of what really happened the night of the car accident. Snow has loved Lyrical since he met her and has had an obsession with her. Lyrical has secretly loved Snow just as long. As they both fight battles and each other, we’re rewarded with some scenes they will steam up your screen and have you requiring a fan. And as they get closer to finding answers, we get reveals and plot twists that will have you shocked and on the edge of your seat. This wild rollercoaster of a journey they take you on will instantly hook you and you won’t want it to end. Definitely loved it and can’t wait for the next book in the series.
]]> 204593914 Caraval meets Throne of the Fallen in this spicy dark romantasy where a necromancer needs help from a dangerous phantom to win a deadly competition, only to find their partnership puts her at risk of breaking the game’s most vital rule: don't fall in love.

When Ophelia and her sister discovers their mother brutally murdered, there is no time to grieve: Ophelia has inherited both her powerful death-driven magic and enormous debt on their home. Circumstances go from dire to deadly, however, when Ophelia’s sister decides to pay off the loan by entering Phantasma—a competition where most contestants don’t make it out alive and the winner is granted a single wish.

The only way to save her sister is to compete. But Phantasma is a cursed manor, with twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, and filled with enticing demons and fatal temptations. Ophelia will need to face nine floors of challenges to win... if her fears don’t overtake her first.

When a charming, arrogant stranger claims he can protect and guide Ophelia, she knows she shouldn’t trust him. While Blackwell may not seem dangerous, appearances can be deceptive. But with her sister’s life on the line, Ophelia can’t afford to turn him away. She just needs to ignore the overwhelming, dark attraction drawing them closer and closer together.

Because in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart.]]> 497 Kaylie Smith 1538769255 Vanessa 0 to-read 4.06 2024
author: Kaylie Smith
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 22609310
For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is hiding a huge secret. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything Auburn loves most, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it—but can she do it?]]> 306 Colleen Hoover 1476791457 Vanessa 0 to-read 4.14 2015
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222113958 For convenience, of course.

I need an escape plan—fast. My family expects me to marry a man I can’t stand, and Graham needs a wife to secure his inheritance. A simple deal, no emotions involved. Just one year of marriage, and we both walk away with exactly what we want.

But living with Graham isn’t easy. He’s infuriatingly perceptive, impossible to ignore, and fiercely protective in ways I never expected. Every touch feels too real. Every glance lingers too long. And every threat from the man I left behind pulls me closer to the one I secretly wished for all along.

This was never supposed to be more than a transaction. But the longer we pretend, the harder it is to remember what’s real. And the most dangerous thing about Graham Carter?

I think he might want me, too.

tropes:
small town
marriage of convenience
grumpy x sunshine
mutual pining
MY WIFE]]> Penelope Black Vanessa 5 4.21
author: Penelope Black
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.21
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/01
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves:
review:
This is the 3rd book in the Avalon Falls series and it does not disappoint. I was instantly hooked and held captive by these characters. Graham sees/meets Francesca at a party while in college. But it’s not until 10 years later when Francesca moves to Avalon Falls to open the bookstore her aunt left her when she passed away. Graham is obsessed with her and Francesca is equally intrigued and attracted to him. They enter a marriage that will be beneficial to them both after Graham finds out about the contract Francesca’s parents have her in. The build up of their relationship begins a little slow but it’s so worth it. I loved how obsessively he cares for her and wants to do everything in his power to help her get her freedom. Their road towards their HEA is not an easy one but they make it there. I could not get enough of them and loved loved their story so much. I can’t wait for the next book of the series and clearly I’m fully invested in the characters of the series.
]]> 209321392
I told myself I moved on.

Until seven years later, when he comes walking back into my classroom, a completely different man than the hockey star I fell in love with–and father to two little girls.

I’ve done my best not to think about him since a quickie wedding in Vegas. Only it turns out, those marriage papers might still be valid after all.

There’s no escaping Marcus now that he’s back in my life. The more we see one another, the more I see the man I fell in love with. When I learn the truth about what tore us apart, the icy walls around my heart melt.

I swore I’d never fall in love again. Second chances? They’re too good to be true. Yet this time, I want to take that leap.

Even if it might break me in the end.

Game Misconduct is a single dad, second chance, enemies to lovers, hockey romance with a guaranteed HEA!]]> 272 Emily Silver Vanessa 5 3.99
author: Emily Silver
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.99
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/26
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves:
review:
This is the first book in the Nashville Knights series and it does not disappoint. Marcus and Harper had a Vegas wedding while in college. 7 years later they run into each other again, only for her to find out that he is a single dad. There’s a lot of hurt for them to work through and the road is not easy but it does get easier. There’s a connection that they can’t fight and it to mention the feelings that never left. Throw in two cute little girls and funny hockey players, and you have yourself a great time. I loved their story and couldn’t get enough of them. I can’t wait to read more in this series.
]]> 222060314
Rule one of the Bachelor Pact is Never fall in love.

Temporarily returning home to Cedar Falls comes with mixed emotions. But having to work alongside the distractingly beautiful Pia, hired by my father before his unexpected death to run and restore my family’s inn, is a test I could do without. I don’t need help, especially from a stranger whose delectable body is inviting me to forget the most important rule of the Bachelor Pact.

I learned early on to avoid attachments, and Pia is completely off-limits. I’m technically her boss. Working together to renovate the crumbling inn, I try to shield my heart and ignore my body’s traitorous responses. But Pia's laughter fills the dusty halls, melting my defences and testing my iron-clad resolve. But as each day passes, the thought of returning to my old life as a cop in the city and leaving Pia becomes more and more difficult. Now, with my future and an age-old promise on the line, I'm left wondering if I should finally crack open the door to love I sealed so long ago.]]> 298 Cissy Mecca 1836562497 Vanessa 4 4.31
author: Cissy Mecca
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.31
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/24
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves:
review:
4.5 ⭐️ This was my first Cissy Mecca book and it will not be my last. Pía moves across the country to a small town on the east coast only to find out that her future boss unexpectedly passed away a few days before. Now his son, Mason, is the new owner and he is completely opposite of his father. Mason and 3 of his friends decided in college to enter a pact to never fall in love or get married. But Mason and Pia’s attraction and chemistry is basically instant and they can only fight it for so long. I loved their journey and how things fell as they should for them once they reached their HEA. Such a cute small town read that hooks instantly and leaves you not wanting to leave.
]]> 57118988
Under Brick Callan’s mile-wide chest beats a loyal heart with a few cracks in it. He’s the steadfast, overprotective type. Especially when it comes to the one woman he can never have. It’s a long, complicated history punctuated by fights, friendship, family, and an attraction that strains his iron willpower.

When Remi Ford returns to Mackinac Island in the dead of winter with a secret, Brick makes it his mission to find out what put the shadows in those green eyes. Even if it means breaking down the walls he’s built between them. Even if it means falling for the one girl he’ll never get over.

The free-spirited artist just needs to lay low for a few weeks so she can figure a way out of this nightmare. She’s definitely not staying. Not when the man who broke her teenage heart into splinters keeps showing up at her parents�� dinner table. Remi doesn’t need broody, bearded Brick riding to her rescue…again. Not when it will put them both in danger, costing them much more than their hearts.

Author’s Note: Frenemies-to-lovers. Opposites attract. Slow burn. Girl in danger. Glorious, glorious banter. Fighting as foreplay. Small-town shenanigans. Big, grumpy, pining, overprotective hero. Wild-child, trouble-finding heroine who keeps on pushing the hero’s buttons. Steam Level: Lava. Suspense: Nail-biting. Feels: Big time.]]> 588 Lucy Score Vanessa 4 3.99 2021
author: Lucy Score
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/23
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves:
review:
4.5 ⭐️ Lucy Score does not disappoint. Remi and Brick take you on a ride full of banter, angst, push and pull emotions, suspense but overall it’s a great time. Remi is too funny and finds herself in trouble more often than not. Brick has always been there when she needs saving or just needs him in general. The chemistry between them is definitely off the charts and when they finally get together, it’s explosive for sure! Remi returns to her small town during the last stretch of winter not only to heal but to feel safe again. But trouble follows while she’s trying to help her friend out of a horrible situation. Things fall as they should and Brick and Remi find their HEA. This was an enjoyable and entertaining ride. If you haven’t read this, I definitely recommend.
]]> 221797428 It was peaceful and lonely, exactly how I wanted it.����
Then my new neighbor moved in and ruined everything.
Archer Green. Not just a member of a motorcycle club, but the��president.
The leather jacket on his broad back, along with all its various patches might as well have been red flags, warning me to stay away all the while his looks dared me not to.
Ignoring him was futile. Still, I tried.��
Until Archer showed up in my son’s classroom, ready to read for storytime hour.��
He’d found a way under my defenses…straight into my heart.��
Except, our worlds couldn’t collide even if we were tempted to let them.��
Not after we discovered a ruthless link we shared with someone from my past.
I’d always hoped for a fairytale, but even if I wished for a different ending to my story,��
Archer Green could never be a part of it.��]]> 346 Ashley Munoz Vanessa 5 4.10
author: Ashley Munoz
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/17
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves:
review:
I have loved Ashley’s writing for some time now and this book did not disappoint. Archer and Wren take you on a ride that that will have you in the feels but also on the edge of your seat. Wren has estranged herself from her family and has tried to give her son a safe life away from danger. Archer is the president of his motorcycle club, Mayhem Riot. He doesn’t fall in the safety zone that Wren wants in her life. But the chemistry and attraction between them is instant and try as they might, mainly Wren trying, they can’t fight what is clearly there between them. Archer is trying to get custody of his little brother while also trying to keep him away from their father. Wren’s past comes back into her present but so does Archer’s. The last 15-20% will have you so close to the edge of your seat that you might fall, but things fall as they should and they reach they’re HEA. I loved this from start to finish and this may be my new favorite by Ashley. I can’t wait for what’s to come next.
]]> 212808709 A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis.

Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself.

Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...]]> 464 Ali Hazelwood Vanessa 0 to-read 3.96 2025
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 202507554 moons.

They certainly did not expect them to fall.

As a valued Elding Blade of the rebellion group Fíur du Ath, Raeve’s job is to kill. To complete orders and never get caught. When a renowned bounty hunter is employed by The Crown to capture a member of the Ath, Raeve’s world is turned upside down. Blood spills, hearts break, and Raeve finds herself at the mercy of the Guild of Nobles—a group of dual-beaded elementals who intend to turn her into a political statement. Only death will set her free.

Crushed beneath a mourning weight, Kaan Vaegor took the head of a king and donned his melted crown. Now on a tireless quest to assuage the never-ebbing ache in his chest, his hunt for a moonshard lures him into the belly of Gore’s notorious prison where he stumbles upon something that rips apart his perception of reality. A shackled miracle with eyes full of rage and blood on her hands.

The echo of the past sings louder than the Creators themselves, and even Raeve can’t ignore the truths blaring at her from a warmer, happier time.
However.
There’s more to this song than meets the eye, and some truths ��
They’re too poisonous to swallow.

When the Moon Hatched is a fast-paced fantasy romance for fans of witty banter and strong, sassy protagonists. Beneath the cover is an immersive, vibrant world with mysterious creatures, a unique magic system, and a love that blazes through the ages. ]]> 718 Sarah A. Parker Vanessa 0 to-read 3.99 2024
author: Sarah A. Parker
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 203794147 The second installment of the bestselling paranormal/ fantasy romance from Sadie Kincaid.

But there is one who can save the fates of all.
For the child borne of fire and blood,
Shall be our ruin or our redemption.

An ancient prophecy. A betrayal so deep it will echo through eternity.

Ophelia Hart is no ordinary elementai. In fact, she is extraordinary in every single way there is.
And now that she knows her true heritage and has bonded to the most powerful vampire who ever lived, and the three ruthless vampires he sired, she wonders if she might finally know some true happiness. It seems at last within her reach—so long as the truth of her identity remains a closely guarded secret.

But secrets can’t remain so forever. Ophelia must learn to harness the magical abilities she’s awakened before the rest of the world discovers who she really is. And although her four bonded mates will do all in their power to protect her, there are forces at work that even they cannot fathom.

Destiny beckons, but betrayal lurks just around the corner. And debts will be settled for oaths that are PROMISED IN BLOOD.

Please note: Promised in Blood ends in a cliffhanger, but Book 3 in the trilogy will have the HEA you’re waiting for.]]> 384 Sadie Kincaid Vanessa 5 Holy smokes!! Speechless!

This is the second book in the trilogy and it definitely does not disappoint. The mystery and reveals that occur as Ophelia learns to control her new powers leave you on the edge of your seat. But the growing bond between Ophelia and her men, including professor Alexandros Dracos will have you requiring a fan. This was an emotional although action packed journey that will leave you speechless but also wanting more. Not to mention the cliffhanger of this one. This cliffhanger is what will leave you not only speechless but shocked at the turn of events. I can’t wait for the next book to be released. ]]> 4.17
author: Sadie Kincaid
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.17
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/16
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves:
review:
Holy smokes!! Speechless!

This is the second book in the trilogy and it definitely does not disappoint. The mystery and reveals that occur as Ophelia learns to control her new powers leave you on the edge of your seat. But the growing bond between Ophelia and her men, including professor Alexandros Dracos will have you requiring a fan. This was an emotional although action packed journey that will leave you speechless but also wanting more. Not to mention the cliffhanger of this one. This cliffhanger is what will leave you not only speechless but shocked at the turn of events. I can’t wait for the next book to be released.
]]> 212470837 I’ve always dreamed of romance, but this wedding is strictly business.

