R. J.'s bookshelf: all en-US Wed, 30 Apr 2025 16:53:23 -0700 60 R. J.'s bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Kissing My Co-Worker 59024098
I've had a crush on my co-worker Declan since the day I started working at Rockline Studios. Trust me, if you could see this man, you'd have a crush on him too.

It's been two years since my first day of work... two years since my head has been filled with fantasies and daydreams about the things I could do to him. Two years of.... SITTING BY AND DOING NOTHING because dating within the office is forbidden, frowned upon, something we're not supposed to do.

The night of Rockline's infamous New Year's Eve party changes everything.

Will my new years wish finally come true?]]> 130 J. Sterling 1945042362 R. J. 2 3.55 2021 Kissing My Co-Worker
author: J. Sterling
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/30
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves:
review:
This is a cotton candy book: sweet but lacking substance. A predictable love story with a zing of spice at the end. It's good for someone who needs a quick shot of HEA (or someone who needs to fulfill a reading challenge).
]]> <![CDATA[City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments, #4)]]> 6752378
But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering Shadowhunters, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second, bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her—his mother just found out that he’s a vampire, and now he’s homeless. When Jace begins to pull away from her without explaining why, Clary is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: she herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.]]> 425 Cassandra Clare 1442403543 R. J. 5 4.09 2011 City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments, #4)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/29
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Unlucky 13 (Women's Murder Club, #13)]]> 18453095
The scene is more gruesome than anything she has seen before. It definitely wasn’t the crash that killed these people.

While Lindsay starts to piece this case together, she gets a call she wasn’t expecting. Sightings of her ex-colleague-turned-ruthless-killer Mackie Morales have been reported.

Wanted for three murders, Mackie has been in hiding since she escaped from custody. But now she’s ready to return to San Francisco and pay a visit to some old friends]]> 384 James Patterson 031621129X R. J. 0 to-read 3.96 2014 Unlucky 13 (Women's Murder Club, #13)
author: James Patterson
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Blood Orchid (The Scarlet Alchemist, #2)]]> 208548061
In search of the myth of Penglai Island, where it’s rumored life can be fully restored, Zilan starts a new adventure. But when old threats come back to haunt her and the path to Penglai Island means facing down unpredictable, sometimes dangerous, alchemists, she wonders just how high of a price she may be willing to pay.]]> 400 Kylie Lee Baker 1335091750 R. J. 0 to-read 3.95 2024 The Blood Orchid (The Scarlet Alchemist, #2)
author: Kylie Lee Baker
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Infinity Bell (House Immortal, #2)]]> 22859788 Return to national bestselling author Devon Monk's heartpounding House Immortal series, where eleven powerful Houses control the world and all its resources. But now, the treaty between them has been broken, and no one—not even the immortal galvanized—is safe....

Matilda Case isn’t normal. Normal people aren’t stitched together, inhumanly strong, and ageless, as she and the other galvanized are. Normal people’s bodies don’t hold the secret to immortality—something the powerful Houses will kill to possess. And normal people don’t know that they’re going to die in a few days.

Matilda’s fight to protect the people she loves triggered a chaotic war between the Houses and shattered the world’s peace. On the run, she must find a way to stop the repeat of the ancient time experiment that gifted her and the other galvanized with immortality. Because this time, it will destroy her and everything she holds dear.

Caught in a cat-and-mouse game of lies, betrayal, and unseen foes, Matilda must fight to save the world from utter destruction. But time itself is her enemy, and every second brings her one step closer to disaster....
Ìý±Õ±Õ> 358 Devon Monk 045146737X R. J. 0 to-read 3.93 2015 Infinity Bell (House Immortal, #2)
author: Devon Monk
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Scarlet Alchemist (The Scarlet Alchemist, #1)]]> 66098770
When Zilan finally has the chance to complete her imperial exams, she ventures to the capital to compete against the best alchemists in the country in tasks she’ll be lucky to survive, let alone pass. On top of that, her reputation for raising the dead has followed her to the capital, and the Crown Prince himself seeks out her help, suspecting a coming assassination attempt.

The more Zilan succeeds in her alchemy, the more she gets caught in the dangerous political games of the royal family. There are monsters lurking within the palace walls, and it’s only a matter of time before they—and secrets of Zilan’s past—catch up with her.]]> 432 Kylie Lee Baker 1335458018 R. J. 3 4.04 2023 The Scarlet Alchemist (The Scarlet Alchemist, #1)
author: Kylie Lee Baker
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/24
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves:
review:

]]> Dandelion Wine 50033
Woven into the novel are the following short stories: Illumination, Dandelion Wine, Summer in the Air, Season of Sitting, The Happiness Machine, The Night, The Lawns of Summer, Season of Disbelief, The Last--the Very Last, The Green Machine, The Trolley, Statues, The Window, The Swan, The Whole Town's Sleeping, Goodbye Grandma, The Tarot Witch, Hotter Than Summer, Dinner at Dawn, The Magical Kitchen, Green Wine for Dreaming.]]> 239 Ray Bradbury 0671037706 R. J. 3 4.07 1957 Dandelion Wine
author: Ray Bradbury
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1957
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/22
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Twisted Pretty Things (Shadows of London, #1)]]> 55244683 Something wicked is moving in the shadows of London�

In the underground world of glitzy illegal auctions, fast cars, and stolen magical artifacts, John “Dom� Domenici knows he’s out of his depth. But he needs the job at Kempthorne & Co like he needs to breathe. The alternative—going back to the organized crime gangs of London’s East End—is unthinkable.

So when Alexander Kempthorne, boss of Kempthorne & Co Artifact Retrieval Agency, wants him on a special case to track down an illegal artifact dealer, Dom can’t say no.

It shouldn’t matter that Kempthorne’s world is full of deadly secrets. It shouldn’t matter that the billionaire is sexy as sin, and it really shouldn’t matter how there’s an American agent stalking Dom, an American who knows more than he should about Dom’s case, including the real reason Alexander Kempthorne hired Dom.

The only thing that really matters to Dom is solving the case and finding the artifact dealer. Because there are worse things in London than a conflicted billionaire and a trigger-happy American. Something wicked is stalking London’s streets, and if Dom doesn’t stop it, its shadows will rise and consume them all.

***

Twisted Pretty Things is the first book in the all-new Shadows of London MM urban fantasy series. Action, mystery, and MM romance combine in this fast-paced adventure from the author who brought you the award-winning Silk & Steel series and the best-selling Prince's Assassin series. Coming August 2021.

Triggering content: mention of past mental and physical abuse.

Please note the Shadows of London series is set in London and the characters are all British (so is the author). Although the series has been edited in US English for the larger US market, to include US spelling and grammar, many English slang words and spelling remain as part of the character of the work.]]> 328 Ariana Nash R. J. 4 3.90 2021 Twisted Pretty Things (Shadows of London, #1)
author: Ariana Nash
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/22
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves:
review:

]]> The Mistress of Spices 94669
Now immortal, and living in the gnarled and arthritic body of an old woman, Tilo has set up shop in Oakland, California, where she administers curatives to her customers. But when she's surprised by an unexpected romance with a handsome stranger, she must choose between everlasting life and the vicissitudes of modern society. Spellbinding and hypnotizing, The Mistress of Spices is a tale of joy, sorrow, and one special woman's magical powers.]]> 338 Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni 0385482388 R. J. 4 3.51 1997 The Mistress of Spices
author: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.51
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/19
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Three Months In Undead Shoes (The Pandora Strain: Zombie Road, #3)]]> 75553867 Hunted by unseen danger.
The only way to survive is together.

After a harrowing journey through infected territory, Jane Finch, her loyal Great Dane, and her equally protective almost-zombie Grey have reached the military base in the mountains. It’s supposed to be safe. But the last thing they can do is drop their guard. Surrounded by soldiers, reeling from her first kiss with Grey and the news that he has a wife, Jane is separated from Grey. The loss leaves her aching. Then she’s thrust into a tenuous role of ‘behavioral investigator� for the base. When she uncovers a shocking truth, she’s desperate to reach Grey.

Kept in chains and subject to constant tests, Grey is torn between reclaiming his life as Commander Jack Hale and embracing his altered state. The base’s expert doctor and the woman claiming to be Jack’s wife insist that he needs to focus on training soldiers and leave Jane behind. But those same people are keeping deadly secrets—including feral zombies in cages.

Grey is told that Jane makes him feral. But his altered instincts are convinced he belongs with her—and that she’s in terrible danger. And he’s right. There’s a hidden enemy in the base, a traitor plotting to destroy all the survivors.

If being feral means he can save his pack, does he even want to be human?

This is the thrilling conclusion to The Pandora Strain: Zombie Road trilogy. Inside you'll find unusual zombies, devious plots, unexpected twists, and utterly devoted dogs.]]> 501 Dee J. Holmes 1778067980 R. J. 4 4.37 Three Months In Undead Shoes (The Pandora Strain: Zombie Road, #3)
author: Dee J. Holmes
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.37
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/18
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[On the Dot: The Speck That Changed the World]]> 2966762
The Humez brothers shed light on the dot in all its various forms. As a mark of punctuation, they show, it plays many roles--as sentence stopper, a constituent of the colon (a clause stopper), and the ellipsis (dot dot dot). In musical notation, it denotes "and a half." In computerese, it has several different functions (as in dot com, the marker between a file name and its extension, and in some slightly more arcane uses in programming languages). The dot also plays a number of roles in mathematics, including the notation of world currency (such as dollars dot cents), in Morse code (dots and dashes), and in the raised dots of Braille. And as the authors connect all these dots, they take readers on an engaging tour of the highways and byways of language, ranging from the history of the question mark and its lesser known offshoots the point d'ironie and the interrobang, to acronyms and backronyms, power point bullets and asterisks, emoticons and the "at-sign."

Playful, wide-ranging, and delightfully informative, On the Dot reveals how thoroughly the dot is embedded in our everyday world of words and ideas, acquiring a power inversely proportional to its diminutive size.]]> 272 Alexander Humez 0195324994 R. J. 2 2.58 2008 On the Dot: The Speck That Changed the World
author: Alexander Humez
name: R. J.
average rating: 2.58
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves:
review:

]]> Spinning Silver 36896898 Spinning Silver draws readers deeper into a glittering realm of fantasy, where the boundary between wonder and terror is thinner than a breath, and safety can be stolen as quickly as a kiss.

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty—until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold.

When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk—grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh—Miryem’s fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. Set an impossible challenge by the nameless king, Miryem unwittingly spins a web that draws in a peasant girl, Wanda, and the unhappy daughter of a local lord who plots to wed his child to the dashing young tsar.

But Tsar Mirnatius is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike. Torn between deadly choices, Miryem and her two unlikely allies embark on a desperate quest that will take them to the limits of sacrifice, power, and love.

