var's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 08 Apr 2025 08:28:28 -0700 60 var's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)]]> 214331246 When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]> 387 Suzanne Collins 1546171460 var 0 to-read 4.62 2025 Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: var
average rating: 4.62
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/08
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]]> Deep End 212808709 A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis.

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

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

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...]]> 464 Ali Hazelwood var 5 3.93 2025 Deep End
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: var
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
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]]> <![CDATA[Psychotic Obsession (The Edge of Darkness Trilogy)]]> 208177256 TRUST IS A WEAKNESS
POSSESSION IS A TOXIC GAME
Sweet and gentle.
Calm and collected.
Nervous and inexperienced.
He was death cloaked in the form of a handsome man, and instead of running the other way the first chance she got, she fell for him.

Aria Miller is a scientist searching for the cure for a rare genetic disease when her world turns on its head � she collides with Tobias Mitchell. When she takes him on as her assistant, he becomes infatuated with her in ways he knows he shouldn’t be.

Then, reality hits, and Aria is forced to leave the country. Faced with the thought of losing the object of his obsession, Tobias� mask slips, showing her his true self for the first time.

Aria is his, and he’ll do anything to make sure she stays that way.

This is an interconnected standalone set before The Edge of Darkness Trilogy]]> 442 Leigh Rivers var 0 to-read 4.26 Psychotic Obsession (The Edge of Darkness Trilogy)
author: Leigh Rivers
name: var
average rating: 4.26
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/12
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]]> Out of the Woods 209220944
But Sarah has begun to wonder... Who is she without her other half?

When she decides to take on a project of her own, a fundraising gala in memoriam of her late mother, Sarah wants nothing more than to prove to herself—and to everyone else—that she doesn’t need Caleb’s help to succeed. She’s still her mother’s daughter, after all. Independent and capable.

That is until the event fails and Caleb uninvitedly steps in to save the day.

The rift that follows unearths a decade of grievances between them and doubts begin to grow. Are they truly the same people they were when they got married at nineteen? Are they supposed to be?

In a desperate attempt to fix what they fear is near breaking, Sarah and Caleb make the spontaneous decision to join a grueling hiking trip intended to guide couples through rough patches.

What follows is a life-affirming comedy of errors as two nature-averse people fight their way out of the woods in order to find their way back to their roots.]]> 336 Hannah Bonam-Young 0593871863 var 0 3.98 2025 Out of the Woods
author: Hannah Bonam-Young
name: var
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/09
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]]> <![CDATA[In a Rush (Friendship, Rhode Island #2)]]> 221762418 A revenge husband.

Pro quarterback Ryan Ralston has always known two things.
First, he’s desperately in love with his best friend Emme Ahlborg.
Second–and most importantly–he still has no idea how to tell her.

The marriage pact they made in their senior yearbook was the closest he ever came.
Years passed and Emme forgot about their promise.
Ryan never did, especially not on his thirtieth birthday.

Emme can’t catch a break. Always unlucky in love, her cheating ex is a groomsman in her best friend’s wedding—and there’s no way she’s showing up alone.

Ryan offers her the one thing better than a wedding date: a revenge husband. And he’s not just any fake husband but the NFL’s brightest star…and in need of serious reputation rehab.

Playing the part of the happy couple comes easy and soon enough, the lines between real and fake blur. They disappear altogether when there’s just one bed.

All Ryan has to do is save Emme from her ex, find her step-sister an internship, and get his wife to fall in love with him—or fumble the one thing he’s ever wanted:
her heart.

Content Notes: incidences and discussion of infidelity, incidence of body shaming, parental estrangement, parental divorce, brief mention of parental death (ALS), chronic illness (main character--endometriosis).]]> Kate Canterbary var 0 to-read 3.90 2025 In a Rush (Friendship, Rhode Island #2)
author: Kate Canterbary
name: var
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/08
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]]> <![CDATA[The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)]]> 7235533 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings, book one of The Stormlight Archive begins an incredible new saga of epic proportion.

Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them.

One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.

Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Like his brother, the late king, he is fascinated by an ancient text called The Way of Kings. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity.

Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar's niece, Jasnah. Though she genuinely loves learning, Shallan's motives are less than pure. As she plans a daring theft, her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.

The result of over ten years of planning, writing, and world-building, The Way of Kings is but the opening movement of the Stormlight Archive, a bold masterpiece in the making.

Speak again the ancient oaths:

Life before death.
Strength before weakness.
Journey before Destination.

and return to men the Shards they once bore.