SOFIYA

I’ve spent years hidden away to protect my father from the shame of having a defective daughter. The head of the Bratva can’t be associated with weakness—and to him, that’s all I am.

That is, until a marriage alliance gives him the opportunity to finally be rid of me.

As I head down the aisle towards my mysterious husband, I hope I’m moving towards love and freedom. But Matteo makes it clear he wants nothing to do with me.

I wish I could return his coldness, but the dangerous Don sets my body ablaze whenever he’s near.

MATTEO

My life has been defined by betrayal.

A family traitor murdered my parents, and I’ve carried their blood on my hands all these years. I learned long ago not to open my heart.

As head of the Five Families, I’ve always controlled my city, but with enemies rising up on all sides, a marriage alliance is my only way forward. Except, my bride is not what I expected—and now she’s consuming my every thought.

But when my trust is shattered again, I’ll go to any means necessary to protect the Family.

His Tesoro is a spicy, dual first-person POV Mafia Romance with an age gap, arranged marriage, disabled heroine, and jealous/possessive hero. This book is a standalone that ends in a HEA. See Author’s Note at the beginning of the book for full content warnings.]]> 396 Emilia Rossi Vanessa 0 to-read 3.84 2024
author: Emilia Rossi
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 224422627 Tru

He’s a pivotal player on and off the field, but as college graduation looms and his need to be a draft pick heightens, he gets assigned a tutor.

But not just any tutor��

Me.

His ex-girlfriend.

And I hate him.

Despise him, actually.

We haven't seen each other since high school. And not only am I tutoring the guy who broke my heart.

I’m also his new roommate.



Vaughan

I know she hates me��

I hate her too.

I hate her mouth when it grins at me.

I hate her curves when she walks away from me.

I hate the way she smiles.

Laughs.

Yells at me.

But mostly, I hate the way that I don’t hate her at all.

In fact��

She’s the only woman I’ve ever loved.]]> 244 M. Robinson Vanessa 5 4.06
author: M. Robinson
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/13
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves:
review:
The duo, Rachel Van Dyken and M. Robinson, have done it again. I truly enjoyed this emotional ride full of angst, hurt, emotional moments that have you wanting to tear up at what they felt and went through and banter between the characters that have you laughing out loud. Tru and Van fall in love during a summer in the Hampton’s but his dad and foster mother cause them to separate. He believes she lied to him thinking what his dad said was true about something she supposedly knew so instead he breaks not just her heart but his as well. Now years later their roommates and she’s his tutor. The chemistry between them will have you fanning yourself and the banter had me cracking up. This was a great ride, emotional but a great ride. I loved it from start to finish.
]]> 219837921 I should have known I’d break the oath I made when I offered to let my best friend’s little sister move in with me��
She’s the sweetest woman on the face of the planet.
And to my great misfortune, the sexiest one, too.
She’s been living under her brother’s roof her entire life, and she’s ready to spread her wings.
And I’m the masochist who offers she stay at my place until she can find an apartment.
When I hear her having a nightmare, the only thing I can do is go to her. Hold her so she knows she’s safe from her demons.
The second she’s in my arms, the attraction I’ve tried to hide sparks to life. I know better than to push past the boundaries I’ve set for us, but when she begs me to touch her in a way she’s never been touched, I can’t resist.
And with my name on her lips as I send her soaring for the first time, I know there’s no going back.
I’m willing to break every rule and oath I’ve ever made to keep her.
Accept every consequence.
Only she and I have a dark, dangerous history that no one knows about.
And I’m afraid the consequences of loving her have just caught up to us…]]> 472 A.L. Jackson 196073041X Vanessa 5 4.31
author: A.L. Jackson
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.31
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves:
review:
This is the second book in the Moonlit Ridge series and it is a huge must read! Otto and Raven take you on a wild ride with all the feels, angst and suspense with a plot twist that will shock you. I was instantly hooked and loved every bump, hurt and happy moment of these characters. Amy gives us characters we want to be best friends with in real life and the way she gives us a world full of love, found family, and just all the feels that you wish was real just to meet this amazing characters in person and live in their small town with them. The love between Otto and Raven is something we dream about and hard to find. But reading about them and their relationship gives all the feels and keeps the hope of finding that kind of love alive. Clearly, this is another series that I am fully invested in and will be my personality for possibly a long while. I can’t wait for what comes next in this series. I might say this a lot with every book I read by Amy but Otto and Raven will have a special place in my soul.
]]> 221762745 Returning to Midtown Memorial Hospital was never part of my plan.

But now that I’m back in Atlanta, I’m determined to show everyone that I’ve grown. That I’ve changed. That I’m not the same self-absorbed playboy they remember.

So I start with my ex-best friend, Parker Winters, expecting him to be the hardest shell to crack. But I’m wrong. Winning him over is easy compared to the one person who has always seen right through me—his youngest sister.

Caroline Winters is ambitious, fiercely independent, and even more stunning than I remember. She’s also ten years younger, deep in the trenches of medical school, and has no plans to give me a real chance . . . or so she tells herself.

But as a man who gave up his dream surgical fellowship to raise his son on his own, I know better than anyone that both plans and people can change. And sometimes, they change for the better.]]> 371 Lexie Woods Vanessa 5 4.26
author: Lexie Woods
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.26
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/08
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves:
review:
This is my first book by Lexie Woods and it did not disappoint. I loved her writing and the characters were amazing. I was instantly hooked into their story and it was so hard to put it down. Weston returns to Midtown Memorial Hospital from Chicago but he didn’t come alone. He came with his infant son. As he tries to make things right between him and his ex-bestfriend Parker, he feels the hardest one to win over is Parker’s youngest sister Caroline. Caroline doesn’t make it easy for him but he makes it so easy to fall for him by showing her that he’s not the person he let her believe he was. And although their road towards their HEA isn’t easy, Weston is there being fully supportive of her dreams and goals. Caroline sees how he’s changed and the way he’s there for her is something that means more to her than he knows but also something she definitely needs. Although I did not read the previous books in the series, this one can definitely be read as a stand-alone without previous books being spoiled. I will be going back to read the previous books because they left me curious about their stories. Especially Morgan, she was hilarious and a lot of fun. I do hope that Lexie decides to write again but I wish her all the best.
]]> 219232647 A lifetime of doing as she’s told.
��
Belmira Tavares is a good girl. She doesn’t get into trouble or sleep around. She follows all of her mother’s rules, even the cruel ones. But everybody makes mistakes. Even careful, obedient Belmira.
��
One night of disobedience.
��
Her mistake is named Felix Ferreira. He’s handsome and charming and enough of a playboy that her mother will never approve. It was only supposed to be one night, one little rebellion before she resigned herself to living a life dictated by her mother.
��
But Felix wants more. He might want forever.
��
If Belmira is ever going to build a life free from her mother’s control, she’ll have to stop choosing the safe bet and choose herself instead.
��
SAFE BET is the first installment in an angsty, slow burn trilogy about two people who are perfect for each other—if only they can get the timing right.]]> A.L. Woods Vanessa 5 4.26
author: A.L. Woods
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.26
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/05
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves:
review:
This is my first book by A. L. Woods and it definitely will not be my last. It was so hard to put this down and once I started on this emotional journey, I was instantly hooked. Belmira’s mother is very controlling and uses the excuse of the abuse she hands out to Belmira as love. Belmira is skittish, shy and insecure due to her mother. She meets Felix and he falls instantly for her. But her mother finds them in a room alone and punishes her. She keeps them apart and doesn’t allow her to see him again. This is definitely a highly emotional journey that will have you from angry with how Belmira’s mother treats her, to feeling hurt and sad for her, to even feeling the small brief happiness she was able to experience on this journey. We are left wanting and needing more of what will happen next with Belmira and I can’t wait to get more. I am clearly fully invested and loved the writing. A. L. Woods absolutely has a new fan in me.
]]> 218458278 Blurb coming soon

Angel of Darkness is the first book in a duet , written in dual POV with open door steamy scenes. The completed duet can be read as an interconnected stand-alone romance novel that ends with a guaranteed HEA.

For the complete experience please be sure to read the second book of the duet Angel of Light.

This is the forth book in the Lords Of The Commission �� New York series and it’s a lighter shade of Mafia romance, featuring arranged marriage and friends to enemies to forbidden lovers tropes amongst others. There are dark subjects throughout, but it can’t be considered an overly dark story. Content warnings do still apply.]]> 370 Stephanie Amaral Vanessa 5 4.53
author: Stephanie Amaral
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.53
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves:
review:
This is my first book by Stephanie Amaral and will not be my last. Alison does not involve herself in the mafia world and leaves it to her brothers. On the night of her birthday she meets Max, a new bodyguard soldier to the ranks of her older brother’s soldiers. After she saves his life from being tortured by one of her brothers, they spend a steamy night together that leaves them both in their feels. Alison and Max will take you on a wild ride full of angst and edge of your seat moments that will have you in your feels while also fanning yourself. This is a ride that keeps you captivated and wanting more. And the cliffy at the end will have you literally at the edge of that cliff needing more. I can’t wait for the next book in this series. These character have completely hooked me and have left me needing/wanting more.
]]> 222953488
I don't have time for... whatever this is. My medical clinic has been targeted by thieves—hardly a month after returning to my home town. Coming back to the Outer Banks was always the plan after med school, and for a while in residency, I thought I might bring the hot Coast Guardsman with me. Right up until he accepted a new promotion without talking to me.
Turned out he was more of a situationship than anything real.

Except now he’s appeared on my doorstep, declaring he's on the Outer Banks for me, and despite my considerable temper pointed in his direction, he insists on helping me weather the storm. Literally.

Stranded together, we have no choice but to deal with the chemistry still sizzling between us. I can’t deny that he still affects me. But as the hours tick by, I start to realize there’s more to his arrival on the island than he’s telling me—and I long ago learned that the secrets of Hatterwick Island are always dangerous.]]> 136 Harper Jackson Vanessa 5 4.53
author: Harper Jackson
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.53
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/29
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves:
review:
This was a quick novella and it gives us an insight to Gabi and Daniel’s story. We’re introduced to them in Won’t Back Down and I’m so happy we got to get their story. Gabi returned to Hatterwick with a broken heart and while trying to heal from it, she starts working at the clinic. A hurricane is on its way to Hatterwick and while Gabi is getting the clinic ready Daniel shows up with one of the firefighters to help board up the windows of the clinic. The lights go out and they’re reminded of the hurricane of the night they met. Although they still have things to talk about and work through, Gabi gives him a second chance. Definitely an enjoyable read and I can’t wait for more in this series.
]]> 222711942 I lost everyone when my mother passed away.

My father became a shadow of his former self, and my grandfather didn't believe I was capable of taking the reins of our company.

So when my father remarried, there was an ocean between us.
Neither of us dared to cross it.
And he was no longer the person I ran to when I had a problem.

With his new wife came Neo Caldwell, my new stepbrother and the bane of my existence.
Also, the only man that simultaneously heated my blood and gave me goosebumps.

My family took him in like he was one of their own.
He filled the void I left in my father, and my grandfather saw a more suitable heir in him.

Now, the race for my family's legacy was on.
Neo might not be blood, but he was now family.
But I had something to prove, something to fight for.

Who needed weapons when we could kill each other with our sharp tongues?

I needed to ignore the way he made me feel.
And he needed to know that I'd rather see my legacy in ruins than let him have it.

Keep your enemies close, but your stepbrother closer. ]]> 215 C. Lymari Vanessa 5 4.16
author: C. Lymari
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves:
review:
C. Lymari did not disappoint in this first book of the Clearview Country Club series. Not long after Lourdes mother passes away, her father remarries a woman with a son that is more accepted as a grandchild than her. Lourdes and Neo are enemies for most of the book but when they get to the lovers part, it is definitely everything and more. This forbidden stepbrother romance will have you devouring it from the very beginning and not wanting it to end. The characters have you in the feels and the tension between them during their banter/ verbal sparring will have you laughing and fanning yourself at times. Loved, loved their journey towards their HEA and the way things just fell into place for them was amazingly written. Could not put it down and can’t wait for more to come from the Clearview Country Club novels.
]]> 214638074 A brand new, swoony small town firefighter series from USA Today Bestselling Author J.H. Croix!

What could go wrong when my brother’s best friend becomes my roommate?
I’m about to find out.

When I met Hudson Fox, I drove over his crutches. Way to go, girl. My hormones think this hotshot firefighter is all that and then some.

My hormones have a terrible track record. They are cheering for Hudson, but my brain knows better. I’m a smart woman with plans and none of them involve romance.

Until I move into my new place and Hudson is my roommate. Complete with Butter, his cat.

Hudson isn’t just easy on the eyes, he’s everything I didn’t know I wanted, including a little grumpy with a protective streak bigger than Alaska. We both have our reasons for avoiding romance, but when he proposes a with benefits arrangement, I can’t even think over the sound of my hormones screaming for joy.

When my messy past catches up to me and I discover Hudson is my brother’s best friend, well, things get even messier. Hudson is keeping his own secrets. I tell myself it doesn’t matter. Until my heart wants more.