Channeling the vibrant heart of myth and fairy tale, Spinning Silver weaves a multilayered, magical tapestry that readers will want to return to again and again.]]> 465 Naomi Novik R. J. 5 4.20 2018 Spinning Silver
author: Naomi Novik
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen]]> 395822 384 David J. Skal 0571211585 R. J. 3 4.22 1990 Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen
author: David J. Skal
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1990
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/14
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[12th of Never (Women's Murder Club, #12)]]> 15734464 It's finally time! Detective Lindsay Boxer is in labor--while two killers are on the loose.

Lindsay Boxer's beautiful baby is born! But after only a week at home with her new daughter, Lindsay is forced to return to work to face two of the biggest cases of her career.

A rising star football player for the San Francisco 49ers is the prime suspect in a grisly murder. At the same time, Lindsay is confronted with the strangest story she's ever heard: An eccentric English professor has been having vivid nightmares about a violent murder and he's convinced is real. Lindsay doesn't believe him, but then a shooting is called in-and it fits the professor's description to the last detail.

Lindsay doesn't have much time to stop a terrifying future from unfolding. But all the crimes in the world seem like nothing when Lindsay is suddenly faced with the possibility of the most devastating loss of her life.]]> 368 James Patterson R. J. 2 4.02 2013 12th of Never (Women's Murder Club, #12)
author: James Patterson
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park, 2nd Edition (Death in the National Parks)]]> 14435130 440 Lee H. Whittlesey 1570984506 R. J. 3 3.79 1995 Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park, 2nd Edition (Death in the National Parks)
author: Lee H. Whittlesey
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.79
book published: 1995
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Sweetest Dark (The Sweetest Dark, #1)]]> 13257637 With every fiber of my being, I yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson without incident. But I’d have to face the fact that my life was about to unfold in a very, very different way than I’d ever envisioned. Normal would become forever out of reach.

Lora Jones has always known that she’s different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems.

England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny.

Jesse is the school’s groundskeeper � a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves.

Filled with lush atmosphere, thrilling romance, and ancient magic, The Sweetest Dark brilliantly captures a rich historical era while unfolding an enchanting love story that defies time.]]> 352 Shana Abe 0345531701 R. J. 3 reread 3.80 2012 The Sweetest Dark (The Sweetest Dark, #1)
author: Shana Abe
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2014/01/01
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: reread
review:

]]> The Smoke Thief (Drakon, #1) 28429 For centuries they’ve lived in secret among northern England’s green and misted hills. Creatures of extraordinary beauty, power, and sensuality, they possess the ability to shape-shift from human to dragon and back again. Now their secret—and their survival—is threatened by a temptation that will break every boundary.

Dubbed the Smoke Thief, a daring jewel thief is confounding the London police. His wealthy victims claim the master burglar can walk through walls and vanish into thin air. But Christoff, the charismatic Marquess of Langford, knows the truth: the thief is no ordinary human but a "runner" who's fled Darkfrith without permission. As Alpha leader of the »å°ùá°ì´Ç²Ô, it's Kit's duty to capture the fugitive before the secrets of the tribe are revealed to mortals. But not even Kit suspects that the Smoke Thief could be a woman.

Clarissa Rue Hawthorne knew her dangerous exploits would attract the attention of the »å°ùá°ì´Ç²Ô. But she didn't expect Christoff himself to come to London, dangling the tribe's most valuable jewel—the Langford Diamond—as bait. For as long as she could remember, Rue had lived the life of a halfling—half »å°ùá°ì´Ç²Ô, half mortal—and an outcast in both worlds. She'd always loved the handsome and willful Kit from the only place it was safe: from afar. But now she was no longer the shy, timid girl she'd once been. She was the first woman capable of making the Turn in four generations. So why did she still feel the same dizzying sense of vulnerability whenever he was near?

From the moment he saw her, Kit knew that the alluring and powerful beauty was every bit his Alpha equal and destined to be his bride. And by the harsh laws of the »å°ùá°ì´Ç²Ô, Rue knew that she was the property of the marquess. But they will risk banishment and worse for a chance at something greater. For now Rue is his prisoner, the diamond has disappeared, and she's made the kind of dangerous proposition a man like Kit cannot resist.]]> 325 Shana Abe 0553588044 R. J. 4 reread 3.74 2005 The Smoke Thief (Drakon, #1)
author: Shana Abe
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2009/01/01
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: reread
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Parable of the Talents (Earthseed, #2)]]> 60932 Parable of the Sower continues the story of Lauren Olamina in socially and economically depressed California in the 2030s. Convinced that her community should colonize the stars, Lauren and her followers make preparations. But the collapse of society and rise of fanatics result in Lauren's followers being enslaved, and her daughter stolen from her. Now, Lauren must fight back to save the new world order.]]> 448 Octavia E. Butler 0446610380 R. J. 2 4.31 1998 Parable of the Talents (Earthseed, #2)
author: Octavia E. Butler
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1998
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/02
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves:
review:

]]> Kane (Schattenwandler #1.5) 19039451
Published in English in the Anthology Supernatural.]]> 58 Jacquelyn Frank R. J. 4 3.55 2012 Kane (Schattenwandler #1.5)
author: Jacquelyn Frank
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[House Immortal (House Immortal, #1)]]> 20821206 One hundred years ago, eleven powerful ruling Houses consolidated all of the world’s resources and authority into their own grasping hands. Only one power wasn’t placed under the command of a single House: the control over the immortal galvanized....

Matilda Case isn’t like most folk. In fact, she’s unique in the world, the crowning achievement of her father’s experiments, a girl pieced together from bits. Or so she believes, until Abraham Seventh shows up at her door, stitched with life thread just like her and insisting that enemies are coming to kill them all.

Tilly is one of thirteen incredible creations known as the galvanized, stitched together beings immortal and unfathomably strong. For a century, each House has fought for control over the galvanized. Now the Houses are also tangled in a deadly struggle for dominion over death—and Tilly and her kind hold the key to unlocking eternity

The secrets that Tilly must fight to protect are hidden within the very seams of her being. And to get the secrets, her enemies are willing to tear her apart piece by piece.…]]> 336 Devon Monk 0451467361 R. J. 4 3.82 2014 House Immortal (House Immortal, #1)
author: Devon Monk
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1)]]> 47212 HARRY DRESDEN � WIZARD

Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he's the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the "everyday" world is actually full of strange and magical things—and most don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a—well, whatever. There's just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks.

So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name. And that's when things start to get interesting.

Magic - it can get a guy killed.]]> 372 Jim Butcher 0451457811 R. J. 5
The same is true for the White Council. There's no really background info on it, what it really is or what it does, or why they're after Harry. There are drips and dribbles and you just kind of have to take the rest on faith. Hopefully this will be filled out more in the rest of the series.

Harry is definitely a memorable character. I like how he's a bit hapless (ie ending up running from demon while completely naked) rather than being all-powerful and in perfect control of his abilities. It makes him more relatable. The other character's were not really fleshed out though. Like Murphy, all I really got of her was 'stereotypical tough-girl cop'. I lost count of how many times it says she knows martial arts. The relationship between her and Harry is kind of skimmed over too. Though if you read the short story Restoration of Faith in gives a little more detail.

Like I said, all of this is somewhat typical of the first book in a series, and hopefully the world building will go deeper as the series goes on.

One thing that I really liked was that the clues to the mystery were well hidden in the story. I didn't know who the bad guy was from the start. There were even some twists that I didn't see coming. I hope the rest of the books are like this and I'm looking forward to reading them.

Favorite quote: "Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face."]]> 3.99 2000 Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1)
author: Jim Butcher
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/22
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves:
review:
This was a good book but there were a few flaws , most likely due to being the first book in a series. For instance, it talks about people not believing that Harry is an actual wizard, thinking he's more like a stage magician for children's parties. This suggests that the supernatural world is not 'out' that no one really knows about it. But, the police department has a detective dedicated to cases involving the supernatural? That doesn't really jive and there's no explanation to account for it.

The same is true for the White Council. There's no really background info on it, what it really is or what it does, or why they're after Harry. There are drips and dribbles and you just kind of have to take the rest on faith. Hopefully this will be filled out more in the rest of the series.

Harry is definitely a memorable character. I like how he's a bit hapless (ie ending up running from demon while completely naked) rather than being all-powerful and in perfect control of his abilities. It makes him more relatable. The other character's were not really fleshed out though. Like Murphy, all I really got of her was 'stereotypical tough-girl cop'. I lost count of how many times it says she knows martial arts. The relationship between her and Harry is kind of skimmed over too. Though if you read the short story Restoration of Faith in gives a little more detail.

Like I said, all of this is somewhat typical of the first book in a series, and hopefully the world building will go deeper as the series goes on.

One thing that I really liked was that the clues to the mystery were well hidden in the story. I didn't know who the bad guy was from the start. There were even some twists that I didn't see coming. I hope the rest of the books are like this and I'm looking forward to reading them.

Favorite quote: "Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face."
]]> <![CDATA[A Week to be Wicked (Spindle Cove, #2)]]> 11738128 When a devilish lord and a bluestocking set off on the road to ruin... time is not on their side.

Minerva Highwood, one of Spindle Cove's confirmed spinsters, needs to be in Scotland.

Colin Sandhurst, Lord Payne, a rake of the first order, needs to be... anywhere but Spindle Cove.

These unlikely partners have one week to
� fake an elopement
� convince family and friends they're in "love"
� outrun armed robbers
� survive their worst nightmares
� travel four hundred miles without killing each other
All while sharing a very small carriage by day and an even smaller bed by night.

What they don't have time for is their growing attraction. Much less wild passion. And heaven forbid they spend precious hours baring their hearts and souls.

Suddenly one week seems like exactly enough time to find a world of trouble. And maybe... just maybe... love.]]> 356 Tessa Dare 0062049879 R. J. 3
First the good. Tessa Dare is very good at writing banter and one liners. Here are some of my favorites:

"Perhaps that's because sleeping on a bed of flowers and ribbons sounds delightful and romantic. Whereas sharing one's bed with a primeval sea snail sounds disgusting."

"You're welcome to sleep on the floor."

"Did I say disgusting? I meant enchanting. I've always wanted to go to bed with a primeval sea snail."


"I'm a woman who knows a great deal about rocks. I suggest you find the stones to deal with it."

The author also makes her books very quick paced. However, this one seems to quickly go on a needlessly winding road. It seems like some of the plot points could have been left out the make it go more smoothly.


[spoilers removed]]]> 4.08 2012 A Week to be Wicked (Spindle Cove, #2)
author: Tessa Dare
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2021/04/17
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves:
review:
I mainly read this book for Colin. I wanted to know more of his story after the first book. I didn't particularly like Minerva in the first book but she wasn't quite so annoying in this book.

First the good. Tessa Dare is very good at writing banter and one liners. Here are some of my favorites:

"Perhaps that's because sleeping on a bed of flowers and ribbons sounds delightful and romantic. Whereas sharing one's bed with a primeval sea snail sounds disgusting."

"You're welcome to sleep on the floor."

"Did I say disgusting? I meant enchanting. I've always wanted to go to bed with a primeval sea snail."


"I'm a woman who knows a great deal about rocks. I suggest you find the stones to deal with it."