The Knights Radiant must stand again.]]> 1007 Brandon Sanderson 0765326353 var 0 to-read 4.66 2010 The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: var
average rating: 4.66
book published: 2010
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[First-Time Caller (Heartstrings, #1)]]> 213243908 A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.

Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life-or lack thereof—she begins to question if she's as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending... even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.]]> 448 B.K. Borison 0593641191 var 5 4.06 2025 First-Time Caller (Heartstrings, #1)
author: B.K. Borison
name: var
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/25
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]]> <![CDATA[Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts]]> 205363955 Meditations for Mortals takes us on a liberating journey towards a more meaningful life � one that begins not with fantasies of the ideal existence, but with the reality in which we actually find ourselves.

Addressing the fundamental questions about how to live, it offers a powerful new way to take action on what counts: a guiding philosophy of life Oliver Burkeman calls ‘imperfectionism�. How can we embrace our non-negotiable limitations? Or make good decisions when there’s always too much to do? What if purposeful productivity were often about letting things happen, not making them happen?

Reflecting on ideas drawn from philosophy, religion, literature, psychology, and self-help, Burkeman explores practical tools and shifts in perspective. The result is a bracing challenge to much familiar advice, and a profound yet entertaining crash course in living more fully.

To be read either as a four-week ‘retreat of the mind� or devoured in one or two sittings, Meditations for Mortals will be a source of solace and inspiration, and an aid to a saner, freer, and more enchantment-filled life. In anxiety-inducing times, it is rich in truths we have never needed more.]]> 208 Oliver Burkeman 0374611998 var 0 to-read 4.26 2024 Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts
author: Oliver Burkeman
name: var
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/09
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]]> <![CDATA[Beg, Borrow, or Steal (When in Rome, #3)]]> 211164792 Two feuding second-grade teachers (and neighbors) find themselves teaming up in this rivals-to-lovers romance.

Emily Walker hates having her carefully crafted world disrupted by anyone, most of all her legendary nemesis, Jack Bennett. He's the opposite of the wonderful heroes she dreams up in her double life as a romance writer, which is why Emily was perfectly happy when Jack left Rome, Kentucky, mid-school year, with his fiancée. The last thing Emily saw coming was Jack’s return at the start of the summer after calling off the wedding and ending his relationship, but he’s here to stay—as her colleague and her neighbor.

Jackson Bennett is glad to be back, eager to renovate his house and work on the next mystery novel under his bestselling pen name. But when he realizes he’s now neighbors with the one woman who has always pushed his buttons, he discovers something he’s even more excited for—thwarting Emily and her petty plans to sabotage his return.

With their chemistry-fueled animosity at an all-time high, Emily accidentally sends an email to their school’s principal that could reveal her secret literary side hustle. She needs to steal back her manuscript, and Jack—she hates to admit—is just the man to help her. Surprisingly, Jack agrees. Will their unlikely alliance put an end to their rivalry? Or could it lead to a steamy plot twist they never saw coming?]]> 384 Sarah Adams 0593723694 var 0 to-read 4.06 2025 Beg, Borrow, or Steal (When in Rome, #3)
author: Sarah Adams
name: var
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/30
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]]> <![CDATA[Over the Edge (Fool's Gambit, #2)]]> 222243159
Evelyn Mariano is a devoted daughter and the friend who is always, always, perfectly fine. She’s normal, except for the fact she’s spent the last five years concealing that she’s also pop sensation Lyla West. With the deadline for her next album looming, the future of her secret in the balance, and inspiration at an all-time low, Hartsfall is the perfect town to help her get lost in someone else’s love story. Evelyn isn’t running away from her problems; she’s relocating them to somewhere more scenic.

Evelyn doesn’t trust herself when it comes to love. Garrett doesn’t trust himself when it comes to her. But what’s the harm in a little songwriting between friends?]]> 504 Marja Graham var 0 to-read 3.98 Over the Edge (Fool's Gambit, #2)
author: Marja Graham
name: var
average rating: 3.98
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/27
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]]> Between the Lines 220146828 The mysterious stranger I spent an unforgettable night with is the billionaire who ruined my life� and now I have to live with him.

He's all green eyes, mussed hair and a dirty mouth. He’s good at strip poker, and even better at what comes after.

Two weeks later, I walk into a meeting in LA with the subject of my next memoir... and it’s him.

Aiden Hartman. My hot one-night-stand, and the billionaire owner of Titan Media, the company that ruined my life and made me change my name.

Now I need to spend two months at his side or risk losing my next contract. Living in his Bel-Air mansion, shadowing him daily, and writing his memoir.

Aiden invites me into his world of wealth. He brings me as his date to movie premieres and buys me expensive dresses. But he won’t tell me everything I need for the book.