Hudson & Stella’s story is perfect for readers who protective firefighters, slow burn, roommates, brother’s best friend, messy secrets, chemistry on the rampage, small town shenanigans, emotional romance with a dash of angst, oodles of swoon, and a cinnamon roll hero who will protect the woman he loves with everything he has.

*A full-length, standalone romance.]]> 215 J.H. Croix Vanessa 4 4.59
author: J.H. Croix
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.59
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/25
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves:
review:
This is the second book in the Wildfire series and it gives you all the small town swoony vibes. Hudson and Stella are roommates that turns into more. Both grew up in dysfunctional homes and feel that falling in love is not in the cards for them. So when they both fall for each other after starting a roommates with more relationship, it spooks them both. The chemistry between them is almost instant and you can’t help but feel for them. This was definitely a cute swoony read that I enjoyed from start to finish. Definitely a great addition to the series and I can’t wait for what is yet to come.
]]> 181344829 A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was��.

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.]]> 410 Ali Hazelwood Vanessa 4 3.98 2024
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves:
review:
This is my first Ali Hazelwood book and it will not be my last. Misery was sarcastic, hilarious and even though she didn’t feel welcomed with her own people (vampyres) she made the best of her life with the only friend she had. As part of making an alliance with the Weres, her father gets her to marry one. Misery takes this opportunity to also search for her missing friend. Lowe agrees to an alliance with the vampyres and marries Misery. There is definitely something there between them and they build a type of friendship before moving to lovers land. Their journey is not an easy one and there is a mystery concerning the disappearance of her friend, but they make it to their HEA. I was instantly hooked and could not put it down. I will definitely be picking up another Ali book in the future and can’t wait for more to come in this world.
]]> 219382072 ��
I’ve been making rational decisions my entire life.��
��
If someone is in need, I’m there. My Nana needs help with the bills? I’ll drop out of art school and secure a well-paying job. Someone needs the shirt off my back? They can have mine.��
��
When the league's most desirable bachelor and single dad needs a nanny that can look past his star power and won’t end up in his bed, I’m the perfect choice.��
��
Except, Rhodes Volkova isn’t the easiest to get along with. He’s grumpy, blunt, and cynical from past women and their inability to do their job and nothing else. It doesn’t matter that he has a serious soft spot for his daughter and is irresistibly good-looking.��
��
It doesn’t affect my ability to be the best nanny, and it surely won’t lure me into his bed like the rest.��
��
Rhodes is skeptical of me, fearful I’ll turn out like the rest with dollar signs in my eyes or just wanting a fling with someone rich and famous. But what he doesn’t know is that I’m distrusting too. I’m done with men and have issues of my own. He doesn’t have to worry about me crossing a line.��
��
𝘕𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘬𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩. ⁣]]> 487 S.J. Sylvis Vanessa 0 to-read 4.42
author: S.J. Sylvis
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.42
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216624717 The movie star and the small-town girl he left behind. They have a lot of catching up to do in an emotional and rousing romantic comedy about fame, second chances, and making dreams come true.

Parker Pruitt’s dream is to restore her small town’s long-shuttered theater—one to be named in honor of Noel Carter, the boy who followed his dream from Emerald Grove, Washington, to Hollywood…and broke Parker’s heart. Now he’s back to attend the kickoff ceremony, and for Parker, that means smiling through a swell of mixed emotions at seeing her former best friend for the first time in a decade.

Noel may be one of the hottest actors in the world, but he’s still touched by the tribute. And a little nervous about seeing Parker again. But when his weekend jaunt extends into a six-week stay, long-repressed memories and feelings come rushing back. As the simmering attraction between them builds, Noel is determined not to ruin this second chance even if his return to LA is hanging over them.

They’re making the best of the time they have left, but is there any chance of a Hollywood ending?]]> 317 Teagan Hunter 1662519494 Vanessa 0 to-read 4.01
author: Teagan Hunter
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.01
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213069720 Daring the Defender, following Axel’s sister Shelby, and his best friend, Reid, will be released next year.]]> 292 Angel Lawson Vanessa 0 to-read 4.24
author: Angel Lawson
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.24
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 207921757 This Sleeping Beauty woke up...
In a nightmare.

From Wall Street Journal bestsellers L.J. Shen and Parker S. Huntington comes a twisted second-chance romance between a prince haunted by a dark secret and his reluctant Sleeping Beauty.

Oliver
I don’t usually trap women with amnesia into marriage.
But I guess there’s a first time for everything.
When the woman of my dreams falls into my lap, I can’t help but wonder what else she can do in that position.
She’s here. In my house. At my mercy.
And she thinks we’ve been lovers the entire decade we spent apart.
Briar and I have always been unfinished business.
Now it’s time to seal the deal.

Briar
I’m marrying a beautiful monster.
A crooked fraud. America’s wealthiest bachelor.
He claims we’re in love, yet all I taste in our kisses is hate and lust.
I don’t remember why or how.
But I do remember he’s the enemy.
Now, I’m stuck inside a nightmare.
And Oliver will do anything to keep me in the dark.

Authors�� Note: My Dark Prince is a standalone enemies-to-lovers Sleeping Beauty retelling, in which a damaged billionaire with a dark past and his childhood sweetheart fall in love—literally. It is set in the decadent Dark Prince Road universe.]]> 438 Parker S. Huntington Vanessa 0 to-read 4.07
author: Parker S. Huntington
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.07
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216775902 Bridger

I’m her safe place.
I always have been.
The torment that Dani Lexington went through at the hands of her father was something no child should have had to endure. But I was the lucky one she turned to.
Our age difference and the fact that her brother was my best friend kept her off-limits, even though something was always there, lingering under the surface.
But when she was old enough, she left Bitterroot Valley, and I was forced to move on with my life.
I got married and had my little girl. Now, I’m a single dad, focused on my job as fire chief and making sure my daughter stays healthy after a mysterious illness has plagued her for the past year.
But after Dani’s father dies, she returns to Bitterroot Valley and is now living across the street from my daughter and me.
Dani’s no longer a child. No longer off limits.
This time, I won’t let anything or anyone stop me from being her safe place again.

Dani

I’ve been in love with Bridger Blackwell for as long as I can remember.
He’s a smoke show, kind, and gives the best hugs in the world. But best of all? He’s everything my sorry excuse for a father wasn’t.
Now, I’m back in Bitterroot Valley, living across the street from Bridger and his adorable daughter.
It doesn’t take long for all those old feelings to come rushing back, and every cell in my body knows that I belong with them.
That they’re mine.
Bridger’s arms are where I feel safest. They feel like home.
I’m growing to depend on him, to truly love him and his daughter. But I have deep-rooted baggage, and Bridger’s past has decided to rear its ugly head.
Will we survive this, or is our relationship doomed from the start?]]> 414 Kristen Proby 1633502163 Vanessa 0 to-read 4.23 2025
author: Kristen Proby
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222132429
Kinsley
Exposed Ink is my sanctuary, where I can hide behind the needles and ink, shielding my shattered heart from further pain and loss.
Until Shane, a firefighter and single dad, threatens to unravel the carefully constructed walls I’ve built to survive.
First, he saves my life—literally—and then he turns it upside down by making me long for things I can’t have.
He says he wants to get some ink done, but I know he wants something more �� something I can’t give him—me.

Shane
As a firefighter medic, I’m used to fixing physical wounds, but Kinsley’s scars run deeper.
To some, her brokenness might be perceived as a weakness, but I can see the strength buried deep.
With each passing day—and mark to my skin—I find myself falling harder for the striking beauty with the sad eyes.
She’s quickly tattooed herself on my heart, and I’m determined to be the one who shows her that love can heal even the deepest wounds.]]> 308 Nikki Ash Vanessa 0 to-read 4.67
author: Nikki Ash
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 212926603
Now someone is about to call me ‘Dad.��

Losing my major league baseball career led me back to my hometown with a chip on my shoulder and no one to blame but myself.

And even though I reluctantly just agreed to help coach the high school baseball team, my life felt flat.

But when my crush from high school tells me she’s pregnant after one hot night together, my dull life from before becomes anything less than boring.

Unfortunately, the way I found out was after her teenage son broke into my automotive repair business, making our relationship even more complicated.

Scottie Daniels has always been the girl that got away.

But now that she’s having my kid, the dream of a family with my dream girl becomes the only thing I can focus on.

Can I persuade her to give us a chance at having a family?

Can I get her son to let me in too?

And can I also convince Scottie that sometimes you fall—but you can fall into the right place at the right time with the right man when it counts?]]> 340 Harlow James Vanessa 5 4.11
author: Harlow James
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves:
review:
This is the third book of the Carrington Cove series and Harlow does not disappoint in giving us all the small town, friends to lovers feels. Grady is feeling like something in life is missing ever since he was injured during his time playing pro baseball. He felt it was about not having baseball in his life anymore. Once might he runs into his high school bestfriend Scottie. One thing leads to another and they spend a passionate night together only for her to disappear before he wakes. A few weeks later Scottie returns to their hometown with her teenage son trying to give them a fresh start, only for her to realize she’s also pregnant. Their journey is not easy and Scottie had many walls up that Grady had to break down little by little. Scottie’s ex-husband did a huge number on her and it took her a while to fully trust not just Grady but herself. But they get to their HEA and it just touches a special place in your heart for them. I can’t forget to mention Scottie’s grandma Gigi, she was hilarious and the wildness that came out of her mouth just had me rolling in laughter. This was a great addition to the series and I can’t wait to read what is coming next. Clearly I’m fully invested.
]]> 220368552

Toula
I’m the only one who sees my sister’s arranged marriage for what it is—a catastrophe. Her groom is eager to break her, and I’m powerless to stop him. Desperate to save her, I strike a deal with a Bratva boss—a man whose ruthless power promises her safety, but at a staggering cost: if she doesn’t survive five years, I must take her place. I swore I would never let it come to that, but with every encounter, I’m falling for a man I can’t have—one who could destroy everything.

Ilya
A Greek wedding is the last place I want to be, but my presence is non-negotiable. As a Bratva boss, this is our chance to solidify our position within the city. She appeared at the altar, completely blind-siding me. Her eyes dart restlessly, her aloof expression barely concealing her racing thoughts. At that moment, I see exactly how to ensnare my Little Fox. Her focus is entirely on her sister, and I know I can offer the safety she seeks. The catch? When it all unravels, I will have Toula—mind, body, and soul.

Feel the ache of forbidden desire and the crackling tension of undeniable chemistry as two unlikely souls collide—drawn together by circumstance, bound by temptation, and powerless to resist.]]> 168 J. Wine Vanessa 4 4.25
author: J. Wine
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/18
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves:
review:
Ilya has one conversation and takes one look at Toula and becomes obsessed and determined to make her his. Toula is a Greek princess and is trying to avoid being put in an arranged marriage like her older sister. After her conversation with Ilya during her sister’s wedding, she comes up with a plan to save her sister. What starts as her creating a plan to save her sister, she ends up growing feelings for the Russian that is helping her. But her Russian has his own plans. He agrees to help her to keep her sister safe only if she becomes his in the end. The Russian does not disappoint her like all other men in her life have, he proves to her that she can rely on him. This was a quick read and could definitely be read in one sitting. I definitely enjoyed it a lot and wish there was more. I can’t wait to read more in this world and see where Ilya’s brother Adrik’s story takes him.
]]> 220059843
West Castille is everything my little-girl heart dreamed of and everything I still yearn for, even now. There is just one problem. He’s never felt the same.

West moved on to the military and then into private security, using his finely honed protective streak to keep everyone but me safe, while I lost myself in my music and a coffee-shop job in our small town.

But when creepy messages on my social media turn to threatening notes left at my door, West is the one who shows up on my porch.

I tell myself it’s brotherly concern or a favor for his sister, but that all feels like a lie when his skin brushes mine. One stolen kiss could send us hurtling into disaster. Because when my stalker sees the way we touch, he’ll do anything to end us both…]]> Catherine Cowles Vanessa 0 to-read 3.69 2023
author: Catherine Cowles
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 63116532
Now, Caden’s back. With his cocky smirk and infuriating nicknames. And I’m struggling to ignore his presence.

When my ex refuses to leave me alone, Caden steps in, suggesting that it will get my ex and Caden’s calculating father off both our backs if we just pretend to be madly in love.

There’s just one problem�� Nothing I feel for Caden Shaw is fake—even when I thought I hated him. And there’s no denying how the touch of his lips sparks a flame I’ll never be able to extinguish.

As those pretend moments start to turn oh so real, someone’s watching. They’re not happy about Caden’s new role in my life. And they’ll do anything to rip me away from him—even burn us all to the ground…]]> 342 Catherine Cowles 1951936418 Vanessa 5 5 star must read!!