The author also makes her books very quick paced. However, this one seems to quickly go on a needlessly winding road. It seems like some of the plot points could have been left out the make it go more smoothly.


[spoilers removed]
]]> <![CDATA[Grave Phantoms (Roaring Twenties, #3)]]> 22310860 From the author of Grim Shadows and Bitter Spirits comes the new Roaring Twenties novel in the series hailed as �Boardwalk Empire meets Ghost Hunters, but so much better� (Molly Harper, national bestselling author of the Jane Jameson series).

Feisty flapper Astrid Magnusson is home from college and yearning for the one thing that’s always been off limits: Bo Yeung, her notorious bootlegging brother’s second-in-command. Unfortunately her dream of an easy reunion proves difficult after a violent storm sends a mysterious yacht crashing into the Magnussons� docks. What’s worse, the boat disappeared a year ago, and the survivors are acting strangely�

Bo has worked with the Magnusson family for years, doing whatever is needed, including keeping his boss’s younger sister out of trouble—and his hands to himself. Of course, that isn’t so easy after Astrid has a haunting vision about the yacht’s disappearance, plunging them into an underground world of old money and dark magic. Danger will drive them closer together, but surviving their own forbidden feelings could be the bigger risk.]]> 320 Jenn Bennett 0425280764 R. J. 0 to-read 3.80 2015 Grave Phantoms (Roaring Twenties, #3)
author: Jenn Bennett
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Long Way Down (Daniel Faust, #1)]]> 22743827
Soon Daniel stands in the crossfire between a murderous porn director; a corrupt cop with a quick trigger finger; and his own former employer, a racket boss who isn't entirely human. Then there's Caitlin: brilliant, beautiful, and the lethal right hand of a demon prince.

A man named Faust should know what happens when you rub shoulders with demons. Still Daniel can't resist being drawn to Caitlin's flame as they race to unlock the secret of the Etruscan Box, a relic that people all over town are dying -- and killing -- to get their hands on. As the bodies drop and the double-crosses pile up, Daniel will need every shred of his wits, courage and sheer ruthlessness just to survive.

Daniel Faust knew he was standing with one foot over the brink of hell. He's about to find out just how far he can fall.]]> 366 Craig Schaefer 0990339319 R. J. 0 similar-series 3.85 2014 The Long Way Down (Daniel Faust, #1)
author: Craig Schaefer
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: similar-series
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Starlight Witch (Witches of New York, #1)]]> 62706328 Finding my husband in bed with another woman was not how I planned to start my day.

Or homeless the next minute. And broke.

So, when a job comes my way from The Twilight Hotel—a paranormal hotel in midtown Manhattan that serves as a sanctuary and residence—I take it.

Cue in tattooed, sexy as sin, grumpy restaurant owner Valen, who can’t do drama or high-maintenance women. The problem? He’s cruel and dangerous.

And he’s hiding something.

Rumors arise of a dark spell that would mean the hotel's closure, and I don’t know who I can trust. Do I have what it takes to fight this new evil? We’ll see.

Brace yourselves. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.]]> 310 Kim Richardson R. J. 0 similar-series 4.14 2022 The Starlight Witch (Witches of New York, #1)
author: Kim Richardson
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: similar-series
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cold as Hell (Haven's Rock, #3)]]> 211003790 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong returns to Haven’s Rock in Cold as Hell as Casey Butler hunts down a dangerous killer during a deadly blizzard.

Haven’s Rock is a sanctuary town hidden deep in the Yukon for those who need to disappear from the regular world. Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are starting a family now that they’ve settled into their life here. As Casey nears the end of her pregnancy, she lets nothing, including her worried husband, stop her from investigating what happens in the forbidden forest outside the town of Haven’s Rock.

When one of the town's residents is drugged and wanders too close to the edge of town, she’s dragged into the woods kicking and screaming. She’s saved in the nick of time, but the women of the town are alarmed. Casey and Eric investigate the assault just as a snowstorm hits Haven’s Rock, covering the forest. It’s there they find a frozen body, naked in the snow. With mixed accounts of the woman's last movements, the two begin to question who they can trust—and who they can't—in their seemingly safe haven.]]> 341 Kelley Armstrong 1250351790 R. J. 3 4.25 2025 Cold as Hell (Haven's Rock, #3)
author: Kelley Armstrong
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves:
review:
The mystery in this book was pretty good. The twist of the killer's identity came as a complete surprise. The thing that really knocked off a couple stars was the end when Casey turned into an absolute moron. [spoilers removed]
]]> Jacob (Nightwalkers, #1) 111306
For 700 Years, He has resisted temptation. But not tonight...

Jacob knows the excuses his people give when the madness overtakes them and they fall prey to their lust for humans. He's heard every one and still brought the trespassers to justice. Immune to forbidden desires, uncontrollable hunger, or the curse of the moon, his control is total...until the moment he sees Isabella on a shadowy New York City street. Saving her life wasn't in his plans. Nor were the overwhelming feelings she arouses in him. But the moment he holds her in his arms and feels the soft explosion of her body against his, everything changes. Their attraction is undeniable, volatile, and completely against the law. Suddenly everything Jacob has ever believed is inflamed by the heat of desire...

Bring on the night.]]> 376 Jacquelyn Frank 0821780654 R. J. 5 reread 4.01 2006 Jacob (Nightwalkers, #1)
author: Jacquelyn Frank
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: reread
review:

]]> Menagerie (Menagerie, #1) 18350798 From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Vincent comes a richly imagined, provocative new series set in the dark mythology of the Menagerieâ€�Ìý

When Delilah Marlow visits a famous traveling carnival, Metzger's Menagerie, she is an ordinary woman in a not-quite-ordinary world. But under the macabre circus big-top, she discovers a fierce, sharp-clawed creature lurking just beneath her human veneer. Captured and put on exhibition, Delilah is stripped of her worldly possessions, including her own name, as she's forced to "perform" in town after town.Ìý

But there is breathtaking beauty behind the seamy and grotesque reality of the carnival. Gallagher, her handler, is as kind as he is cryptic and strong. The other "attractions"—mermaids, minotaurs, gryphons and kelpies—are strange, yes, but they share a bond forged by the brutal realities of captivity. And as Delilah struggles for her freedom, and for her fellow menagerie, she'll discover a strength and a purpose she never knew existed.Ìý

Renowned author Rachel Vincent weaves an intoxicating blend of carnival magic and startling humanity in this intricately woven and powerful tale]]> 429 Rachel Vincent 077831605X R. J. 2 [spoilers removed]]]> 3.99 2015 Menagerie (Menagerie, #1)
author: Rachel Vincent
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves:
review:
Note to my future self:
[spoilers removed]
]]> <![CDATA[Daily Life in Victorian England]]> 1026974
Chapters in the work cover: traditional ways of life in town and country, social class, money, work, crime and punishment, the laws of daily life (marriage, divorce, inheritance, guardians, and bankruptcy), the development of a modern urban world (with railways, electricity, plumbing, and telephones), houses, food, clothing, shopping, the rituals of courtship and funerals, family and social life, education, health and medical care, leisure and pleasure, the importance of religion, and the impact of the Raj and the Empire. Historical contexts are explained and emphasis is placed on groups often invisible in traditional history: children, women both at work and at home, and people who led respectable, ordinary lives. A chronology, glossary, bibliography, and index complete the work. This valuable resource provides students, teachers, and librarians with all the information they need to recreate life in Victorian England.]]> 313 Sally Mitchell 0313294674 R. J. 4 3.92 1996 Daily Life in Victorian England
author: Sally Mitchell
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories, #1)]]> 11607446 The Land of Stories tells the tale of twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about.

But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought.]]> 438 Chris Colfer 031620157X R. J. 3 4.25 2012 The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories, #1)
author: Chris Colfer
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Christmas Party (Inspectors Hannasyde and Hemmingway #6)]]> 25974277
Six holiday guests find themselves the suspects in a murder inquiry when the old Scrooge who owns the substantial estate is found stabbed in the back.

Whilst the delicate matter of inheritance could be the key to this crime, the real conundrum is how any of the suspects could have entered the locked room where the victim was found, to commit this foul deed.

For Inspector Hemingway of Scotland Yard, the investigation is also complicated by the fact that every guest at Lexham Manor is hiding something � casting suspicion far and wide�

Previously titled Envious Casca]]> 0 Georgette Heyer 1473536782 R. J. 2 3.44 1941 A Christmas Party (Inspectors Hannasyde and Hemmingway #6)
author: Georgette Heyer
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.44
book published: 1941
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves:
review:

]]> The Shipping News 7354
A vigorous, darkly comic, and at times magical portrait of the contemporary American family, The Shipping News shows why E. Annie Proulx is recognized as one of the most gifted and original writers in America today.
(back cover)]]> 337 Annie Proulx 0743225422 R. J. 3 3.88 1993 The Shipping News
author: Annie Proulx
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1993
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/21
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Disturbing the Dead (A Rip Through Time, #3)]]> 195790745 Disturbing the Dead is the latest in a unique series with one foot in the 1890s and the other in the present day. The A Rip Through Time crime novels are a genre-blending, atmospheric romp from New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.

Victorian Scotland is becoming less strange to modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson. Though inhabiting someone else’s body will always be unsettling, even if her employers know that she’s not actually housemaid Catriona Mitchell, ever since the night both of them were attacked in the same dark alley 150 years apart. Mallory likes her job as assistant to undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray, and is developing true friends―and feelings―in this century.

So, understanding the Victorian fascination with death, Mallory isn't that surprised when she and her friends are invited to a mummy unwrapping at the home of Sir Alastair Christie. When their host is missing when it comes time to unwrap the mummy, Gray and Mallory are asked to step in. And upon closer inspection, it’s not a mummy they’ve unwrapped, but a much more modern body.]]> 337 Kelley Armstrong 125032128X R. J. 4 want-to-own 4.20 2024 Disturbing the Dead (A Rip Through Time, #3)
author: Kelley Armstrong
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/13
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: want-to-own
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cocktails & Chloroform (A Rip Through Time, #2.5)]]> 152261161 132 Kelley Armstrong 1645241610 R. J. 4 want-to-own 4.08 2023 Cocktails & Chloroform (A Rip Through Time, #2.5)
author: Kelley Armstrong
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/03
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: want-to-own
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Poisoner's Ring (A Rip Through Time, #2)]]> 61885093 Edinburgh, 1869: Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is adjusting to her new life in Victorian Scotland. Her employers know she’s not housemaid Catriona Mitchell―even though Mallory is in Catriona’s body―and Mallory is now officially an undertaker’s assistant. Dr. Duncan Gray moonlights as a medical examiner, and their latest case hits close to home. Men are dropping dead from a powerful poison, and all signs point to the grieving widows� the latest of which is Gray’s oldest sister.