We argue in his office, and I taunt him in bikinis by his pool. It’s a dangerous game we’re playing, especially when Aiden offers me a deal too good to refuse.

He’ll spill all his secrets� if I tell him mine. ]]> 472 Olivia Hayle var 0 to-read 4.01 Between the Lines
author: Olivia Hayle
name: var
average rating: 4.01
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/25
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]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)]]> 136251
In this final, seventh installment of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling unveils in spectacular fashion the answers to the many questions that have been so eagerly awaited.]]> 759 J.K. Rowling var 5 4.61 2007 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: var
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/21
date added: 2025/01/21
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]]> <![CDATA[How to Win Friends & Influence People]]> 4865
Since its release in 1936, How to Win Friends and Influence People has sold more than 30 million copies. Dale Carnegie's first book is a timeless bestseller, packed with rock-solid advice that has carried thousands of now famous people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives.

As relevant as ever before, Dale Carnegie's principles endure, and will help you achieve your maximum potential in the complex and competitive modern age.

Learn the six ways to make people like you, the twelve ways to win people to your way of thinking, and the nine ways to change people without arousing resentment.]]> 288 Dale Carnegie var 0 currently-reading 4.22 1936 How to Win Friends & Influence People
author: Dale Carnegie
name: var
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1936
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
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]]> <![CDATA[Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection]]> 157981748 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780593243916.

Who and what are supercommunicators? They're the people who can steer a conversation to a successful conclusion. They are able to talk about difficult topics without giving offence. They know how to make others feel at ease and share what they think. They're brilliant facilitators and decision-guiders. How do they do it?

In this groundbreaking book, Charles Duhigg unravels the secrets of the supercommunicators to reveal the art - and the science - of successful communication. He unpicks the different types of everyday conversation and pinpoints why some go smoothly while others swiftly fall apart. He reveals the conversational questions and gambits that bring people together. And he shows how even the most tricky of encounters can be turned around. In the process, he shows why a CIA operative was able to win over a reluctant spy, how a member of a jury got his fellow jurors to view an open-and-shut case differently, and what a doctor found they needed to do to engage with a vaccine sceptic.

Above all, he reveals the techniques we can all master to successfully connect with others, however tricky the circumstances. Packed with fascinating case studies and drawing on cutting-edge research, this book will change the way you think about what you say, and how you say it.]]> 320 Charles Duhigg var 0 dnf, to-read 4.00 2024 Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection
author: Charles Duhigg
name: var
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: dnf, to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)]]> 1 652 J.K. Rowling var 5 4.57 2005 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: var
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/27
date added: 2024/12/27
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]]> <![CDATA[A Deal with the Bossy Devil (Bad Billionaire Bosses, #1)]]> 211974738
I regret nothing.
�
Okay, maybe I regret some things.
In my defense, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t get caught.
Also in my defense, I had no way of knowing that “The Incident� would go viral.

But Toronto’s most notorious billionaire isn’t exactly known for his generous or understanding spirit, and he doesn’t want to hear my excuses.
Not when my little public stunt cost him the biggest investment deal of his career.

What he does want is cold, hard revenge.
And that’s how I find myself backed into a corner, forced to strike a deal with the snarly, green-eyed devil.
I have no choice but to be at his beck and call 24 hours a day, succumbing to his every bossy whim.
But as his demands—and the blistering tension—become increasingly unbearable, I can’t help but start to bite back.

Adrien Cloutier isn’t a man to be messed with, though.
And as the old saying goes, bad girls deserve to be punished.

This is a full-length enemies-to-lovers romance with loads of spicy banter and laugh-out-loud moments, featuring a dimpled bosshole devil in a suit and the smart-mouthed woman who brings him to his knees. (Literally.)

� Enemies to lovers
� Fake relationship
� Only one bed
� Three slow-burn peppers
� Good girl]]> 434 Kyra Parsi var 0 to-read 4.11 2023 A Deal with the Bossy Devil (Bad Billionaire Bosses, #1)
author: Kyra Parsi
name: var
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/22
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]]> <![CDATA[Failure to Match (Bad Billionaire Bosses, #2)]]> 210277479 He’s the arrogant, grumpy billionaire bane of my existence... and now I’m his full-time, live-in dating coach.

I’ve never failed to match a client—until him.

Jackson Sinclair has dragged me through eight months of matchmaking hell, and I have the carnage of broken hearts to prove it.
But I refuse to get fired from my dream job because of some infuriatingly gorgeous billionaire and his absurd criteria for a wife.