Another 5 star read and you won’t be disappointed other than wanting more once you’ve reached the end. This is the third book in the series and with tropes of small town, brother’s best friend, fake dating, suspense, don’t mind if I do. Grae and Caden were childhood friends until one day Grae gets sick while on a hike, is in a coma and is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Caden was terrified of losing her and puts up a wall after that to prevent ever hurting again the way he hurt after losing his younger sister to cancer. Fast forward 11 years from that traumatic event and Caden is returning home to his small town after years living in New York. Grae is not happy he’s back and it brings back memories and feelings she has pushed back. But things change after Grae is trying to politely turn down someone who is refusing to get the hint. She sees Caden and gets him to okay along that they are dating. Caden uses this opportunity to not only benefit her but him as well since his father is putting pressure on him to settle down. Someone in their small town is not happy that they are together and begins to scare her by starting fires beginning with her vehicle. After Grae’s home catching fire she moves in with Caden. Everyone around her, including herself, begin to take more precautions as they try to figure out who is doing it. The growth of their relationship and the process of Grae breaking down the walls that Caden has is amazingly written that I couldn’t help but devour it all. They do hit bumps on the journey to their HEA like Caden’s brother Gabe and his father who is a horrible person. Once you get to the shocking reveal of who has been after Grae, I was not expecting that person. I had my thoughts but was completely blindsided. Love when that happens. You’re kept on the edge of your seat for a bit there but that HEA arrives and it makes it all worth it. I truly loved their journey from start to finish and could hardly put it down to adult and do life. I don’t know how Cowles does it but each book is just better and better. ]]> 4.21 2023
author: Catherine Cowles
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/08
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves:
review:
5 star must read!!

Another 5 star read and you won’t be disappointed other than wanting more once you’ve reached the end. This is the third book in the series and with tropes of small town, brother’s best friend, fake dating, suspense, don’t mind if I do. Grae and Caden were childhood friends until one day Grae gets sick while on a hike, is in a coma and is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Caden was terrified of losing her and puts up a wall after that to prevent ever hurting again the way he hurt after losing his younger sister to cancer. Fast forward 11 years from that traumatic event and Caden is returning home to his small town after years living in New York. Grae is not happy he’s back and it brings back memories and feelings she has pushed back. But things change after Grae is trying to politely turn down someone who is refusing to get the hint. She sees Caden and gets him to okay along that they are dating. Caden uses this opportunity to not only benefit her but him as well since his father is putting pressure on him to settle down. Someone in their small town is not happy that they are together and begins to scare her by starting fires beginning with her vehicle. After Grae’s home catching fire she moves in with Caden. Everyone around her, including herself, begin to take more precautions as they try to figure out who is doing it. The growth of their relationship and the process of Grae breaking down the walls that Caden has is amazingly written that I couldn’t help but devour it all. They do hit bumps on the journey to their HEA like Caden’s brother Gabe and his father who is a horrible person. Once you get to the shocking reveal of who has been after Grae, I was not expecting that person. I had my thoughts but was completely blindsided. Love when that happens. You’re kept on the edge of your seat for a bit there but that HEA arrives and it makes it all worth it. I truly loved their journey from start to finish and could hardly put it down to adult and do life. I don’t know how Cowles does it but each book is just better and better.
]]> 212469861
But Cope Colson is so much more.

The gentle way he makes sure we’re okay. The playful care he shows my son. The way he truly sees me.

When my life comes apart yet again, it’s Cope picking up the pieces. Now, we’re living in his house, eating his incredible, chef-worthy meals, and it’s not just my son who’s falling.

It’s me.

Because when Cope touches me, I lose all sense. I’m no longer thinking about staying safe, I’m thinking about how my skin ignites with every glance, how I come undone with the barest brush of his fingertips, and when we give into temptation…I’m lost.

But Cope has secrets and so do I. And when the forces from our pasts emerge from the shadows, there’s nothing they won’t do to end our happiness once and for all…]]> 403 Catherine Cowles Vanessa 0 to-read 4.31 2024
author: Catherine Cowles
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 212469939
I’ve been running for most of my life, hiding away in a small town and hoping no one discovers who I truly am. The only problem is that I can never let anyone know the real me. Or at least that was true until my brother moved his best friend onto our shared property.

Now, I’m stuck trying to avoid the nosy billionaire’s probing questions and piercing stares. And it doesn’t help that I almost killed him the first time we met.

Oops.

But when all my carefully crafted lies come crashing down around me, it’s Linc stepping in to shield me. And when it looks like the person hunting me for all those years is back, Linc will do anything to keep me safe.

Only it’s not just my safety at risk. It’s my heart. Because when Linc touches me, I lose all sense. And when I truly get to know the broken billionaire, he’s so much more than a ruthless business tycoon. He’s the man showing me that it’s time to really live.

But I’m not the only one with secrets. Linc has them, too. And when the forces from our pasts emerge from the shadows, it’s with only one goal: to end the new life we’re building together. For good.]]> 402 Catherine Cowles 1951936655 Vanessa 0 to-read 4.42 2025
author: Catherine Cowles
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 43436610 Egotistical. Prideful. Mean.
I didn't care that he had a godlike jaw structure or a body that was masculine perfection.
I detested men like Jackson Tate and he was about to find out why.
Except, the metaphorical ball I was ready to throw at his head landed in his court instead, giving him the upper hand and intel he shouldn't be privy to.
Now I was at his mercy and playing by his rules.]]> Ashley Munoz Vanessa 0 to-read 3.95 2019
author: Ashley Munoz
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 59841053
In another life, he was someone I'd stay away from.

Not because of his tattoos, his past, or even the messy single-parent drama.

It was his looks that would have kept me away.

Dark blonde hair, mussed and unfairly perfect, lake green eyes, and that strong jaw that could easily cut glass. Don't even get me started on those dark jeans that were always straddling his chrome bike and the white t-shirt he wore that barely fit his sculpted arms.

He was too much.

It didn't help matters that he was also a massive jerk.

But in this life, the one where I was broke and unemployed...he was my best shot.

All I had to do was resist his adorable kids, deny their movie night invitations, and under no circumstances crawl onto their trampoline and stargaze with them and their dad.

I had a plan, a way to keep my distance but I had never been great at following my own advice.

Maybe if I had been, I wouldn’t have found myself being used as a pawn between a notorious biker gang and the man who was slowly claiming my heart.

*This has updated content, including explicit scenes.*]]> 556 Ashley Munoz Vanessa 0 to-read 3.82 2018
author: Ashley Munoz
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 75675290
I went from ruling the boardroom to baking cupcakes in the blink of an eye.

And aside from a few mishaps and seemingly always upsetting their dad, it oddly fits me better than anything else I’ve ever done.

Until Liam put everything into question.

Bossy, broody, and rude, he’s twelve years older than me, and a force–An annoyingly overprotective wall of muscle and ink.

But behind that perpetual scowl on his face was something deeper…worry and fear that no one saw him carry.

I wanted to help him.

But Liam Croft doesn’t want my help��

He just wants me.

I gave in to his touch, surrendered to our desire, and handed him my heart.

It was reckless and maybe even a little stupid…Because I want to rescue Liam Croft��

Even if saving him means losing him.

*Each book in this series can be read as a complete standalone*]]> 350 Ashley Munoz Vanessa 0 to-read 3.80
author: Ashley Munoz
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.80
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 66652820 This entire thing started because of a faulty tree.

Becoming a homeowner is not all it's cracked up to be, let me tell you that right now. Especially in the dead of winter, when apparently trees can just fall in the middle of a suburban neighborhood.

Did my next-door neighbor help me remove said tree? No, he did not��

So, really…he left me no choice.

I broke into his house.

While I only intended to steal a little warmth and maybe a cup of coffee, I fell victim to his jacuzzi tub.

But he returned early and that’s really when things went south.

Instead of a cold glare or icy reply, all of which I fully expected from my disagreeable neighbor.

Colson Hanes offered to make me breakfast.

Then he asked me to stay…]]> 304 Ashley Munoz 173379199X Vanessa 0 to-read 3.87
author: Ashley Munoz
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.87
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 146645160
I knew it the second my feet hit the ground, and my flip-flops slid in the mud.

Unfortunately, I had no idea what in the world I was doing. Not with my kids, or the three horses in my barn...and definitely not in the small, country town we'd recently moved to.

Being told all these facts, while being reluctantly rescued by my brand-new neighbor didn't help matters either.

Arrogant, bossy, and rude—and okay, impossibly sexy�� Reid was easily the most infuriating person I’d ever met. I had zero plans to ever speak to the recluse again after that night.

Unfortunately, he happened to be the only local horse instructor and the only hope I had at getting my kids in a saddle.

Desperation had me creating an alliance with him.

Envy had me craving the connection he built with them.

Distracted by his gentle touches, and his smooth smiles, I missed how close his demons danced to my ghosts.

While I was slowly letting him into my heart, I didn't even realize he’d already stolen it once before.


*This is a complete standalone book, with no cliffhanger and no cheating.*]]> 284 Ashley Munoz Vanessa 0 to-read 4.04 2019
author: Ashley Munoz
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 146642544
He was a liar.

I was a coward.

At age fourteen the boy who wrote me secret notes stole my heart.

The cunning thief that he was, he had convinced me we were soul mates.

Or so I thought.

At eighteen he shattered my heart.

I didn't know that kind of pain existed and I didn't stick around for anyone to witness it.

Five years after running away, I’m returning home as a married woman.

Nothing much has changed, including the fact that the boy I once loved, is still here.

Only now he’s a man who owns a mechanic shop and shows up everywhere I don’t want him to.

He won’t stop saying the rudest things imaginable.

Every barb tears through me, like a whip, and in turn, I say the most horrible things right back.

I hate it.

I hate him.

All I want is to lay low and lick my wounds in private.

But in small-town Tennessee, there isn't much that stays private.

Including the lie, he's clung to and the secret I'm hiding.

This book is a complete standalone, while it is angsty, there is no cheating.]]> 330 Ashley Munoz Vanessa 0 to-read 3.79
author: Ashley Munoz
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.79
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 61946806 Ashley Munoz, brings a deliciously fun small-town romance, full of hilarious antics and a grumpy recluse-with no idea he has to not only win the girl but redeem himself in the process.

Stalking the town recluse wasn’t exactly wise.

Davis was five years older than me…antisocial and temperamental. And there was the little fact that he didn’t know I existed.

Still, I gave him my heart, and he crushed it.

So I picked up the pieces and ran away to New York City. I had a plan that would keep my heart intact for years.

But one phone call changed everything.

Returning home meant facing the past…and the man who ruined me.

I had hoped that the mountain had swallowed him whole.

But, as I set out to help my parents, I discover he’s not only alive and well, but that they apparently love the jerk.

He has no idea that we have a past, which is both a relief and salt in the wound.

I promise myself I’ll ignore how his eyes linger on me, or how his touch feels like a live wire, and I’ll remember that once upon a time he broke me, and for that, I refuse to fall for him again.

But I can’t control that he seems to be falling for me this time.
]]> 332 Ashley Munoz 1733791973 Vanessa 0 to-read 3.61
author: Ashley Munoz
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.61
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 146640015
No, I hadn’t heard that Ryan Prince was staying at the very resort I had just started working at.

If I had, maybe I would have called in sick.

On second thought, maybe I wouldn’t have, because I really needed that paycheck. Being a single mother and having a lapse in child support had made me that desperate.

Still, I would have rather avoided the circus that rolled into Hawk Tail Resort and the man who sauntered in with it.

Tall with those perfectly rounded shoulders made for throwing footballs and winning championships, he carried himself in that regal way that told everyone in the room he was all talent and power.

All these years later and he was still that same gorgeous man I left behind in college.

Except now he wasn’t gracing the gridiron unless it was for a movie role.

I assumed he wouldn’t even recognize me, not with the actress on his arm and the crowd pressing in around him.

But when his unexpecting glare lands on me, the last ten years seem to slam back into us at once.

Ryan Prince didn’t just recognize me; the angry tilt of those lips on that too perfect face told me he remembered exactly what I did when I left.

I thought maybe this was a gift, a way to put the past to rest…but the look on his face told me he had plans to dig up everything that was unfinished between us.

It had me wondering if he’d buried anything at all. Maybe he’d just carried all the dirt in a little glass jar, waiting for this moment to shatter it all at my feet.

The summer was about to end, but it felt like my penance for the last decade was about to begin.



*This is a standalone romance novel with no cheating.*]]> 332 Ashley Munoz Vanessa 0 to-read 3.52
author: Ashley Munoz
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.52
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 215801867 As a single mom with my hands and heart full, finding love is the last thing on my mind.

Then Everett Windward comes along.

My new neighbor is charming, handsome, and sexy—and before I know it, I have a new friend…with benefits.

Fun and filthy benefits.

There’s just one problem—He’s also my son’s teacher.

That alone should have me pumping the brakes�� except it doesn’t. I’m drawn to him and to the way he makes me feel. Everett has a filthy side that has reignited something inside of me that I haven’t felt in years.

Something I thought I lost.

But there are rules��

My son can’t know.

No sleeping over.

And absolutely no feelings involved.

But as time goes on, it becomes impossible to ignore the butterflies in my stomach when I catch him looking at me, or when I watch him play ball with my son day after day.

Before I know it, he’s so intertwined in our lives, and I can no longer deny the desire to break the very rules that I put into place to begin with.

But it’s not just my feelings I have to consider.

I can see how quickly my son is becoming attached to him. See the way he yearns for that father figure in his life.