Poison is said to be a woman’s weapon, though Mallory has to wonder if it’s as simple as that. But she must tread carefully. Every move the household makes is being watched, and who knows where the investigation will lead.]]> 341 Kelley Armstrong 1250820030 R. J. 4 want-to-own 4.05 2023 The Poisoner's Ring (A Rip Through Time, #2)
author: Kelley Armstrong
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/16
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: want-to-own
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Rip Through Time (A Rip Through Time, #1)]]> 58724944 A modern-day homicide detective finds herself in Victorian Scotland—in an unfamiliar body—with a killer on the loose.

May 20, 2019: Homicide detective Mallory is in Edinburgh to be with her dying grandmother. While out on a jog one evening, Mallory hears a woman in distress. She’s drawn to an alley, where she is attacked and loses consciousness.

May 20, 1869: Housemaid Catriona Mitchell had been enjoying a half-day off, only to be discovered that night in a lane, where she’d been strangled and left for dead . . . exactly one-hundred-and-fifty years before Mallory was strangled in the same spot.

When Mallory wakes up in Catriona's body in 1869, she must put aside her shock and adjust quickly to the reality: life as a housemaid to an undertaker in Victorian Scotland. She soon discovers that her boss, Dr. Gray, also moonlights as a medical examiner and has just taken on an intriguing case, the strangulation of a young man, similar to the attack on herself. Her only hope is that catching the murderer can lead her back to her modern life . . . before it's too late.

]]> 342 Kelley Armstrong 1250820006 R. J. 4 want-to-own 3.98 2022 A Rip Through Time (A Rip Through Time, #1)
author: Kelley Armstrong
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/01
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: want-to-own
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Storm of Locusts (The Sixth World, #2)]]> 37920490
It's been four weeks since the bloody showdown at Black Mesa, and Maggie Hoskie, Diné monster hunter, is trying to make the best of things. Only her latest bounty hunt has gone sideways, she's lost her only friend, Kai Arviso, and she's somehow found herself responsible for a girl with a strange clan power.

Then the Goodacre twins show up at Maggie's door with the news that Kai and the youngest Goodacre, Caleb, have fallen in with a mysterious cult, led by a figure out of Navajo legend called the White Locust. The Goodacres are convinced that Kai's a true believer, but Maggie suspects there's more to Kai's new faith than meets the eye. She vows to track down the White Locust, then rescue Kai and make things right between them.

Her search leads her beyond the Walls of Dinétah and straight into the horrors of the Big Water world outside. With the aid of a motley collection of allies, Maggie must battle body harvesters, newborn casino gods, and, ultimately, the White Locust himself. But the cult leader is nothing like she suspected, and Kai might not need rescuing after all. When the full scope of the White Locust's plans are revealed, Maggie's burgeoning trust in her friends and herself will be pushed to the breaking point, and not everyone will survive.]]> 313 Rebecca Roanhorse 1534413529 R. J. 0 to-read 4.16 2019 Storm of Locusts (The Sixth World, #2)
author: Rebecca Roanhorse
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Once Upon a Dream 26031261 What if the sleeping beauty never woke up?

It should be simple—a dragon defeated, a slumbering maiden, a prince poised to wake her. But when said prince falls asleep as soon as his lips meet the princess', it is clear that this fairy tale is far from over.

With a desperate fairy's last curse infiltrating her mind, Princess Aurora will have to navigate a dangerous and magical landscape deep in the depths of her dreams. Soon she stumbles upon Phillip, a charming prince eager to join her quest. But with Maleficent's agents following her every move, Aurora struggles to discover who her true allies are, and moreover, who she truly is. Time is running out. Will the sleeping beauty be able to wake herself up?

Once Upon a Dream marks the second book in a new YA line that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways.]]> 440 Liz Braswell 1484707257 R. J. 0 to-read 3.51 2016 Once Upon a Dream
author: Liz Braswell
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Weird Girls (Weird Girls, #0.5)]]> 15725606 Celia Wird and her three sisters are just like other 20-something girls—with one tiny exception: they're products of a backfired curse that has given each of them unique powers that make them, well, a little weird�

The Wird sisters are different from every race on earth—human and supernatural. When human society is no longer an option for them, they move in among the resident vampires, werebeasts, and witches of the Lake Tahoe region. Could this be the true home they’ve longed for? Um, not quite. After the sisters accidentally strip a witch of her powers in a bar brawl, they soon realize the mistake will cost them. Because to take on a witch means to take on her coven. And losing the battle isn’t an option.

Includes a preview of the first full-length novel in the Weird Girls series, Sealed with a Curse—as well as introductions to the Weird World, and a letter from the author.]]> 99 Cecy Robson 1101606916 R. J. 0 to-read 3.95 2012 The Weird Girls (Weird Girls, #0.5)
author: Cecy Robson
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World, #1)]]> 36373298
Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last—and best—hope. But what Maggie uncovers about the monster is much larger and more terrifying than anything she could imagine.

Maggie reluctantly enlists the aid of Kai Arviso, an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel to the rez to unravel clues from ancient legends, trade favors with tricksters, and battle dark witchcraft in a patchwork world of deteriorating technology.

As Maggie discovers the truth behind the disappearances, she will have to confront her past—if she wants to survive.

Welcome to the Sixth World.]]> 287 Rebecca Roanhorse 1534413499 R. J. 4 3.92 2018 Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World, #1)
author: Rebecca Roanhorse
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/14
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)]]> 6148028 Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol—a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest that she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before . . . and surprising readers at every turn.]]> 391 Suzanne Collins 0439023491 R. J. 5 4.34 2009 Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)]]> 7260188 My name is Katniss Everdeen.
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans—except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay—no matter what the personal cost.]]> 390 Suzanne Collins 0439023513 R. J. 0 to-read 4.10 2010 Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Scorpio Races 10626594
At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition � the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.]]> 409 Maggie Stiefvater 054522490X R. J. 4 4.09 2011 The Scorpio Races
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/12
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves:
review:

]]> A Whole New World 24397040 What if Jafar was the first one to summon the Genie?

When Jafar steals the Genie’s lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish.

To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed Princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war.

What happens next? A Street Rat becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And readers will never look at the story of Aladdin in the same way again.]]> 376 Liz Braswell 148470729X R. J. 4 reread 3.47 2015 A Whole New World
author: Liz Braswell
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/10
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: reread
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Curse Awakened (Weird Girls, #0.4)]]> 21917910 eBook original prequel novella about four sisters coming to grips with their unique supernatural powers.

Celia Wird shouldn’t possess the ability to transform into a tigress. Her three sisters should never be able to burst into flames, heal wounds, or transform common objects into deadly weapons. And yet they do.

Before they were born, the Wird Sisters were cursed by a spell that was intended to destroy them, not endow them with extraordinary powers. The sisters� magic is untamed and explosive at best, and time is running out for them to take command.

Vampires have targeted Celia’s sweet, tragically human ex-boyfriend Danny. The sisters rush to his aid, but in order to take down the vamps, first they must face their dark past and break a spell that’s screwing up their powers. Except this curse wasn’t meant to be broken . . . and the witch who cast it isn’t done toying with them yet.]]> 94 Cecy Robson R. J. 5 4.02 2014 A Curse Awakened (Weird Girls, #0.4)
author: Cecy Robson
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Tale of Two Dragons (Dragon Kin, #0.2)]]> 17165234
Addolgar the Cheerful wishes he could say he’s helping the pretty royal strictly for honorable reasons - but he'd be lying. It’s not his fault, though! He didn't tell Braith of the Darkness to have the most delicious tail he’s ever seen! Yet before Addolgar can get his very strong claws on that tail, heads are going to roll. Just hopefully not theirs...]]> 174 G.A. Aiken 1420133535 R. J. 4 reread 4.23 2013 A Tale of Two Dragons (Dragon Kin, #0.2)
author: G.A. Aiken
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2016/12/01
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: reread
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Married in Green (InCryptid, #0.05)]]> 17536639
Marriage is a big step, and Fran is terrified of what her future will bring. Is this her happily ever after, or just one more short-term home in a long string of the same? Help comes in the form of her old circus friends...but that just raises more questions. Will she ever be happy holding still? And what does it mean to be married in green?

You are cordially invited to join the Healys and the members of the Campbell Family Carnival on the joyous event of the marriage of Jonathan Healy and Frances Brown. Assuming they go through with it.

Everything changes today.]]> 34 Seanan McGuire R. J. 0 to-read 3.90 2013 Married in Green (InCryptid, #0.05)
author: Seanan McGuire
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Bloodguard (Old Erth, #1) 61431953
Everything in the Kingdom of Arrow is a lie.

Leith of Grey thought coming to this new land and volunteering to fight in the gladiator arena—vicious, bloodthirsty tournaments where only the strongest survive—would earn him enough gold to save his dying sister. He thought there was nothing left to lose.

He was wrong—and they took everything. His hope. His freedom. His very humanity.

All Leith has left is his battle-scarred body, fueled by rage and hardened from years of fighting for the right to live another day.

Then Leith meets Maeve, an elven royal who is everything he despises. Everything he should hate. Until the alluring princess offers him the one thing he needs most: a chance to win the coveted title of Bloodguard—and his freedom.

But in a kingdom built on secrets and lies, hope doesn’t come cheap.

Nor will his ultimate revenge…]]> 448 Cecy Robson 1649374054 R. J. 4 3.56 2024 Bloodguard (Old Erth, #1)
author: Cecy Robson
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Grim Shadows (Roaring Twenties, #2)]]> 18045490 It’s the Roaring Twenties in foggy San Francisco. Prohibition is on, inhibitions are low, and dark magic is rolling into town�

Archaeologist Lowe Magnusson is packing something everyone wants. The djed amulet, a priceless Egyptian artifact, will fetch Lowe a hefty paycheck from one of San Francisco’s wealthiest. But when the handsome Swede runs into his patron’s uptight daughter, what he once considered easy money becomes maddeningly complicated�

Cursed with deadly spirits as her constant companions, curator Hadley Bacall must keep calm to hold her dangerous specters at bay and prevent them from lashing out at anything—or anyone. Trouble is, Lowe is driving her crazy, but her father needs the artifact he’s transporting. While Hadley can feel the amulet’s power, she can’t fathom the destruction—or the desire—it’s about to stir up.]]> 352 Jenn Bennett 0425269582 R. J. 5 3.81 2014 Grim Shadows (Roaring Twenties, #2)
author: Jenn Bennett
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves:
review:

]]> The Secret Countess 853737
Then the young Earl returns home from the war - and Anna falls hopelessly in love. But they can never be together: Rupert is engaged to the snobbish and awful Muriel - and anyway, Anna is only a servant. Or so everybody thinks . . .]]> 344 Eva Ibbotson 0230014860 R. J. 3 3.98 1981 The Secret Countess
author: Eva Ibbotson
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1981
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/05
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves:
review:

]]> Speculations in Sin 174156328
Kat Holloway is distressed to learn that Samuel Millburn, husband of the woman who looks after her daughter, has been accused of embezzling funds from the bank where he works as a clerk. The accusation is absurd, and Samuel’s wife fears that her husband will not only lose his post but be imprisoned. Kat vows to uncover the truth.