We have experienced enough hurt and loss to last a lifetime. Can I really open up our hearts, knowing the risk I’m taking?]]> 390 A. James Vanessa 4 4.04
author: A. James
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.04
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves:
review:
This is my first A. James book and she definitely hooked me. Gemma is a single mother that was just trying to enjoy a sunset while having a little free time from her mom duties. She meets Everett on the pier. Everett moved to small town Beach Blossom after his grandmother’s passing and she left him her house. After a few run in’s they begin a friends with benefits relationship that turns more relationship before either of them realizes. Gemma and Everett are too cute but the mouth in Everett will have you fanning yourself. I loved how they just fit so well together and how he just instantly fell hard for Sutton while also falling for Gemma. Gemma’s older sister Georgia was too funny and had me laughing at times with the wildness she would say. I can’t wait for the next book in the series and see what kind of wild ride that journey will take us.
]]> 213003571 Destined to be together, forbidden to love, two lost souls fight evil in an everyday world that belongs to the night. A dark romantasy by a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author.

Aria Rialta is a girl of two realities. One she was born to. The other she was chosen for. Both are a threat.

Every night when Aria falls asleep, she enters the nightmare world of Faydor to fight a war. It’s her calling to help destroy the Kruen, who feed sin and chaos to our everyday world of vulnerable humans. It would be a lonely realm in which to do battle if not for Pax, Aria’s dangerously irresistible soulmate whose mere touch can kill. It’s also a realm that’s getting harder to escape.

Aria’s hallucinations are seeping into her waking world. And the Kruen are coming for her. To help Aria, Pax must do what no one in Faydor has dared to do before—join his soulmate in the light of day. Giving in to their forbidden attraction could be the death of them, but they might not be able to stop themselves as they embark on a cross-country journey to fight the evils hunting them.

As their desire grows, so do Aria’s untapped powers, and a menacing new force far darker than the Kruen.
]]> 380 A.L. Jackson 1662524943 Vanessa 5 4.10
author: A.L. Jackson
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/12
shelves:
review:
This is A. L. Jackson’s first Romantasy and it was so good. Aria and Pax take you on a journey that will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Pax is Aria’s Nol (soulmate) and they are not supposed to find each other outside of Tearsith. But there is something hunting Aria and Pax cannot fight the pull to go to her and help her. The journey towards their HEA is full of suspense, angst, feels and moments that will have you so close to edge of tipping over only to have things fall as they should. This was hands down amazing and so hard to put down. Truly loved this journey and can’t wait for more.
]]> 53457692
He hunts my father and brother, but he finds me instead.

The girl he fixated on for years.
The one person he could never have.

And now that he’s captured me, he wants to keep me.

He might be savage, but I’m reckless.
And in a battle of hearts and sacrifices, only one of us can win.

Savage Prince is book two in the DeSantis Mafia series and the first of a duet. Aiden and Gemma's story continues in Stolen Crown. This duet is a dark romance with themes that are suited for 18+. Reader discretion is advised.]]> 314 S. Massery Vanessa 0 to-read 4.05 2021
author: S. Massery
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 53457741 The DeSantis Mafia Series is dark mafia romance with enemies to lovers themes.

Stolen Crown is book TWO of Aiden and Gemma's duet. The blurb contains spoilers for the previous book, and I urge you not to read further until after you've finished Savage Prince.

Reader discretion is advised.
–�ē�ē���

My father made a deal with the devil, and it backfired on both of us.
Now he’s gone, and my family’s future is in my traitorous hands.

I almost married Aiden DeSantis, even knowing the truth.
Even hoping I was wrong.

I have to end a war.
Save my family.
And uncover a conspiracy.

There’s just one giant problem:
Aiden and I are on opposing sides, and he’ll do anything to reclaim me.

The hate between our families runs deep.
The clock is counting down before Aiden’s patience snaps.

Now, if only I could figure out if he wants me, or to use me...
He can try to steal my crown, but he’ll never win my heart.]]> S. Massery Vanessa 0 to-read 3.96 2021
author: S. Massery
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 57455612 ____

Meet the bad boys of Bardstown:
Ledger Thorne
Shepard Thorne
Stellan Thorne
Ark Reinhardt
Homer Davidson
Byron Bradshaw


And the girls who will reform them:
Tempest Jackson
Jupiter Jones
Isadora Holmes
Lively Newton
Maple Mayflower
Snow Jones]]> Saffron A. Kent Vanessa 0 to-read 4.38
author: Saffron A. Kent
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.38
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 219372546 One woman and four gorgeous Hollywood hunks sharing a house, and a bed . . .

When Greer Morrow’s dirtbag boyfriend cheats on her, she knows she has to move out. So she takes a job, leaving her run-down apartment for a mansion in the hills, to work as a live-in personal assistant for a hot-shot Hollywood star, Roarke Flynn, and his high-profile A-List roommates.

Officially, her job is to prevent one of them from falling into his old habits, but Greer quickly discovers that each of these men want something from her . . . something that gives her the power to explore her own desires.

Now she must navigate staying out of the limelight and balancing her needs with those of the men who lust after her. She doesn’t want to choose—but maybe she won’t have to . . .

Available as an eBook for the first time, this steamy Yonder hit ventures inside the mansion walls. ]]> 352 C.S. Berry 1998341542 Vanessa 5 4.38
author: C.S. Berry
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.38
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves:
review:
C. S. Berry knows how to write a reverse harem/why choose that will not only hook you but will give you characters that you can’t help but fall in love with. Greer needs a better job that will get her away from her sleaze bag ex she shares an apartment with. Her friend has her apply to be an assistant/sobriety person for a famous actor. She arrives to the home to be interviewed, only to find out 2 actors she’s had crushes on live there and one of them is who is will be assisting. As she walks into the home and begins her interview, she meets 2 other men that live in the home. All of them are friends. She is also attracted to them all and them her. Aiden, Wyatt, Mason and Roarke will have you fanning yourself several times throughout this book with not only their dirty talk but their encounters with Greer. This is definitely an amazing introduction to a new series and I can’t wait to continue this journey.
]]> 214338412
I wear my emotions on my tattoo-covered sleeve, I say all the wrong things and I revel in pissing off a certain redhead far more than I should. In other words, I’m the last person the court would choose to parent any child, let alone three of them.

Yet being their father is all I want.

So when the woman I love to hate offers to help make all my dreams come true, I jump at the chance. Marrying Ava is a convenient solution: she's my kids favorite person and the court will absolutely approve of the woman who runs the biggest charity in Boston.

But there is nothing convenient about the way I feel when she fights with me, or when we kiss. And I'm not sure which I enjoy more.

This marriage may have a time limit but I'm beginning to think I'd like to keep my wife. She’ll probably fight me on it, but as they say, all’s fair in love and war.]]> 396 Brittanee Nicole Vanessa 5 4.30
author: Brittanee Nicole
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.30
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/01
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves:
review:
This book was everything. If it weren’t because I had to unexpectedly move, I totally would have just sat and read this in one sitting. Tyler and Ava give you all the feels. You will definitely be riding the high in the good times but when it drops, you feel it like a gut punch. And the kids just add to the feels. I loved how Brayden opened up more towards the end with Tyler. I loved reading the text messages of the group chats and the messages Ava sent to her sister just had me in all the feels. I might say this with every book I read by Brittanée but this is my new favorite book by her. And if you’ve ever read her books, you’ll know why that is. “Daddy War�� is a must read!
]]> 218681594 Montgavin Township will never be the same when one night changes the lives of six people.

When the single mom moves in next door, it's your enemy's soon-to-be ex-wife.

Lines are drawn, and I have to remember not to cross them.

Brady
For once, my life was calm.
Behind us was the threat our distillery was going to be shut down.
Now we could focus on growing our brand exactly the way I dreamed of doing it when I took it over.
Nothing was going to stop me.
Until she moved in next door.
My enemy’s wife with her seven-year-old son.
I don’t need this right now.
But everything inside me pulled me toward her.
Even offering her a job. Little did I know, again, I was starting a war.
However, I’m ready for it this time.

Harmony

It was no secret my husband had a wandering eye.
Leaving him shouldn’t have been a shock to anyone.
For Winston, it was more about failing at something that got under his skin.
Besides, he had to make his parents happy.
Which means he’s going to make my life unhappy.
When the pounding starts at my door one night, I’m ready to ignore it.
Until the stranger next door comes to our aid.
He’s everything you want in a man.
I know I shouldn’t involve anyone else in my life.
But maybe it’s time for me to see what dreams are made of.]]> 395 Natasha Madison Vanessa 5 4.23 2025
author: Natasha Madison
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/01
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves:
review:
Natasha Madison gives us a book that is hard to put down with characters that will bury themselves into your soul. Brady and Harmony will take you on a journey full of all the feels and an adorable little boy named Wyatt that you can’t help but want to squeeze him. Harmony is leaving her exhusband and is trying to make a new life with her son away from his toxic behavior and his toxic parents. Brady gives her job at his bar that he runs with his sister. Things aren’t easy thanks to her exhusband but Brady gets her in contact with an attorney that helps her when other attorneys in their area refused or did the bare minimum due to the Cartwright family and their money. But once Brady and Harmony fall for each other, you can’t help but fall along with them. You’ll need a fan handy because Brady has a dirty mouth on him that will have your cheeks turning red right along with Harmony’s. They reach their HEA and things fall into place for them as they should. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
]]> 203485158 A companion novel in the All of Me Series. This book cannot be read as a stand-alone.

Growing up in Ireland, I always felt like something was missing. I had an idyllic childhood, yet I was never truly happy.

After Mum explained about the adoption, I constantly questioned my existence. Despite being surrounded by love, I struggle to accept it or reciprocate.

When my bio dad shows up, trying to buy my silence, a switch flips inside me, and I let my demons run free. Nothing matters except revenge.

Then she lands in my lap—the love of my twin’s life—and it feels like fate.

Except nothing goes according to plan. I was supposed to steal her heart—she wasn’t supposed to steal mine.

After she runs back to him, I’m left heartbroken and shattered. The hits just keep on coming, and my pain turns to anger. Revenge takes center stage again, and the perfect opportunity presents itself when Simon dies.

Meeting my twin sets a devastating chain reaction in motion, and I’m drowning under the weight of my sins.

Vivien is struggling to cope in the aftermath of her crushing loss. Repairing the damage is my number one goal, because I won’t leave her to handle this alone. She can hurl hateful words at me and do her best to push me away.

But I am going nowhere.

Protecting my family is my sole priority. Vivien and Easton need me, and this time, I won’t let them down.]]> Siobhan Davis Vanessa 5 4.70 2024
author: Siobhan Davis
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.70
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves:
review:
This was such an emotional rollercoaster ride that you won’t want to end. We are given Dillon’s point of view and his side of the story. I was enjoyed his side of things and being able to feel everything from his side. My emotions were everywhere, it was heartbreaking and full of angst but I was totally here for it all. You definitely must read the first 2 books of the series to fully understand and appreciate this one. Definitely recommend this as a must read part of the series and you won’t be able to put it down.
]]> 60728623 Sons pay for the sins of their fathers��

Bodhi and Easton Lancaster O’Donoghue have grown up sheltered from the truth. Until it’s time for their parents to reveal what happened and how it shaped the events that came later.

Bodhi is quiet. An intelligent, introspective boy who hides his pain deep inside. Shattered by the harsh reality of the past, he spirals into a dark place where no one can reach him.

Easton loves his brother fiercely and has always been there for him. Despite his own grief and confusion, he tries his best to support Bodhi—even if he seems determined to push everyone away.

Vivien and Dillon knew this moment would come. Yet nothing prepared them for the massive fall-out. As Bodhi retreats, and Easton struggles, they fight hard to keep their family together.

Before history repeats itself and they suffer more devastating loss.]]> 140 Siobhan Davis Vanessa 0 to-read 4.06 2022
author: Siobhan Davis
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 51478183
Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger]]> 187 Graendoll Vanessa 5 3.98
author: Graendoll
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.98
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/23
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 222503767 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐡𝐞𝐦.
𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞, 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐡𝐞𝐦.

It’s not often the entire gang is together. Some have moved away to chase their dreams, and others have fled in the search for who they truly are. Most have stayed, creating a home and a future right where it all began.
Being reunited should be all fun and games, right?
𝘞𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨.
Because in the space of one night, buried emotions are exposed, confessions are made, and adversities are tested.
So, what started as a casual catch up with old friends quickly became so much 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚...]]> 135 Jay McLean 1922796352 Vanessa 0 to-read 4.54 2024
author: Jay McLean
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213787672
Ten years after making a marriage pact with her brother’s best friend, Cassidy Rogers is finally engaged. Except, it isn’t Travis Harrison on one knee. Cassidy’s sweet veterinarian boyfriend, Zack, pops the question before Travis has a chance. While she loves Zack, there’s no passion, no fireworks. Still, she agrees to marry him, unknowingly breaking Travis�� heart.

Doing everything in his power to break them up, Travis is unwilling to accept Cassidy's love for Zack. When all of his plans fail, he’s left with one final option—admitting his feelings for her have nothing to do with their pact. If Zack is out of the picture, does Travis have a chance with the one woman he’s always loved, or will everyone get burned in the process?

Always Heated is a sort-of spicy, romantic comedy-ish love story, intended for mature audiences. Just because it has funny moments, doesn't mean you should forget to check your content warnings�� There are a LOT with this one]]> 0 Irene Bahrd Vanessa 4 4.45
author: Irene Bahrd
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/19
date added: 2024/12/19
shelves:
review:
This is my first book by Irene Bahrd and it will not be my last. I am a huge sucker when it comes to sibling’s best friend and this one did not disappoint. Cass and Travis are the perfect example of why we read stories like theirs. They are totally want to be and both have feelings for each other. Life happens, a pact is made and someone finally gets their head out of the sand before it’s to late to get the HEA they both dream of with each other. Their journey hits some bumps but as they work through each one and with the help of family, they only get stronger and we fall more in love with them. Beautifully written, the characters hook you in from the very beginning, and you feel their struggles in a deeper level that it just touches your heart as you keep reading and sit on the edge of your seat wanting that HEA for them. Loved it from beginning to end and I can’t wait to read more books by Irene. She may have a new fan in me.
]]> 205408830
After purchasing the local floral shop from her eccentric aunt and finding herself again in the absolute delight she brought to the community, Summer feels welcome and safe in her new home.

But things have started to happen. At first, she could blow it off as bad luck, or kids starting trouble. But then the bad luck turns into serious, life-threatening incidents that can’t be ignored.

Bitterroot Valley is Chase Wild’s town. His family settled the area almost a hundred and fifty years ago, and as a police officer, Chase takes pride in keeping his community safe. Sure, he’s had his eye on the gorgeous florist since she moved to town, but he’s kept his relationship with her strictly professional.

Now, someone’s trying to scare Summer. She claims she doesn’t know why, but Chase is determined to get to the bottom of it and drive the danger out of his town. As time passes, and the more he gets to know Summer, the harder it is to keep his hands off of the beautiful woman. With their connection growing, he’s falling in love with her and will do anything to keep her safe.

As Chase learns the truth of who is threatening Summer, will he be able to protect her, and will their love withstand the challenges ahead?]]> 291 Kristen Proby 1633501760 Vanessa 0 to-read 4.20 2024
author: Kristen Proby
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 208960073 moved back home to Bitterroot Valley, built a beautiful house on his ranch, and has
recently adopted a teenage boy that has brought nothing but joy into his life. The only thing that’s been missing is the feeling of Polly in his arms since their incredible night together months ago. Memories of her touch aren’t nearly enough to satisfy him, and Ryan will do anything he can to make her his.

Polly can’t forget the one night she spent with Ryan all of those months ago, but she understood that it was a one-time deal. Yes, she still thinks about the sexy billionaire cowboy and his strong arms wrapped around her, but she’s a busy woman, with a thriving clothing shop and a group of friends that keep her on her toes. When you add in a house that always needs repairs, Polly’s days and nights are completely full. But when Ryan starts coming around, tempting her with that killer smile, heated bedroom eyes, and generous gifts, how is she supposed to stay away from him?

Polly knows how important the bond between father and son is and feels guilty for taking
some of Ryan’s attention away from Jake, especially when Ryan whisks her away to Paris for
the romantic vacation of her dreams. And just when the three of them start to settle in together, where Polly, Jake and Ryan start to feel like a family, she starts getting warnings and prank phone calls. Someone wants to come between them and their growing relationship.

The love they share is beyond their wildest dreams, but when danger lurks, will they be torn apart forever?]]> 339 Kristen Proby 1633501779 Vanessa 0 to-read 4.29 2024
author: Kristen Proby
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 208960501
Brady Wild has focused on one thing this entire adult life: riding bulls. A three-time world champion, Brady’s body has taken a beating over the years and he knows he’s nearing the end of his impressive career. He’s had no time for relationships with his dangerous career but the minute he sees sexy single mom, Abbi Kastella, he knows it’s game over for his resolve to be single.

Abbi is a mom, first and foremost, and she’ll do whatever needs to be done to keep her daughter safe from the danger that’s chased them for half a dozen years. She’s finally been able to set down roots in Bitterroot Valley for herself and Daisy. She adores this community that has welcomed them with open arms, her new business is thriving, and she has a circle of friends that she loves and trusts. And don’t even get her started on the hazel-eyed, muscled up cowboy that makes her whole body tremble with need. Life is good in this little Montana town and Brady is showing her and her little girl what real love is supposed to be.

Despite Brady’s best intentions he can’t resist his blue-eyed siren, or the sweet little girl that has him wrapped around her little finger. But when Abbi’s past catches up with them, Brady quickly realizes that the secrets that Abbi’s been keeping from him are far worse than any damage his career could do to them. Will they lose everything before it even really begins? Or will love prevail so they can get started on their forever On the Wild Side?]]> 392 Kristen Proby 1633501787 Vanessa 0 to-read 4.25 2024
author: Kristen Proby
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 75858168
But that’s exactly what happens when grumpy small-town sheriff Asher Whitlock reluctantly hires me to take care of his daughter for the summer. Neither of us is thrilled with the arrangement, but he’s desperate for help, and I need the money for grad school this fall.

All we need to do is keep our distance and remain professional . . . turns out, that’s easier said than done.

Instead of focusing on my future, all I see is the strong jawline, crystal-blue eyes, and rock hard body right in front of me. We try to resist each other, but we end up crossing every line until I’m in his bed.

I tell myself it’s just this once.
Okay, twice.
All right, every night.

But it’s got to end–he’s fourteen years older than me, with a kid and a stressful job. Have I mentioned my dad is his boss? Then there’s the past I’m trying to forget. Secrets aren’t easy to keep and mine are getting too big to hide.

Walking away is never simple but when I do, I can’t look back.

Even if it means leaving behind the man I was never meant to love.]]> 357 Corinne Michaels 195730913X Vanessa 0 to-read 4.01 2023
author: Corinne Michaels
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216004217
Henley Holloway is my boss’s daughter and I’ve been assigned to mentor her.
The problem is, I’m not looking to babysit anyone.
But I’m determined to make partner at the firm, and this is the final obstacle in my way.
So, I agree to take the little princess under my wing.
I’ll work her so hard, she’ll beg me to leave her alone.
But from the first day she walks into the office and spills scalding hot coffee on my chest—I’m
intrigued.
She’s a Harvard grad.
Her work ethic rivals mine.
She’s witty and funny and beautiful all at the same time.
I don’t want to like her.
I have a hard and fast rule about relationships, and I will not break it with my boss’s daughter.
That’s a hard no.
But she’s everywhere I turn, and I can’t seem to get enough.
Weren’t rules meant to be broken anyway?
From the moment we cross the line—I’m done for.
Henley Holloway has seeped her way into my heart, one that I didn’t even know still worked.
But sometimes loving someone isn’t enough.
I’m living proof of that.

**This is book 1 in the Rosewood River Series. Each one can be read as a complete standalone. A HEA is guaranteed!**
Rosewood River Series:
Steal My Heart
My Silver Lining
Over The Moon
Crazy In Love
In A Heartbeat
Whisper Sweet Nothings]]> 370 Laura Pavlov Vanessa 0 to-read 4.14 2025
author: Laura Pavlov
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220665025 Everyone in Naples told me I was tall, dark, and handsome. An Italian with golden eyes made for fame on the silver screen, even when I was just the young patriarch of my broken, scattered family.

I may have beauty and talent, but opportunities are scarce in the theatre and film industry.

That is, until I become chauffeur to the lovely and glamorous Savannah Meyers, wife to one of the most revered actors in England.

She notices me…in more ways than one.

Before I can check my impulses, I find myself falling for Savannah and her promises.

Only, instead of enraging her husband, Adam Meyers, they approach me to make a very scandalous proposition.

Live with them as their lover, and they will make all of my wildest dreams come true.]]> 391 Giana Darling Vanessa 0 to-read 4.02 2025
author: Giana Darling
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 209021052
From New York Times Bestselling author Kristen Proby comes the final installment in her beloved Wilds of Montana series, featuring a small town, marriage of convenience, second chance love for the ages!

I have loved Millie Wild for more than eight years. Since that summer long ago when we were inseparable, stealing moments, keeping our love a secret.

And my girl has hated me for just as long.

When my father found out about my love for Millie, the daughter of the rival family next door to us, he threatened everything I love the most if I didn’t let her go. My father didn’t give idle threats.

I had to hurt her to save her.

And for eight long years, I stayed away. But now, my father is dead and buried, leaving a caveat in the will that in order to inherit what’s rightfully mine and my sisters��, I have to marry and stay that way for one full year.

There’s only one woman in the world that I would consider saying I do to.

Millie is happy with her life, owning her coffee shop, enjoying her family. I deserve her glares, her snarky comments. Every moment of pain, from her or self-inflicted, is mine to own. She deserves so much more than me, standing on her doorstep, asking her to marry me. To help me.

But she says yes. Yes to one year of being mine, and I plan to show her that she’ll be mine until the stars fall from the sky.

With the name Lexington, I know that I’ve caused pain for not only Millie but the entire Wild family. Will I be able to convince my wild rose that I’m in love with her for all of the right reasons, or will the centuries-old family rivalry tear her away from me?]]> 342 Kristen Proby 1633501795 Vanessa 0 to-read 4.38 2024
author: Kristen Proby
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 221067138 I have bled.
I have wreaked havoc for my family.

Anyone who threatened us, tried to break us, I broke them instead.

Then, there was peace.
Marriage.
Children.
Life was good.
Life was great.

Until my phone rang one night.

Retired, I was no longer in the NFL.
We'd recently moved back to Fallen Crest.
So I should’ve known.
I should’ve remembered.

There is no peace in Fallen Crest.

War wasn’t coming.
It was already here.]]> 476 Tijan Vanessa 5 4.49 2024
author: Tijan
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/10
date added: 2024/12/11
shelves:
review:
The emotional rollercoaster this book took me on is next level and the hangover is real. I absolutely loved being back in the Fallen Crest world. Seeing all the characters as adults, with children and where their journeys took them, not to mention the mentioning of other characters from other books will have you feeling nostalgic. This was definitely a wild ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat from the very start. There is so much mystery and reveals that will not only shock you but will also have your jaw dropping from how much you would not be expecting certain things. Sam and Mason have their hands full with their kids but Maddy is such a perfect mix of them both that I hope we get more about her in the future. I loved how Mason and Logan are still super close and lean on each other for things. The threesome fearsome bond between Mason, Logan and Sam only grew stronger as they got older. I could not get enough of these characters and even though I was not prepared for this emotional wild ride, I was totally here for it all. Tijan definitely outdid herself in giving us a hard to put down, emotional ride that even though you don’t want it to end it will have you sighing thank you.
]]> 38396708 Seeing is believing...

Thomas Brown can't see color, but he can see people's true souls. His abilities allow him to work with criminal investigators and deliver justice to families of the wronged. And he's starting to accept that his life will forever be in black and white...

Then he encounters Helena Grayse, and everything changes. She brings vibrant color to his world, and he brings acceptance and belief to hers. But Helena's past is quickly catching up with her, and Thomas is in the crosshairs.

As an enemy hidden in plain sight threatens their every move, they'll have to rely on their love to beat the darkness.]]> 320 Abbie Roads 1492655872 Vanessa 0 to-read 4.05 2018
author: Abbie Roads
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220232050 This house isn't big enough for the both of us...

As my older brother’s best friend, Remington Town used to be like a member of my family. But the minute he turned eighteen, he left our small town of Sugar Brush, Wyoming and never looked back.

Thirteen years later, Remi shows up to settle his father’s estate, but as far as I’m concerned, he should’ve stayed gone. Besides, he’s in for a big surprise when he finds out the old farmhouse he intends to sell is now half mine.

I expect Remi to hit the road just like he did all those years ago, but infuriatingly, he settles in like he plans on staying for a while. It’s impossible to avoid him since I run my farrier business out of the house he’s now haunting. Everywhere I turn, I seem to find him, with his easy smiles and endless patience, no matter what I throw at him—literally.

When push comes to shove and I’m in danger, Remi stands by me without question. His steady, surprisingly gentle presence softens me to him. Soon, a tentative friendship leads to a fiery passion neither of us saw coming.

Remi and I find solace and beauty in each other, but behind the picturesque facade of our small town lurks an ugliness. Someone doesn’t like me having all that I do, and if they have their way, I’ll be left with nothing at all.

See It Through is a small town, western romance featuring the Kelly family. It can be read as a complete standalone, however this series is second generation. The Kelly kids' parents are Lock and Elena, and their story starts in Sweet Like Poison. This is Hannah Kelly's story.

]]> 344 Julia Wolf Vanessa 5 4.16 2024
author: Julia Wolf
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/08
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves:
review:
Hannah and Remi were adorable. I was instantly hooked and enjoyed every moment between them. This small town romance will have you falling in love with not only the main characters but the side characters and the town itself. The build up of Remi and Hannah’s relationship will have you on the edge of your seat waiting for them to fully fall for each other. But when they finally do let themselves, it’s everything and more. The road towards their HEA isn’t an easy one and there is some suspense/mystery behind some things that happen to Hannah and to her truck. But they make it through and there is closure about who was behind it, even though it gets touch and go there for a minute. Overall this was an amazing journey and I can’t wait for more to come. I will also be going back to read Hannah’s parent’s story as well.
]]> 42831492 A Coming of Age Small Town Standalone Romance full of heart and humor Without a plan in place and only a hundred dollars to my name, this big city girl born in a small town world headed for the bright lights of city life.

Four years later, I may have more money in my bank account, but somehow I've found myself back in another small town trying to build a life. Even though the residents of Fayhill have welcomed me like one of their own, this is only a detour, not a final destination.

Then I met Shane Abbott.

What's a girl to do when a certain dark-haired dimpled cowboy, who fills out a pair of jeans like it's his job and with a smile that sets my soul on fire, has me considering burning my map?