When she discovers the bank is involved in shockingly murky business dealings, Kat realizes she’s treading in dangerous waters. She turns to her confidante and handsome suitor, Daniel McAdam, for help. To exonerate Samuel, Kat and Daniel may have to expose the unseemly financial dealings of prominent aristocrats and government officials, and even those working to bring down the royal family. Kat will risk everything to protect the man who has sacrificed so much for her daughter, even if it means endangering herself and the friends she has come to love.]]> 320 Jennifer Ashley 0593549910 R. J. 5 want-to-own 4.05 2024 Speculations in Sin
author: Jennifer Ashley
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/29
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: want-to-own
review:

]]> One by One 50892433
When an off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits, the corporate food chain becomes irrelevant and survival trumps togetherness. Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Turn of the Key and In a Dark Dark Wood returns with another suspenseful thriller set on a snow-covered mountain.]]> 372 Ruth Ware R. J. 3 3.70 2020 One by One
author: Ruth Ware
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/04
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cold Copper (Age of Steam, #3)]]> 15814899 In steam age America, men, monsters, machines, and magic battle to claim the same scrap of earth and sky. In this madness, one man struggles to keep his humanity, his honor, and his hell-bent mission intact...

Bounty hunter and lycanthrope Cedar Hunt vowed to track down all seven pieces of the Holder—a strange device capable of deadly destruction. And, accompanied by witch Mae Lindson and the capricious Madder brothers, he sets out to do just that. But the crew is forced to take refuge in the frontier town of Des Moines, Iowa, when a glacial storm stops them in their tracks. The town, under mayor Killian Vosbrough, is ruled with an iron fist—and plagued by the steely Strange, creatures that pour through the streets like the unshuttered wind.

But Cedar soon learns that Vosbrough is mining cold copper for the cataclysmic generators he’s manufacturing deep beneath Des Moines, bringing the search for the Holder to a halt. Chipping through ice, snow, and bone-chilling bewitchment to expose a dangerous plot, Cedar must stop Vosbrough and his scheme to rule the land and sky...]]> 383 Devon Monk 0451418603 R. J. 4 4.00 2013 Cold Copper (Age of Steam, #3)
author: Devon Monk
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bitter Spirits (Roaring Twenties, #1)]]> 17938354
Aida Palmer performs a spirit medium show onstage at Chinatown’s illustrious Gris-Gris speakeasy. However, her ability to summon (and expel) the dead is more than just an act.

Winter Magnusson is a notorious bootlegger who’s more comfortable with guns than ghosts—unfortunately for him, he’s the recent target of a malevolent hex that renders him a magnet for hauntings. After Aida’s supernatural assistance is enlisted to banish the ghosts, her spirit-chilled aura heats up as the charming bootlegger casts a different sort of spell on her.

On the hunt for the curseworker responsible for the hex, Aida and Winter become drunk on passion. And the closer they become, the more they realize they have ghosts of their own to exorcise…]]> 317 Jenn Bennett 0425269574 R. J. 5 reread 3.73 2014 Bitter Spirits (Roaring Twenties, #1)
author: Jenn Bennett
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: reread
review:

]]> <![CDATA[City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, #3)]]> 3777732 Also see: Alternate Cover Editions for this ISBN [ACE]
ACE #1

To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters - never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City - whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the third installment of the New York Times bestselling series The Mortal Instruments.]]> 541 Cassandra Clare 1416914307 R. J. 5 4.27 2009 City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, #3)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/27
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller (Haunted Bookshop Mystery, #6)]]> 8437961 A "Best Book of 2018" selection by Suspense Magazine. Penelope Thornton-McClure and her bookshop's ghost-in-residence Jack Shepard are back on a new case in this delightful paranormal mystery from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle.

A big bestseller leads to small town trouble.

Bookshop owner Penelope Thornton-McClure didn't believe in ghosts, until she was haunted by the hard-boiled spirit of 1940s private investigator Jack Shepard. Now Jack is back on the job, and Pen is eternally grateful...

After an elegant new customer has a breakdown in her shop, Penelope suspects there is something bogus behind the biggest bestseller of the year. This popular potboiler is so hot that folks in her tiny Rhode Island town are dying to read it--literally. First one customer turns up dead, followed by another mysterious fatality connected to the book, which Pen discovers is more than just fiction. Now, with the help of her gumshoe ghost, Pen must solve the real-life cold case behind the bogus bestseller before the killer closes the book on her.]]> 304 Cleo Coyle 0698188624 R. J. 0 to-read 4.08 2018 The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller (Haunted Bookshop Mystery, #6)
author: Cleo Coyle
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ghost and the Haunted Mansion (Haunted Bookshop Mystery, #5)]]> 3708690 When the local mailman inherits a haunted house and demands an exorcism, Pen must act fast to save her favorite ghost in this Haunted Bookshop mystery from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle, writing as Alice Kimberly.

Bookshop owner Penelope Thornton-McClure didn't believe in ghosts--until she met the spirit of hard-boiled 1940s detective Jack Shepard. And when Pen's friend and mailman, Seymour Tarnish, gets into deep trouble, Pen not only believes in her ghost--she also thinks he can help...

An elderly lady of leisure has been found dead on posh Larchmont Avenue, her will recently, and suspiciously, revised to name Seymour as heir to her mansion. Just as eyes turn to him as the murderer--and Seymour gets busy settling into his ritzy digs--the mansion's ghosts begin plaguing him. So he hires a team of parapsychologists to exorcise all the spirits from the town of Quindicott--and that includes Jack Shepard. Now Pen must act fast--because losing Jack scares Pen more than rattling chains and cold spots...]]> 281 Alice Kimberly 0425224600 R. J. 3 4.07 2009 The Ghost and the Haunted Mansion (Haunted Bookshop Mystery, #5)
author: Alice Kimberly
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Whisper of Sin (Psy-Changeling, #0.75)]]> 18687643
San Francisco is under threat from a violent gang…a gang that has no idea who they’re challenging. The DarkRiver pack of leopard changelings has already claimed the city as their territory, and they will fight with wild fury to protect its residents. Emmett, a lethally trained leopard soldier, isn’t about to let outsiders muscle in on his home ground—especially when they target a human named Ria.

Emmett has one word for the smart stranger with her curvy body and tough mine.

Possessive, dominant, unyielding in his demands and desires, Emmett is unlike anyone Ria has ever before met. But while the sexy leopard changeling makes her body ignite, his kisses molten and his touch addicting, she’s no pushover and she has a few demands of her own. This leopard has met his match�

"Please note that Whisper of Sin is a reissue. It was first published in the multi-author anthology, Burning Up. This is the worldwide stand-alone ebook release for those who wanted to buy only this novella from the anthology.

For those of you who have Wild Invitation, this novella wasn't in that collection." - Nalini Singh]]> 80 Nalini Singh 0698155076 R. J. 0 4.19 2010 Whisper of Sin (Psy-Changeling, #0.75)
author: Nalini Singh
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments, #2)]]> 1582996 Also see: Alternate Cover Editions for this ISBN [ACE]
ACE #1

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go � especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil � and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings � and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.]]> 453 Cassandra Clare 1416914293 R. J. 5 4.12 2008 City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments, #2)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/21
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves:
review:

]]> The Stories of Eva Luna 3291 The Stories of Eva Luna, a treasure trove of brilliantly crafted stories.
Lying in bed with her European lover, refugee and journalist Rolf Carlé, Eva answers his request for a story "you have never told anyone before" with these twenty-three samples of her vibrant artistry. Interweaving the real and the magical, she explores love, vengeance, compassion, and the strengths of women, creating a world that is at once poignantly familiar and intriguingly new.


Two words --
Wicked girl --
Clarisa --
Toad's mouth --
The gold of Tomás Vargas --
If you touched my heart --
Gift for a sweetheart --
Tosca --
Walimai --
Ester Lucero --
Simple María --
Our secret --
The little Heidelberg --
The judge's wife --
The road north --
The schoolteacher's guest --
The proper respect --
Interminable life --
A discreet miracle --
Revenge --
Letters of betrayed love --
Phantom palace --
And of clay are we created]]> 331 Isabel Allende 0743217187 R. J. 3 4.05 1989 The Stories of Eva Luna
author: Isabel Allende
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1989
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves:
review:

]]> Home (Binti, #2) 30038654
And now she must return home to her people, with her friend Okwu by her side, to face her family and face her elders.

But Okwu will be the first of his race to set foot on Earth in over a hundred years, and the first ever to come in peace.

After generations of conflict can human and Meduse ever learn to truly live in harmony?]]> 176 Nnedi Okorafor 0765393107 R. J. 3 3.99 2017 Home (Binti, #2)
author: Nnedi Okorafor
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/18
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves:
review:

]]> Daimon (Covenant, #0.5) 10860399 62 Jennifer L. Armentrout 098315726X R. J. 4 reread 4.01 2011 Daimon (Covenant, #0.5)
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/17
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: reread
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Phule's Errand (Phule's Company, #6)]]> 552343 281 Robert Lynn Asprin 0441014232 R. J. 3 3.72 2006 Phule's Errand (Phule's Company, #6)
author: Robert Lynn Asprin
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/17
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)]]> 256683
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...]]> 485 Cassandra Clare 1416914285 R. J. 5 reread 4.08 2007 City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: reread
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)]]> 2767052
Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . .

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.]]> 374 Suzanne Collins R. J. 4 4.34 2008 The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/12
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves:
review:

]]> Be My Love, My Lord 61311623
When Reiji, the neglected second-born son of a wealthy family, is gifted a beastman caretaker, he never imagines that the serious and loyal Tsubaki would become his closest friend and confidant. Knowing that his growing desires for his companion is forbidden, Reiji resolves to never give voice to his secret yearning... until the day he comes across Tsubaki suffering and overwhelmed from his heat and the two of them spend a night together that changes everything.

What does Tsubaki mean when he says that he and Reiji are now mated...? And can Reiji really claim to love someone so beholden to him, and can the two of them find their way in a society that rejects their relationship?

This book contains sexual content and is intended for an audience aged 18 years and up.]]> 210 Adumi Nagano 1427871892 R. J. 3 3.68 2021 Be My Love, My Lord
author: Adumi Nagano
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel (The Doomsday Books, #2)]]> 75505273
The earl and the smuggler should be natural enemies, but cocksure, enragingly competent Luke is a trained secretary and expert schemer—exactly the sort of man Rufus needs by his side. Before long, Luke becomes an unexpected ally...and the lover Rufus had never hoped to find.

But Luke came to Stone Manor with an ulterior motive, one he's desperate to keep hidden even from the lord he can't resist. As the lies accumulate and family secrets threaten to destroy everything they hold dear, master and man find themselves forced to decide whose side they're really on...and what they're willing to do for love.]]> 336 K.J. Charles 1728255902 R. J. 4 4.24 2023 A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel (The Doomsday Books, #2)
author: K.J. Charles
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/06
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Winterblaze (Darkest London, #3)]]> 13389546 Once blissfully in love . . .