*

The bright lights of city life never appealed to me. I like the quiet of small town life, and my hometown of Fayhill fits me to a T.

I never expected to meet Mercy Warner.

Love is the last thing on my mind. These days I work hard and mind my own business. So when a certain honey-haired spitfire blows into town, I take another look.

She may claim small town life isn't for her, but the way she's settling in tells me she might be open to the option. Refusing to let this opportunity to pass me by, I take another chance and put my small town heart on the line.

Surely the draw of the big city won't burn me twice . . .]]> 254 Andrea Johnston Vanessa 0 to-read 4.16
author: Andrea Johnston
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 182711937
Introducing a new, steamy Italian mafia romance must-read for fans of Sophie Lark, Ana Huang and Sadie Kincaid!

Sold to the mob.

Four words I never thought I'd utter.

Worse, it was my father who did the unthinkable.

When the creditors come to collect, I'm handed over to the most ruthless man in New York City--Luca Valentino.

The head of the notorious Kings is as gorgeous as he is lethal. Dark, possessive, and violent. Nothing like the boy I grew up with, my dead brother's best friend.

And now I'm his��

The longer I spend in this gilded cage, the more certain I become he will ruin me for anyone else.

One click now to devour this spicy, enemies-to-lovers mafia romance. I dare you not to fall for Luca Valentino!

Ruthless King is the first fiery story in the blazing hot Kings of Temptation series. Each book is a standalone novel complete with a HEA, of course, because even villains deserve a happy ending. Please this is a dark romance novel with scenes that may be triggering and sexually explicit in nature.]]> 336 Sienna Cross Vanessa 0 to-read 3.93
author: Sienna Cross
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.93
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220703949
When you’re born into a dynasty, you’re never fully free.
I had one goal and I achieved it––keeping my friends safe. But leaving the girl with silver eyes is the hardest thing I ever did.
When danger threatens the people I love, I return to the place that never felt like home, to friends who think of me as a traitor and to the one girl who wants nothing to do with me.
The more I try to stay out, the harder she pulls me in.
I am only human after all and she’ll see what happens when she plays games.

Mia

When Blake left, he made a choice––and it wasn’t me.
Day by day, I stitched my broken heart back together and now he’s back.
He thinks he’s protecting me from the threat of his father, but his presence tortures me. I know he’ll never give me what I crave most.
What I didn’t expect is him losing a bit more control each passing day.
It’s both thrilling and terrifying but ready or not, he’s here to consume me.]]> 490 Bianca Borell 3911317042 Vanessa 5 4.66
author: Bianca Borell
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.66
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/04
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves:
review:
This is the 3rd book in the Corrupt Legacy series and Bianca does not disappoint. I was instantly hooked and if life hadn’t gotten in the way, I would have just sat here and read this all in one sitting. Blake and Mia take you on not only an emotional rollercoaster but a ride full of suspense, angst, chemistry so hot you’ll be fanning yourself and a turn that takes you on a freefall drop that will have your stomach dropping. But they make it to their HEA. And even though one danger was dealt with, they are not in the clear. I loved Blake and Mia and they may be my new favorite couple in this series. I can’t wait for the next book.
]]> 58235478 Bria du Mont and Damien du Sky have been in love for as long as they can remember.

Until one event changed everything.

Seven years later, Bria and Damien’s past still haunts them.

Forced into working together at their combined family’s multibillion-dollar company, they realize they have never truly let go.

When they begin to unravel the truth behind the events that led to their break-up, they uncover a betrayal that will threaten everything they thought they knew and turn their world upside down.

Torn apart by deception, will their love find a way to reunite them?]]> 318 Bianca Borell Vanessa 0 to-read 3.82
author: Bianca Borell
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.82
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216805550 Marked by vengeance, branded as mine—Lucia Terlizzi will be the key to my revenge.

Dante Terlizzi has to pay.
Two years ago, he broke his betrothal to my sister.
Two months ago, his brother stole the bride meant for my best hitman.
There’s an unwritten rule about family members and children��
But f*ck the rules.

Lucia is the baby of the Terlizzi family.
Now I’m going to put my baby in her.
We’ll see how Dante likes it when I take what’s his.
I’ll dress his pretty little sister in the finest clothes.
I’ll shower her in diamonds and jewels.
I’ll make Dante regret ever double crossing me.
And in the process, I will make my heir.

All I need is a bouquet of roses, a bottle of bourbon, and a good girl to bend to my will.

Tropes: Mafia Boss, Birth Control T*mpering, Arranged Marriage, Soul Mates, My Wife, Older Man, Possessive Hero

Wicked Desires is Saverio and Lucia's story. This novel features dark themes, steamy scenes, and mature content. Please read the first chapter for a full list of TWs.

Each book in The Terlizzis series can be read as a standalone novel.]]> 316 Cora Kent Vanessa 4 3.99
author: Cora Kent
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.99
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/17
date added: 2024/12/01
shelves:
review:
This is the next book in the Terlizzis series and I could not put it down. I definitely recommend reading Simple Pleasures before reading Wicked Desires, it sets the tone and gives backstory to Lucia and Saverio’s relationship. Saverio is not someone easy to love but it’s clear that he loves Lucia and he loves her more than she realizes. Lucia is in a love/hate relationship with Saverio but it’s also an arranged marriage that Saverio set up with her father years ago, again because he loved her and wanted her to be his forever. They have a more than your normal bumpy road to their HEA and things are revealed about a stalker Lucia had a few years prior. But we also find things out about Saverio’s sister, Lucrezia, from Dante’s book. So I also recommend to read his book before this one. Things aren’t easy and they hurt each other but as they work through them and things fall as they should for the, the rollercoaster they’ve been on for years is finally worth it. They reach their HEAand I was totally here for it all.
]]> 217704227 Beau Carter: kingpin, blue-eyed playboy from across town, and the only man I’ve ever shared my secrets with.

And now, my fiercest competition.

I never planned on racing in the Gauntlet, but with my sisters depending on me, winning this tournament is the only way to keep our heads above water. I work for a crew that trades in secrets, and Beau runs the underground races that keep this town alive. We both play on the edge of the law, but getting involved with him? It’s more than dangerous—it’s forbidden.

Five races. Five chances to cross the finish line before him. Five steps closer to the money that could change our lives. But with each race, the stakes get higher and so does the danger. Sabotage, threats, and accidents are piling up, and it’s clear someone doesn’t want me to cross that finish line.

Every race brings me closer to victory—and closer to Beau. But as the final race closes in, I realize not only is my life on the line, but so is my heart.



small town romance
rivals to lovers
grumpy x sunshine
romantic suspense ]]> 417 Penelope Black Vanessa 5 4.39
author: Penelope Black
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/01
date added: 2024/12/01
shelves:
review:
This is book 2 in the Avalon Falls series and I could not get enough of it. Beau and Eloise are everything, from their meet cute beginning to them becoming rivals in an illegal car race, to them falling. Eloise has been raising and caring for her sisters for years since she left her mother after coming home to one of her mother’s “boyfriends�� trying do to do inappropriate things to her little sisters. She runs with them and ends up in Seven Pines unofficially working for the crew there. Her goal is to give her sisters a better life and opportunities she didn’t get. She wasn’t expecting Beau to enter her life the one night she listens to her sister Margot and does something just for her. The suspense and angst will have you on the edge of your seat. Not to mention the instant chemistry between them. Truly loved their story and can’t wait for more to come in this series.
]]> 208662594
Forgetting the wedding was the easy part. Being married to him is a whole different story. Parker is too �� everything. Chiseled by the gods good-looking. A heartbreaking kind of broody. The kind of man you know will wreck you for all others. Good thing this is all pretend. And oh, how we pretend. We pretend ourselves right into me ripping the clothes off his body.

It’s all fun and fake marriage until the day he gets a knock on the door with the surprise of a lifetime. Until the bomb goes off and we’re left to pick up the pieces. Until the pretending stops and we’re left with only one question: was any of it real?]]> 397 Karla Sorensen Vanessa 0 to-read 4.46 2025
author: Karla Sorensen
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 123024203
Marrying Beckett Coleman is the best idea I've had in years. I can grant my sick dad’s wish to walk one of his daughters down the aisle, and Beckett has my help solving a custody situation with his daughter. Our plan is to spend a year together, then part ways. Easy, especially since I'm not his type, and he's not mine either.

He’s too quiet and too serious. And while he’s distractingly gorgeous, he’s also my brother’s teammate. Beckett is fake husband material, not the real deal. I just have to remember that.

Until I move in with him. Get to know him. Share a bed with him. Turns out, the line between fake and real isn't just blurry, it's almost impossible to uphold when he looks at me the way he does.

This marriage is a whole lot more complicated than we bargained for. We’re threatening to destroy everything we’ve built, something neither of us can risk.

Marrying Beckett might’ve been the best idea in years. But falling in love with him would be the worst.]]> 341 Karla Sorensen Vanessa 0 to-read 4.11 2023
author: Karla Sorensen
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 195468056
Years of etiquette lessons went out the window thanks to Cameron Wilder, who managed to unleash my hidden bad girl with naught but his talented mouth and deliciously rough hands.

Afterwards, he went back to his small-town life, and I marched home to inform my dad there would be no business-centric nuptials. As punishment, he shipped me off to Sisters, Oregon and demanded I turn a healthy profit on a not-so-healthy property.

You see where I’m going with this—the buttoned-up city girl stuck in a small town hires a local builder to help her �� and he’s the hot stranger from the elevator. Turns out, I have a weakness for the broad-shouldered nice guy who’s not so nice behind closed doors. Keeping things professional gets harder the longer I’m in town, until the only lesson I have left to learn is how to keep both our hearts from getting broken.]]> 378 Karla Sorensen Vanessa 0 to-read 4.39 2024
author: Karla Sorensen
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199204742
It’s been over a decade since I’ve seen him, but when I return to my hometown after years away, Ian’s exactly the man I remembered. The same guy who gave me his coat on a playground when we were kids and promised he’d take care of me forever. I need a quiet place to work with this deadline looming. I need a place where my daughter can unwind. Enter Ian with an offer I can’t refuse: his spare bedroom.

It’s an easy yes. Except now the problem is I can’t stop thinking about him, and these thoughts? They’re wandering out of the friend zone. I keep imagining very creative ways to rip off his clothes. And Ian starts giving me looks of his own, the kind that make my heart race.

One night, we cross a line we can’t uncross. The lines have blurred, and our friendship is hanging by a thread.

Imagine this: a woman falling for her best friend. And she has no idea if he feels the same.]]> 394 Karla Sorensen Vanessa 0 to-read 4.30 2024
author: Karla Sorensen
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217916448
Treasured college football coach by day, Reed Point’s most notorious bachelor by night—and the thorn in my side for the past 10 years.

It wasn’t always that way. Once upon a time, Tucker and I were inseparable. We grew up next door to each other and he was almost like a brother to me. My closest friend. But as we got older, things started to change. Secretly, I loved his cocky grin and the way his blue eyes would lock on mine. I was resigned to lusting after him from afar until one day he kissed me—only to reject me the very next day.

Since then, I’ve tried to keep as much distance between Tucker and I as possible. When we do cross paths, which is more often than I’d like seeing as our parents are best friends, that man still knows exactly how to get under my skin.

Then one night, Tucker corners me on a date and demands to know who the guy is. I tell him it’s just a fling, not that it’s any of his business. The truth is I’m leaving town in a few months, so I’m not looking for anything serious. But when I admit to having certain needs, Tucker comes up with an agreement.

That’s how I end up in a frienemies-with-benefits pact with my childhood best friend. We have a list of rules—no sleeping over, no cuddling and definitely no falling in love. But before long it’s taking everything in me not to break every single one.

Catching feelings for Tucker Collins is a very bad idea. There are a million reasons why I should walk away.

But it’s hard to leave when I’m having so much fun. Tucker is Reed Point’s hottest bachelor. The boy who broke my heart. And my new dirty secret.]]> Lily Miller Vanessa 0 to-read 4.26
author: Lily Miller
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.26
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 177899172 The Veil closed at our backs.
And now death holds us in its clutches.

We were torn from life before our time, a Savage King, his queen, a betrayed son, a wronged brother, a scorned wife and so many more. We watch those we left behind as they struggle against the grip of the stars, the answers to so many of their questions within our grasp and yet out of their reach.
But what if we could find a way to answer their pleas? What if we could find a way to help them from this side of the divide? And what price would such a thing come at?

*This is a bridging book which takes place beyond The Veil (in the land of the dead) during the events of book 8 in the Zodiac Academy series. It should be read after book 8 to avoid spoilers for that book and holds the answer to what takes place for the characters who are held within the clutches of death by this point in the story, as well as vital clues to the conclusion of this epic series.*]]> 416 Caroline Peckham Vanessa 0 currently-reading 3.85 2023
author: Caroline Peckham
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/26
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 219308048
I hate Christmas—always have, always will. From the gaudy trees to the over-the-top decorations and the traditions everyone clings to like they’re sacred.
Particularly my family.

They own Mistletoe Town—a Hallmark movie come to life and a place most people only dream about. Thanks to an unexpected inheritance from my great-grandfather, it’s my personal nightmare.

I’m stuck running this Christmas-obsessed town with an avalanche of memories I’ve spent thirteen years trying to forget.

But it’s not just the town I abandoned�� it’s her.

And no matter how much I play the Scrooge, I’m about to find out some ghosts from the past can’t be ignored—or outrun.

Especially now that she’s my sweet new employee, baking spirits merry and bright.

If I want to stay off the naughty list, I have to learn how to play nice.

And let go of the past.]]> 186 M. Robinson Vanessa 5 3.88
author: M. Robinson
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.88
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/25
date added: 2024/11/25
shelves:
review:
Could not put this down! This is M. Robinson’s first holiday book that is a standalone novella and she definitely gave us something to be very merry about. Nicholas returns to his small town after being away for 13 years. He left behind more than just his family when he left. His best friend Noelle stayed behind and now that he’s back, he’s getting her back in his life too. But he wants to keep her forever this time. Noelle doesn’t plan to make it easy for him at first but when she can’t fight the connection and chemistry that is still there between them even after all the years apart, it will require a fan to be handy. I loved everything! These characters, their banter, the teasing between them and the grinch references had me so hooked I didn’t want it to end. Definitely a must read that gives you the right amount of holiday feel with scenes that will have you contemplating if you’d rather be on the naughty list.
]]> 210163199 From the author of the Sunday Times bestseller and viral TikTok phenomenon, The Pumpkin Spice Café, comes a brand new spicy romance set in Dream Harbor!

When a secret message turns up hidden in a book in the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore, Hazel can't understand it. As more secret codes appear between the pages, she decides to follow the trail of clues�� she just need someone to help her out.

Gorgeous and outgoing fisherman, Noah, is always up for an adventure. And a scavenger hunt sounds like a lot of fun. Even better that the cute bookseller he's been crushing on for months is the one who wants his help!

Hazel didn’t go looking for romance, but as the treasure hunt leads her and Noah around Dream Harbor, their undeniable chemistry might be just as hot as the fresh-out-of-the-oven cinnamon buns the bookstore sells��

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store is a cozy romantic mystery with a HEA guaranteed!

Tropes:
�� opposites attract
�� small town
�� forced proximity
�� he falls first]]> 370 Laurie Gilmore 0008641579 Vanessa 0 to-read 3.90 2024
author: Laurie Gilmore
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 26032825 Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.]]> 370 Holly Black 0316310271 Vanessa 0 to-read 4.01 2018
author: Holly Black
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213137716 Even though he tells me he can’t stop thinking about me.

I’m turning 41.
He’s 26.

I’m a serious person.
He’s fun-loving and carefree.

It’s all wrong. But every time Raphael LaForest looks at me, it feels so, so right. Just a glance and my whole body melts. The simple brush of his hand on mine and every last nerve ending is on fire.

But that’s not all. Raph makes me think. He makes me laugh. He listens to me, and he makes me feel beautiful and desirable in a way my ex-husband never did.

He awakens feelings in me I never thought I was capable of having.

But our age isn’t the only complication. Raph’s also the nanny to my two little girls. He’s leaving at the end of the summer. And my feelings for him are rapidly tumbling into a dangerous place.

One that looks and feels an awful lot like love.

I can’t burden this man with the complication of us. My world is small. My life is set. Raph has his whole life ahead of him. The world waiting for him to explore.

He can’t stay with me. I won’t let him.

I just need Raph—and my heart—to fall in line.

Give & Take is an age gap, grumpy sunshine romance, where she’s older and he’s the sunshine. It’s a standalone romance set in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest, in the ferry-access-only town of Redbeard Cove.

Book two in the Redbeard Cove interconnected standalone series is coming on November 15, 2024.

Give & Take is a standalone reverse age gap romance novel set in the town of Redbeard Cove, British Columbia, on the beautiful and rugged west coast of Canada.]]> 462 Claire Wilder Vanessa 4 4.45
author: Claire Wilder
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/24
date added: 2024/11/24
shelves:
review:
This is my first book by Claire Wilder but it will not be my last. I’m jumping into a series but even though I didn’t get a chance to read the first book, you can read it as a stand-alone. It has been so long since I’ve read a reverse age gap that I can’t remember the last time I did, Claire knocks this one out of the park. Raphael and Lana will give you all the feels and hope that there’s always time to find love no matter where you are in life. Lana is a divorced single mother who dropped her law career after her divorce to be a waitress so she would have more time to spend with her daughters. But when her nanny unexpectedly leaves and summer upon her, she needs to find a nanny asap. Raphael is a go with the flow while also determined and finding positives in any situation type of guy, but when he sets his mind to becoming Lana’s nanny to her daughters he makes it happen with the help of her oldest. The connection and chemistry is instantaneous and once Lana stops fighting it, they will have you fanning yourself. I truly enjoyed their journey to their HEA and will definitely be going back to read the first book of the series. I also can’t wait for the next book, I have a feeling our next book of the series will be a wild motorcycle ride.
]]> 221332096 Book Three in the Redbeard Cove series is coming June 2024. It'll be an epic enemies to lovers romance featuring dirt bikes, forced proximity, caretaking, "do I hate you or is this love?" and several beds.

Full blurb to come. ]]> Claire Wilder Vanessa 0 to-read 0.0
author: Claire Wilder
name: Vanessa
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 205753201
So why did I turn up soaking wet at the beach bar of a very rough around the edges, very hot single dad and insist he hire me?

Maybe because as it turned out, perfectly fine wasn't actually good enough.

Soon, Grumpy Mac, his sullen teenage son, and his sunshiney dog show me just how messy and beautiful life can be.

But while this imperfect life and family I've stepped into here brings out a new me I love, it also highlights parts of the old me I miss—back there.

Will I have to choose between what I had and what I want?

Or is it possible to have it all here and there?

An all-new standalone small town romance from Claire Wilder, USA Today bestselling author, featuring a grumpy single dad, adorable sunshiney heroine, and a whole town that rallies for love.]]> 462 Claire Wilder Vanessa 0 to-read 4.08
author: Claire Wilder
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 221215610
Three bastards in witch hats, leather pants, and iron masks.



These supernatural stalkers have claimed me for their coven.

They won’t go away. These assholes will. not. leave.



All because I fell for an urban

Touch the Witch’s Tree on a moonless night and discover magic.



Wholesome magic kinky rituals, blood sacrifice, and jizz potions.

Oh, and a forest god who eats people—while they’re still alive and screaming.



Send help, and I’ll send cupcakes.


The Witchwood Boys Are Trending is a reverse harem/why choose romance (meaning one woman with three men). It’s a unique blend of cozy urban fantasy and dark horror, and while it starts spicy, it gets much, much spicier. Inside, you’ll find forced proximity tropes, grumpy-sunshine dynamics, and a main character with a banana slug tattoo. All characters are 22 or older.]]> 398 C.M. Stunich Vanessa 0 to-read 4.27 2024
author: C.M. Stunich
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211055883 The job was supposed to be easy. Get my best friend’s older brother back on his feet and put my life back together.

But when we end up sharing a bed, all those plans flew out the window.
He was a notorious underground rodeo champion. Ladies�� man and legend. It's not until he sustains an almost career ending injury that his family learns his secret - he wasn’t just the head of Sunny Brook Farms after all.

What started as professional morphed into something more, and not only because the cowboy refused to wear a shirt around the house.

Not that I was complaining.

But he was like a tempting piece of dessert that I needed to steer clear of.

Except, the more time I spent with him, the more I learned he was more than what he seemed. He was protective and devoted, and when I had my first taste of him, I was hooked.

We knew it was wrong.
We knew it would be our secret.

Neither of us wanted to cross the line drawn in the sand. There was his sister to consider and my crushed heart.

But all of it was about to get more complicated when that pink plus sign showed up.
This is book five in the Sunny Brook Farms series, but can be read as a complete standalone. *HEA Always*]]> 322 Renee Harless Vanessa 4 4.01
author: Renee Harless
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.01
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/14
date added: 2024/11/14
shelves:
review:
Renee has written another hard to put down small town romance that I couldn’t help but devour. Andrew and Kelsey take you in a wild ride but you will love every minute of it. Kelsey is staying with Andrew after he has an accident while performing at a rodeo, to give him the physical therapy he needs to get better. Andrew doesn’t make it easy for her but she is determined to get him back to his old self. As they get to know each other, feelings grow between them. But then Kelsey is hit with a surprise gift from her ex that has her panicking. They get through it only for another shocking reveal to happen that I totally didn’t see coming. But they make to their HEA and things fall as they should for them. I loved their story and just could not put it down. Truly a beautiful ending to a great series. I have yet to read a book by Renee Harless that I don’t like and this one was no different.
]]> 201017011 “I don’t need another kink.��

That thought pops into my head whenever I pull up my favorite social media app, but alas, every time I scroll, I learn something new about myself, and another one is born. And yes, I know I’m responsible for what the algorithm shows me, but I’m trying to ignore that fact.

Lately, my feed has been dominated by masked men. I’ve favorited videos with them dressed in full cosplay, decked out in futuristic military apparel, and wrapped up like ghouls.

But more than anything else, my FYP is filled with shirtless men wearing ghost masks. Bonus points if they’re heavily tattooed, wielding a knife, or covered in fake blood. At night, I dream about being chased by them, of them catching me and doing deliciously dark things to my more than willing body.

I never could have guessed that by sending one drunken text, those dreams would become my new reality.

Lights Out is a fast-paced dark romance with a morally grey male lead. Some themes and scenes may be disturbing to readers. Please check the TWs at the beginning of the book. ]]> 338 Navessa Allen Vanessa 5 4.17 2024
author: Navessa Allen
name: Vanessa
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/12
date added: 2024/11/13
shelves:
review:
This is my first book by Navessa Allen and also my first full audio. It’s always been hard for me to listen to books but this one, oh my this one here I could not stop listening. It took me about to get used to the fmc narrator but once I got over it, I could t stop listening. Josh and Aly take you on a wild and dark ride that will have you giggling one minute and fanning yourself the next. And once you get to the end, these characters will stay with you. Especially Josh, he had me laughing so hard and even after I finished the audio, I could still hear the narrator’s voice in my head. This will definitely be an audio I will be listening to again and again.
]]> 203793259 A dark paranormal/ fantasy romance from bestselling author, Sadie Kincaid.

Every few millennia, a child is born.
Some say they’re marked with a curse.
Others claim they possess the power of the ages.

Meet Ophelia Hart. Lover of classic literature and unicorns. An orphan with nobody in her corner—no family, no friends. But it’s her loneliness that fuels her life’s ambition to become a social worker and help the forgotten children just like her. For a foster kid with only slightly above-average grades, it feels like a pipe dream.

Except it seems that someone is looking out for Ophelia after all. When an unexpected opportunity to attend Montridge University arises, she thinks her life is finally taking a turn for the better.

Too bad she comes to the attention of the three ruthless, arrogant commanders of the Ruby Dragon Society. Three of the most feared and powerful vampires on campus.

But Ophelia doesn’t believe in vampires. Or in witches, or magic, or ancient prophecies.

Until she has no choice. Little does she know, she’s about to have her whole world turned upside down. Because there is something about Ophelia Hart. Something that captures not only the attention of the Ruby Dragon commanders, but also their powerful, enigmatic sire—Professor Alexandros Drakos.

With no idea of the power running through her veins, Ophelia must learn to trust the very men whom all others fear. And she needs to do it fast, for there are darker forces at work than those at Montridge University. Forces that were long ago Forged in Blood.

Forged in Blood is book one in a trilogy. Books 1 and 2 end on cliffhangers and book 3 is a HEA.]]> 374 Sadie Kincaid Vanessa 5 Professor Drakos ]]> 3.99
author: Sadie Kincaid
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.99
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/10
date added: 2024/11/11
shelves:
review:
Professor Drakos
]]> 203512215
When I met Layla Craig years ago, I didn’t know she was my best friend’s off-limits sister��
all I knew is she was a bombshell and I wanted her badly.

One night we had a sizzling secret encounter and pledged to become inseparable.
Yet fate had other plans.

Drafted by the NHL, I left town.
My calls unanswered, I tried to forget her—but never could.

Six years later, I’m back home for the off-season.
Running into the love of my life again feels like a thunderbolt.
Learning she has a son who looks just like me hits me like a slapshot to my gut.
And her not knowing I'm the father stabs me in the heart.

Her protective brother suggests I become Layla’s fake fiancé to keep her ex at bay—warning me it must be purely pretend.
But our chemistry crackles with sizzling attraction, pulling us together with an irresistible force...
...And this is my chance to win Layla’s and our son’s hearts.

My trophies and billions will mean nothing if I can’t have my family together.]]> 271 Livvy Stone Vanessa 3 Brock and Layla

This is my first book by Livvy Stone. The story was interesting but it was hard for me to connect with the characters. Don’t get me wrong, it was an okay read but there was just something about the writing style that didn’t let me fully connect. It took me longer than it should have to finish but again, I feel this was because I just wasn’t vibing with it. I may try another book at a later time to give her another try. ]]> 3.96
author: Livvy Stone
name: Vanessa
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/08
date added: 2024/11/08
shelves:
review:
Brock and Layla

This is my first book by Livvy Stone. The story was interesting but it was hard for me to connect with the characters. Don’t get me wrong, it was an okay read but there was just something about the writing style that didn’t let me fully connect. It took me longer than it should have to finish but again, I feel this was because I just wasn’t vibing with it. I may try another book at a later time to give her another try.
]]>