Poppy Lane is keeping secrets. Her powerful gift has earned her membership in the Society for the Suppression of Supernaturals, but she must keep both her ability and her alliance with the Society from her husband, Winston. Yet when Winston is brutally attacked by a werewolf, Poppy's secrets are revealed, leaving Winston's trust in her as broken as his body. Now Poppy will do anything to win back his affections . . .

Their relationship is now put to the ultimate test.

Winston Lane soon regains his physical strength but his face and heart still bear the scars of the vicious attack. Drawn into the darkest depths of London, Winston must fight an evil demon that wants to take away the last hope of reconciliation with his wife. As a former police inspector, Winston has intelligence and logic on his side. But it will take the strength of Poppy's love for him to defeat the forces that threaten to tear them apart.]]> 422 Kristen Callihan 1455520799 R. J. 3 3.91 2013 Winterblaze (Darkest London, #3)
author: Kristen Callihan
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/05
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tales from the Nightside (Nightside #short stories)]]> 22593725


Tales from the Nightside presents ten macabre mysteries that shine a dim beam into the neighborhood’s darkest corners to reveal things that should never come to light. Take a walk with such deadly and dangerous denizens of the Nightside as Razor Eddie, Dead Boy, and Larry Oblivion as they encounter things even more inhuman and inhumane than they are. And join John Taylor, the PI with a knack for finding lost things, as he confronts Sir Francis Varney, King of the Vampires, in a never-before-published novella-length adventure.



There may be nothing to be afraid of in the dark, but there’s plenty to be afraid of in the Nightside�



Includes “The Big Game,� a Never-Before-Published Nightside novella.


]]> 320 Simon R. Green 0698136853 R. J. 4 4.17 2015 Tales from the Nightside (Nightside #short stories)
author: Simon R. Green
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Entwined (Darkest London, #3.5)]]> 17861762
Lady Luella Jane Moran has no interest in an arranged marriage and tries valiantly to dissuade her betrothed from afar. Though her own letters plainly state her case, the words her husband-to-be writes her leave her aching for his touch. Will Lu give in to the desire the missives have kindled within her? Or will desire turn cold when she discovers their true author?]]> 120 Kristen Callihan R. J. 0 to-read 3.95 2013 Entwined (Darkest London, #3.5)
author: Kristen Callihan
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Moonglow (Darkest London, #2) 13223523 Once the seeds of desire are sown . . .

Finally free of her suffocating marriage, widow Daisy Ellis Craigmore is ready to embrace the pleasures of life that have long been denied her. Yet her new-found freedom is short lived. A string of unexplained murders has brought danger to Daisy's door, forcing her to turn to the most unlikely of saviors . . .

Their growing passion knows no bounds . . .

Ian Ranulf, the Marquis of Northrup, has spent lifetimes hiding his primal nature from London society. But now a vicious killer threatens to expose his secrets. Ian must step out of the shadows and protect the beautiful, fearless Daisy, who awakens in him desires he thought long dead. As their quest to unmask the villain draws them closer together, Daisy has no choice but to reveal her own startling secret, and Ian must face the undeniable truth: Losing his heart to Daisy may be the only way to save his soul.]]> 384 Kristen Callihan R. J. 4
[spoilers removed]

I'm planning to read the next book but I have to say I have low expectations for it. Poppy really came off like a cold-hearted bitch in this book with the way she treats her husband. She knows that the killer he is hunting is a werewolf but doesn't say or do anything to warn him. She excuses this by saying "I made a vow" but when her sisters ask her about the SOS she immediately spills the beans. What happened to her precious vow then?]]> 3.98 2012 Moonglow (Darkest London, #2)
author: Kristen Callihan
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/05
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves:
review:
This book would have been a solid five stars if not for a major plot hole that just drove me nuts.

[spoilers removed]

I'm planning to read the next book but I have to say I have low expectations for it. Poppy really came off like a cold-hearted bitch in this book with the way she treats her husband. She knows that the killer he is hunting is a werewolf but doesn't say or do anything to warn him. She excuses this by saying "I made a vow" but when her sisters ask her about the SOS she immediately spills the beans. What happened to her precious vow then?
]]> Down These Strange Streets 10559622
1 The Bastard Stepchild - George R.R. Martin
2 Death by Dahlia - Charlaine Harris
3 The Bleeding Shadow - Joe R. Lansdale
4 Hungry Heart - Simon R. Green
5 Styx and Stones - Steven Saylor
6 Pain and Suffering - S.M. Stirling
7 It's Still the Same Old Story - Carrie Vaughn
8 The Lady is a Screamer - Conn Iggulden
9 Hellbender - Laurie R. King
10 Shadow Thieves - Glen Cook
11 No Mystery, No Miracle - Melinda M. Snodgrass
12 The Difference Between a Puzzle and a Mystery - M.L.N. Hanover
13 The Curious Affair of the Deodand - Lisa Tuttle
14 Lord John and the Plague of Zombies - Diana Gabaldon
15 Beware the Snake - John Maddox Roberts
16 In Red, with Pearls - Patricia Briggs
17 The Adakian Eagle - Bradley Denton]]> 479 George R.R. Martin 0441020747 R. J. 0 3.76 2011 Down These Strange Streets
author: George R.R. Martin
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Those Who Fight Monsters: Tales of Occult Detectives]]> 9510104 Got vampires? Ghosts? Monsters? We can help!

Those Who Fight Monsters: Tales of Occult Detectives, is your one-stop-shop for Urban Fantasy’s finest anthology of the supernatural. 14 sleuths are gathered together for the first time in all-original tales of unusual cases which require services that go far beyond mere deduction!

Meet our detectives, from these fine agencies.

Danny Hendrickson—from Laura Anne Gilman’s Cosa Nostradamus series.
Kate Connor—from Julie Kenner’s Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom series.
John Taylor—from Simon R. Green’s Nightside series.
Jill Kismet—from Lilith Saintcrow’s Jill Kismet series.
Jessi Hardin—from Carrie Vaughn’s Kitty Norville series.
Quincey Morris—from Justin Gustainis� Morris/Chastain Investigations series.
Marla Mason—from T.A. Pratt’s Marla Mason series.
Tony Foster—from Tanya Huff’s Smoke and Shadows series.
Dawn Madison—from Chris Marie Green’s Vampire Babylon series.
Pete Caldecott—from Caitlin Kittredge’s Black London series.
Tony Giodone—from C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp’s Tales of the Sazi series.
Jezebel—from Jackie Kessler’s Hell on Earth series.
Piers Knight—from C.J. Henderson’s Brooklyn Knight series.
Cassiel—from Rachel Caine’s Outcast Season series.

Demons may lurk, werewolves may prowl, vampires may ride the wind. These are things that go “bump in the night,â€� but we are the ones who “bump back!â€]]> 221 Justin Gustainis 1894063481 R. J. 0 3.76 2011 Those Who Fight Monsters: Tales of Occult Detectives
author: Justin Gustainis
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves:
review:

]]> Hex Appeal 12993852 Fall under the intoxicating spell of their hex appeal�

In the magical world that lies hidden beneath our own, witches and conjurers play deadly games. They know just the right spell to kill a man with one kiss—or raise him back again. And they’re not afraid to exact sweet revenge on those who dare to cross them. But what if you’re the unlucky soul who falls victim to a conjurer’s curse? And if you had the power to cast a magic spell of your own, would you use it?

In this bewitching collection, nine of today’s hottest paranormal authors tell all-new, otherworldly tales.Ìý Spellbinding stories featuring bigfoot, albino vampires, professional wizards, resurrected boyfriends and even a sex droid from the twenty-third century named Silicon Lily. ÌýBut as our conjurers are about to discover, it’s all fun and games until someone gets hexed.Ìý And sometimes, even the best spun spells can lead to complete and utter mayhem.Ìý

Includes:
Retribution Clause by Ilona Andrews
Bigfoot on Campus by Jim Butcher
Holly’s Balm by Rachel Caine
Snow Job by Carole Nelson Douglas
Outside The Box by P. N. Elrod
How Do You Feel? by Simon R. Green
There Will Be Demons by Lori Handeland
Cherry Kisses by Erica Hayes
The Arcane Art of Misdirection by Carrie Vaughn

Length: 13 hours and 8 minutes]]> 356 P.N. Elrod 0312590725 R. J. 0 3.89 2012 Hex Appeal
author: P.N. Elrod
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Powers of Detection: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy]]> 659855 286 Dana Stabenow 044101464X R. J. 0 3.70 2004 Powers of Detection: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy
author: Dana Stabenow
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[No Phule Like an Old Phule (Phule's Company, #5)]]> 148238 320 Robert Lynn Asprin 0441011527 R. J. 3 3.75 2004 No Phule Like an Old Phule (Phule's Company, #5)
author: Robert Lynn Asprin
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves:
review:

]]> Wherever She Goes 41150455 From New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong comes a brand new psychological thriller about the lengths one woman will go to in order to save a child.

“Few crimes are reported as quickly as a snatched kid.�

That’s what the officer tells single mother Aubrey Finch after she reports a kidnapping. So why hasn’t anyone reported the little boy missing? Aubrey knows what she saw: a boy being taken against his will from the park. It doesn’t matter that the mother can’t be found. It doesn’t matter if no one reported it. Aubrey knows he’s missing.

Instead, people question her sanity. Aubrey hears the whispers. She’s a former stay-at-home mom who doesn’t have primary custody of her daughter, so there must be something wrong with her, right? Others may not understand her decision to walk away from her safe life at home, but years of hiding her past � even from the people she loves � were taking their toll, and Aubrey knows she can’t be the mother or wife she envisions until she learns to leave her secrets behind.

When the police refuse to believe her, she realizes that rescuing the boy is up to her alone. But after all the secrets, how far is she willing to go? Even to protect a child.]]> 292 Kelley Armstrong 1250181356 R. J. 3 3.80 2019 Wherever She Goes
author: Kelley Armstrong
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/29
date added: 2025/01/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Killing the Legends: The Lethal Danger of Celebrity]]> 59808309
The King is dead. The Walrus is shot. The Greatest is no more.

Elvis Presley, John Lennon, and Muhammad Ali. These three icons changed not only the worlds of music, film, and sports, but the world itself. Their faces were known everywhere, in every nation, across every culture. And their stories became larger than life―until their lives spun out of control at the hands of those they most trusted.

In Killing the Legends , Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard explore the lives, legacies, and tragic deaths of three of the most famous people of the 20th century. Each experienced immense success, then failures that forced them to change; each faced the challenge of growing old in fields that privilege youth; and finally, each became isolated, cocooned by wealth but vulnerable to the demands of those in their innermost circles.

Dramatic, insightful, and immensely entertaining, Killing the Legends is the twelfth book in O’Reilly and Dugard’s Killing the most popular series of narrative history books in the world, with more than 18 million copies in print.]]> 304 Bill O'Reilly 1250283302 R. J. 3 4.06 2022 Killing the Legends: The Lethal Danger of Celebrity
author: Bill O'Reilly
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/28
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves:
review:

]]> Stingers and Strangers 45571354
Upon arriving in Colorado, our intrepid pair naturally discover that things aren't as simple as they appear—and they didn't appear to be that simple to begin with. Johnny and Fran will have to contend with dragon princesses, suspicious locals, and threats that neither of them have ever dreamed could exist if they want to make it out of this one alive.

Survival has never been so difficult, or so important, because if they don't make it home, how can they warn the others?

"Stingers and Strangers" was originally published in the Titan Books anthology Dead Man's Hand, released in May of 2014. Copies are available from a bookstore near you.]]> 33 Seanan McGuire R. J. 3 4.09 2014 Stingers and Strangers
author: Seanan McGuire
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/28
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Librarian of Crooked Lane (Glass Library, #1)]]> 60054210
Librarian Sylvia Ashe knows nothing about her past, having grown up without a father and a mother who refused to discuss him. When she stumbles upon a diary that suggests she’s descended from magicians, she’s skeptical. After all, magicians are special, and she’s just an ordinary girl who loves books. She seeks the truth from a member of the most prominent family of magicians, but she quickly learns that finding the truth won’t be easy, especially when he turns out to be as artless as her, and more compelling and dangerous than books.

War hero Gabe is gifted with wealth, a loving family, and an incredible amount of luck that saw him survive four harrowing years of a brutal war without injury. But not all injuries are visible. Burying himself in his work as a consultant for Scotland Yard, Gabe is going through the motions as he investigates the theft of a magician-made painting. But his life changes when he unwittingly gets Sylvia dismissed from her job and places her in danger.

After securing her new employment in a library housing the world’s greatest collection of books about magic, Gabe and Sylvia’s lives become intwined as they work together to find both the painting and the truth about Sylvia’s past before powerful people can stop them.

But sometimes the past is better left buried…]]> 284 C.J. Archer 1922554200 R. J. 4 3.84 2022 The Librarian of Crooked Lane (Glass Library, #1)
author: C.J. Archer
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/24
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Frankenstein: Annotated for Scientists, Engineers, and Creators of All Kinds (Mit Press)]]> 31850787 Frankenstein has endured in the popular imagination for two hundred years. Begun as a ghost story by an intellectually and socially precocious eighteen-year-old author during a cold and rainy summer on the shores of Lake Geneva, the dramatic tale of Victor Frankenstein and his stitched-together creature can been read as the ultimate parable of scientific hubris. Victor, "the modern Prometheus," tried to do what he perhaps should have left to Nature: create life. Although the novel is most often discussed in literary-historical terms -- as a seminal example of romanticism or as a groundbreaking early work of science fiction -- Mary Shelley was keenly aware of contemporary scientific developments and incorporated them into her story. In our era of synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and climate engineering, this edition of Frankenstein will resonate forcefully for readers with a background or interest in science and engineering, and anyone intrigued by the fundamental questions of creativity and responsibility.

This edition of Frankenstein pairs the original 1818 version of the manuscript -- meticulously line-edited and amended by Charles E. Robinson, one of the world's preeminent authorities on the text -- with annotations and essays by leading scholars exploring the social and ethical aspects of scientific creativity raised by this remarkable story. The result is a unique and accessible edition of one of the most thought-provoking and influential novels ever written.

Essays byElizabeth Bear, Cory Doctorow, Heather E. Douglas, Josephine Johnston, Kate MacCord, Jane Maienschein, Anne K. Mellor, Alfred Nordman]]> 320 Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 0262533286 R. J. 3 4.11 1818 Frankenstein: Annotated for Scientists, Engineers, and Creators of All Kinds (Mit Press)
author: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1818
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/24
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves:
review:

]]> The Little Prince 157993
Few stories are as widely read and as universally cherished by children and adults alike as The Little Prince, presented here in a stunning new translation with carefully restored artwork. The definitive edition of a worldwide classic, it will capture the hearts of readers of all ages.]]> 96 Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 0152023984 R. J. 4 4.32 1943 The Little Prince
author: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1943
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/24
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ready Player Two (Ready Player One, #2)]]> 26082916 An unexpected quest. Two worlds at stake. Are you ready?

Days after winning Oasis founder James Halliday's contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything.

Hidden within Halliday's vaults, waiting for his heir to find, lies a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the Oasis a thousand times more wondrous—and addictive—than even Wade dreamed possible.

With it comes a new riddle, and a new quest—a last Easter egg from Halliday, hinting at a mysterious prize.

And an unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who'll kill millions to get what he wants.

Wade's life and the future of the Oasis are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance.

Lovingly nostalgic and wildly original as only Ernest Cline could conceive it, Ready Player Two takes us on another imaginative, fun, action-packed adventure through his beloved virtual universe, and jolts us thrillingly into the future once again.]]> 370 Ernest Cline 1524761338 R. J. 3 3.39 2020 Ready Player Two (Ready Player One, #2)
author: Ernest Cline
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.39
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/23
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death at a Highland Wedding (A Rip Through Time, #4)]]> 217387653 Death at a Highland Wedding is the fourth installment in New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong's gripping Rip Through Time Novels.

After slipping 150 years into the past, modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson has embraced her new life in Victorian Scotland as housemaid Catriona Mitchel. Although it isn’t what she expected, she's developed real, meaningful relationships with the people around her and has come to love her role as assistant to undertaker Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie.

Mallory, Gray, and McCreadie are on their way to the Scottish Highlands for McCreadie's younger sister's wedding. The McCreadies and the groom’s family, the Cranstons, have a complicated history which has made the weekend quite uncomfortable. But the Cranston estate is beautiful so Gray and Mallory decide to escape the stifling company and set off to explore the castle and surrounding wilderness. They discover that the groom, Archie Cranston, a slightly pompous and prickly man, has set up deadly traps in the woods for the endangered Scottish wildcats, and they soon come across a cat who's been caught and severely injured. Oddly, Mallory notices the cat's injuries don't match up with the intricacies of the trap. These strange irregularities, combined with the secretive and erratic behavior of the groom, put Mallory and Duncan on edge. And then when one of the guests is murdered, they must work fast to uncover the murderer before another life is lost.

New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s unique time travel mystery series continues to entertain as Mallory adjusts to life in the 1870s.]]> 336 Kelley Armstrong 125032131X R. J. 0 to-read 4.44 2025 Death at a Highland Wedding (A Rip Through Time, #4)
author: Kelley Armstrong
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Schemes & Scandals (A Rip Through Time, #3.5)]]> 213287713
Lady Inglis introduces Mallory to Dickens—the meeting of a lifetime—but in return she wants their help. She’s being blackmailed. Someone stole letters she wrote to another lover and is threatening to publish them.

Mallory isn’t sure what to make of Lady Inglis, but no woman deserves that, so she insists on taking the case with or without Gray’s help. Growing tension between them soon tells Mallory that Gray is hiding a secret of his own. She has until Hogmanay to uncover the blackmailer…and, hopefully, to put things right with Gray so they can enjoy the holiday together.]]> 176 Kelley Armstrong R. J. 0 to-read 4.26 2024 Schemes & Scandals (A Rip Through Time, #3.5)
author: Kelley Armstrong
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Strawberry Shortcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #2)]]> 33439
Between perfecting her Cheddar Cheese Apple Pie and Chocolate Crunchies, Hannah’s snooping into the coach’s private life and not coming up short on suspects. And could Watson’s harsh criticism during the judging have given one of the contestants a license to kill? The stakes are rising faster than dough, and Hannah will have to be very careful, because somebody is cooking up a recipe for murder…with Hannah landing on the “necessary ingredients� list.]]> 310 Joanne Fluke 1575667215 R. J. 2 3.82 2001 Strawberry Shortcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #2)
author: Joanne Fluke
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2001
rating: 2
read at: 2023/10/27
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves:
review:
This book seemed to drag on and on. Mostly because the amateur detectives were willfully oblivious to what was staring them in the face. [spoilers removed].
]]> <![CDATA[Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen, #4)]]> 33440
It seems the plan has been cooking for quite some time, and Hannah is shocked - especially since her ring finger is still very much bare. The good news is that the soon-to-be-torn-down house is full of antiques - and Norman has given Hannah and her mother first dibs.

They uncover some gorgeous old furniture, a patchwork quilt ... and Rhonda Scharf's dead body. A little more sleuthing turns up the half-eaten remains of a very special dinner for two - and one of The Cookie Jar's famous lemon meringue pies.

Now it's up to Hannah to turn up the heat - and get busy tracking down the clues. Starting in her very own kitchen.]]> 348 Joanne Fluke 0758215045 R. J. 0 to-read 3.85 2003 Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen, #4)
author: Joanne Fluke
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, #1)]]> 13831 From now on I'm Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I'll be a knight.

And so young Alanna of Trebond begins the journey to knighthood. Though a girl, Alanna has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only for boys; her twin brother, Thom, yearns to learn the art of magic. So one day they decide to switch places: Thom heads for the convent to learn magic; Alanna, pretending to be a boy, is on her way to the castle of King Roald to begin her training as a page.

But the road to knighthood is not an easy one. As Alanna masters the skills necessary for battle, she must also learn to control her heart and to discern her enemies from her allies.

Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna's first adventure begins - one that will lead to the fulfillment of her dreams and the magical destiny that will make her a legend in her land.

]]> 274 Tamora Pierce 0689878559 R. J. 5 4.28 1983 Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, #1)
author: Tamora Pierce
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1983
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blueberry Muffin Murder (Hannah Swensen, #3)]]> 33445
Hannah's suspicions are confirmed when Connie Mac's limo rolls into town. Turns out America's "Cooking Sweetheart" is bossy, bad-tempered, and downright domineering. Things finally boil over when Hannah arrives at The Cookie Jar to find the Winter Carnival cake burnt to a crisp—and Connie Mac lying dead in her pantry, struck down while eating one of Hannah's famous blueberry muffins.

Next thing Hannah knows, the police have declared The Cookie Jar's kitchen crime scene off-limits. She's a baker without an oven--and the Carnival is right around the corner. Hannah's only alternative is to cook up a plan to save her business--by finding the killer herself...]]> 310 Joanne Fluke 1575667223 R. J. 3 3.86 2001 Blueberry Muffin Murder (Hannah Swensen, #3)
author: Joanne Fluke
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation]]> 6060196 Sixteen Candles (“Last night at the dance, my little brother paid a buck to see your underwear�), your iPod playlist includes more than one song by the Psychedelic Furs and Simple Minds, you watch The Breakfast Club every time it comes on cable, and you still wish that Andie had ended up with Duckie in Pretty in Pink. You’re a bonafide Brat Pack devotee—and you’re not alone.

The films of the Brat Pack—from Sixteen Candles to Say Anything—are some of the most watched, bestselling DVDs of all time. The landscape that the Brat Packmemorialized—where outcasts and prom queens fall in love, preppies and burn-outs become buds, and frosted lip gloss, skinny ties, and exuberant optimism made us feel invincible—is rich with cultural themes and significance, and has influenced an entire generation who still believe that life always turns out the way it is supposed to.

You Couldn’t Ignore Me If You Tried takes us back to that era, interviewing key players, such as Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Andrew McCarthy, and John Cusack, and mines all the material from the movies to the music to the way the films were made to show how they helped shape our visions for romance, friendship, society, and success.]]> 337 Susannah Gora 0307408434 R. J. 4 3.84 2010 You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation
author: Susannah Gora
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/15
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[On Borrowed Time (Library Lover's Mystery, #5)]]> 20500886 Loving a good cup of coffee runs in the family for Briar Creek library director Lindsey Norris. But when her brother, Jack, a consultant for a coffee company, goes missing, her favorite beverage becomes a key clue in a dangerous mystery.

Between preparing the library for the holidays and juggling the affections of ex-boyfriend, Captain Mike Sullivan, and her new crush, actor Robbie Vine, Lindsey has her hands full. But the mysterious disappearance of her world-traveling playboy brother takes precedence over all.

Afraid that involving the police could brew trouble for Jack, Lindsey takes matters into her own hands. But as her quest for her brother embroils her in a strange case involving South American business dealings and an enigmatic and exotic woman, it’ll take the help of both her library book club—the crafternooners—and her eager-to-please suitors to keep Jack from ending up in hot water…]]> 271 Jenn McKinlay 0425260739 R. J. 0 to-read 3.84 2014 On Borrowed Time (Library Lover's Mystery, #5)
author: Jenn McKinlay
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[When the Moon Hatched (Moonfall, #1)]]> 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 R. J. 2
First, the minor irritation. The author seemed very fond of the word 'fuck'. She uses it ALOT. Yes, I get it, people swear and I don't have a problem with an occasional swear word to add emphasis or emotion, but when it is said over and over it gets irritating. There were places in the book where she would have a sentence, then immediately repeat the exact same sentence just to stick the word 'fuck' in it. Just like when someone says the word 'like' three times in every sentence, eventually the word loses meaning and just becomes irritating, distracting noise. Could she at least have swapped it out for a different curse word or something?

Now the major irritation. Throughout this book the author swapped common words for close alternatives: 'Aurora' for 'sun' , 'seater' for 'couch', and 'slumber-space' for 'bedroom'. I understand why she did this, trying to emphasize that this was a different world, different culture, etc. But I don't think that this was a good way to do that. It was kind of overkill. After all, her world is full of dragons, strange animals, and people with magical abilities, making it fairly obvious that this wasn't set in the real world. All the code-switching was unnecessary and didn't really add anything to the world-building. When listening to the book for 8 hours straight, it got really annoying to constantly have to mentally change the meaning of the words. Maybe if she had switched less common words, or switched fewer of them, it would have been more effective instead of feeling like she'd gone overboard.

Over all, I think the book could have been a lot shorter. There were scenes, particularly in the beginning, that seemed to drag on and on for no real reason. I confess I may have skimmed in a few places until the story moved on. Then of course, it's the first book in the series so nothing is really resolved at the end, so I didn't even get any satisfaction to make the irritation worthwhile. I'm going to have to think really hard about whether I want to slog through another book like this one (or possibly more) to get the end of the story. At the moment, I'm leaning towards no.]]> 3.99 2024 When the Moon Hatched (Moonfall, #1)
author: Sarah A. Parker
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves:
review:
I opened this book (metaphorically) with high hopes but closed it feeling impatient and irritated. The story was interesting and the world building was intriguing. Even the characters were pretty good, I mean, Raeve was a little exasperating but I could understand why she was the way she was and had hopes for improvement as the book went on. What really got me in this book was the way the book was written.

First, the minor irritation. The author seemed very fond of the word 'fuck'. She uses it ALOT. Yes, I get it, people swear and I don't have a problem with an occasional swear word to add emphasis or emotion, but when it is said over and over it gets irritating. There were places in the book where she would have a sentence, then immediately repeat the exact same sentence just to stick the word 'fuck' in it. Just like when someone says the word 'like' three times in every sentence, eventually the word loses meaning and just becomes irritating, distracting noise. Could she at least have swapped it out for a different curse word or something?

Now the major irritation. Throughout this book the author swapped common words for close alternatives: 'Aurora' for 'sun' , 'seater' for 'couch', and 'slumber-space' for 'bedroom'. I understand why she did this, trying to emphasize that this was a different world, different culture, etc. But I don't think that this was a good way to do that. It was kind of overkill. After all, her world is full of dragons, strange animals, and people with magical abilities, making it fairly obvious that this wasn't set in the real world. All the code-switching was unnecessary and didn't really add anything to the world-building. When listening to the book for 8 hours straight, it got really annoying to constantly have to mentally change the meaning of the words. Maybe if she had switched less common words, or switched fewer of them, it would have been more effective instead of feeling like she'd gone overboard.

Over all, I think the book could have been a lot shorter. There were scenes, particularly in the beginning, that seemed to drag on and on for no real reason. I confess I may have skimmed in a few places until the story moved on. Then of course, it's the first book in the series so nothing is really resolved at the end, so I didn't even get any satisfaction to make the irritation worthwhile. I'm going to have to think really hard about whether I want to slog through another book like this one (or possibly more) to get the end of the story. At the moment, I'm leaning towards no.
]]> <![CDATA[Fire and Bones (Temperance Brennan, #23)]]> 199798883 It’s never easy working fire scenes.
Ìý
Called to Washington, DC to analyse the victims of a mysterious arson attack, Tempe quickly finds her misgivings justified. The fire site is in Foggy Bottom, a neighbourhood with a colourful history, and as the pieces start falling into place, the property’s ownership becomes more and more suspicious.
Ìý
Sensing a good story, Tempe teams up with a new ally, telejournalist Ivy Doyle. Delving into the past, the duo learns that back in the Thirties and Forties the home was the hangout of a group of bootleggers and racketeers known as the Foggy Bottom Gang. Though interesting, this fact seems irrelevant � until the son of one of the gang members is shot dead at his farm in Virginia.
Ìý
When another Foggy Bottom Gang-linked property burns to the ground, claiming one more victim, what might have been coincidence starts to look more like targeted attacks. As she and Ivy dig deeper, Tempe’s instincts point towards the somehow, her every move since coming to Washington has been anticipated in advance. And every path forward brings with it a lethal threat.]]> 288 Kathy Reichs 1668050927 R. J. 3 3.85 2024 Fire and Bones (Temperance Brennan, #23)
author: Kathy Reichs
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/11
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wild Orchid: A Retelling of The Ballad of Mulan]]> 3607543 "Once upon a Time" Is Timeless


Wielding a sword as deftly as an embroidery needle, Mulan is unlike any other girl in China. When the emperor summons a great army, each family must send a male to fight, tom-boyish Mulan is determined to spare her aging father and bring her family honor, so she disguises herself and answers the call.

But Mulan never expects to find a friend, let alone a soul mate, in the commander of her division, Prince Jian. For all of Mulan's courage with a bow and arrow, is she brave enough to share her true identity and feelings with Prince Jian?]]> 224 Cameron Dokey 1416971688 R. J. 3 3.88 2009 The Wild Orchid: A Retelling of The Ballad of Mulan
author: Cameron Dokey
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2010/01/01
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves:
review:

]]> Sunlight and Shadow 394726 In a time when the world was young and many things were quite commonplace that are now entirely forgotten, Sarastro, Mage of the Day, wed Pamina, the Queen of the Night. And in this way was the world complete, for light was joined to dark. For all time would they be joined together. Only the ending of the world could tear them apart. In other words, in the days in which my parents married, there was no such thing as divorce....

Thus begins the tale of Mina, a girl-child born on the longest night of the darkest month of the year. When her father looked at her, all he saw was what he feared: By birth, by name, by nature, she belonged to the Dark. So when Mina turned sixteen, her father took her away from shadow and brought her into sunlight.

In retaliation, her mother lured a handsome prince into a deadly agreement: If he frees Mina, he can claim her as his bride.

Now Mina and her prince must endure deadly trials -- of love and fate and family -- before they can truly live happily ever after....]]> 192 Cameron Dokey 0689869991 R. J. 3 3.69 2004 Sunlight and Shadow
author: Cameron Dokey
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2009/01/01
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[China's Buried Kingdoms (Lost Civilizations)]]> 1596219 168 Denise Dersin 080949891X R. J. 3 3.63 1993 China's Buried Kingdoms (Lost Civilizations)
author: Denise Dersin
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.63
book published: 1993
rating: 3
read at: 2009/01/01
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Read It and Weep (Library Lover's Mystery, #4)]]> 17290649 William Shakespeare is credited with inventing how many words?*

Answering Shakespeare trivia comes with the job description for library director Lindsey Norris. But when the Briar Creek Community Theater mounts their newest production of the Bard, she has no intention of leaving the stacks for the stage. Unfortunately a villain is waiting in the wings�

Former Broadway actress Violet La Rue is holding auditions for A Midsummer Night’s Dream—and everyone from the sour spinster librarian Ms. Cole to Lindsey’s youthful library pages are trying out for parts. Brought in to play the mischievous Puck is the flirtatious professional actor Robbie Vine, who seems to have eyes for Lindsey. Before her blush has faded, the Bard’s dream turns into a nightmare—when one of the cast is poisoned. Now Lindsey and her crafternooners must take center stage to unmask the culprit before the final curtain call�

*Over 17,000 ]]> 284 Jenn McKinlay 0425260720 R. J. 4 3.93 2013 Read It and Weep (Library Lover's Mystery, #4)
author: Jenn McKinlay
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/06
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Forensic Science: An Introduction to Scientific and Investigative Techniques]]> 49006930 366 Suzanne Bell 1138048127 R. J. 0 currently-reading 4.00 Forensic Science: An Introduction to Scientific and Investigative Techniques
author: Suzanne Bell
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sweep of the Heart (Innkeeper Chronicles, #5)]]> 62801889
Life is busier than ever for Innkeeper, Dina DeMille and Sean Evans. But it’s about to get even more chaotic when Sean's werewolf mentor is kidnapped. To find him, they must host an intergalactic spouse-search for one of the most powerful rulers in the Galaxy. Dina is never one to back down from a challenge. That is, if she can manage her temperamental Red Cleaver chef; the consequences of her favorite Galactic ex-tyrant's dark history; the tangled politics of an interstellar nation, and oh, yes, keep the wedding candidates from a dozen alien species from killing each other. Not to mention the Costco lady.

They say love is a battlefield; but Dina and Sean are determined to limit the casualties!]]> 456 Ilona Andrews 1641972394 R. J. 5 4.54 2022 Sweep of the Heart (Innkeeper Chronicles, #5)
author: Ilona Andrews
name: R. J.
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/04
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Prophecies: 4,000 Years of Prophets, Visionaries, and Predictions]]> 6707529 288 Tony Allan 1906787131 R. J. 3 3.77 2002 Prophecies: 4,000 Years of Prophets, Visionaries, and Predictions
author: Tony Allan
name: R. J.
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves:
review:

]]>