The plan is simple.
All I have to do is infiltrate his penthouse, pretend to be his blind date, and figure out what the actual f*ck his actual f*cking problem is.
It’ll be fine. He doesn’t know what I look like.

Except I nearly drown in Satan-clair’s massive pool, he figures out who I am, and now I’m forcibly glued to his side for the next 30 days.

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

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

✓Enemies to lovers
✓Matchmaker
✓Forced proximity
✓Opposites attract
✓Three slow-burn peppers
� MMC obsessed
✓Good girl]]> 430 Kyra Parsi var 0 to-read 4.20 Failure to Match (Bad Billionaire Bosses, #2)
author: Kyra Parsi
name: var
average rating: 4.20
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/22
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]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)]]> 2
Harry has had enough. He is beginning to think he must do something, anything, to change his situation, when the summer holidays come to an end in a very dramatic fashion. What Harry is about to discover in his new year at Hogwarts will turn his world upside down...]]> 912 J.K. Rowling var 5 4.50 2003 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: var
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/28
date added: 2024/11/28
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]]> My December Darling 218137764 A small-town Christmas novella by the New York Times bestselling author of LAKEFRONT BILLIONAIRES series that will make you want to pack your bags and spend the holiday in Lake Wisteria.

Catalina
Playing the part of my sister’s maid of honor is easy even if she’s marrying my ex.
But playing nice with the best man? An impossible task given our history.
Sure, Luke Darling may be suspiciously kind, incredibly handsome, and stubborn to a fault, but regardless of how hard he tries to make me see otherwise, I’m not interested.
It’s on me to remind him that he’s my ex-boyfriend’s best friend.
And the one I’m secretly starting to wish I met first.

Luke
My job as the best man is a simple one, except for one minor issue.
I’ve spent so much time avoiding my best friend’s ex that I didn’t consider what could happen if I started craving Catalina Martinez’s company instead.
She is only in Lake Wisteria for the winter wedding, but her January departure date won’t stop me from pursuing her.
Getting her to date me would be nothing short of a Christmas miracle, but I’m determined to make her mine.
‘Tis the season to fall in love…even if I’m the only one taking the risk.

My December Darling is a 50,000 word, Christmas-themed romance between a grumpy maid of honor and an outgoing best man who chases after what he wants. ]]> 252 Lauren Asher 1964990025 var 0 to-read 3.72 2024 My December Darling
author: Lauren Asher
name: var
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/21
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]]> Two Can Play 217108838
An enemies-to-lovers spicy romance set in the world of video gaming from the bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis—available only in audio!

Viola Bowen has the chance of a lifetime: to design a video game based on her all-time favorite book series. The only problem? Her co-lead is Jesse F-ing Andrews, a.k.a. her arch-nemesis. Jesse has made it abundantly clear over the years that he wants nothing to do with her–and Viola has no idea why.

When their bosses insist a wintery retreat is the perfect team-building exercise, Viola can’t think of anything worse. Being freezing cold in a remote mountain lodge knowing Jesse is right next door? No, thank you.

But as the snow piles on, Viola discovers there’s more to Jesse than she knew, and heat builds in more ways than one.]]> 5 Ali Hazelwood var 0 to-read 3.55 2024 Two Can Play
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: var
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/13
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4)]]> 6 734 J.K. Rowling 0439139597 var 5 4.56 2000 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: var
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/13
date added: 2024/11/13
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]]> Not in Love (Not in Love, #1) 198716261 A forbidden, secret affair proves that all’s fair in love and science.

Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.

Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through - and he's a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can't stop thinking about. The woman who's off-limits to him.

Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business - one that plays for keeps.]]> 384 Ali Hazelwood 1408728915 var 0 to-read 3.59 2024 Not in Love (Not in Love, #1)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: var
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/07
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]]> <![CDATA[The Chimp Paradox: How Our Impulses and Emotions Can Determine Success and Happiness and How We Can Control Them]]> 12228097 346 Steve Peters 009193558X var 0 to-read 3.97 2012 The Chimp Paradox: How Our Impulses and Emotions Can Determine Success and Happiness and How We Can Control Them
author: Steve Peters
name: var
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/06
shelves: to-read
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]]> Forever Masked & Mine 206340998
Marfa, Percy, and Mack have decided on forever.
Now, all they have to do is commit�
Does Sovereign truly get her Forever with her masked men?]]> 112 Tilly Ridge var 0 4.59 Forever Masked & Mine
author: Tilly Ridge
name: var
average rating: 4.59
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2024/11/03
date added: 2024/11/03
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]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)]]> 5 435 J.K. Rowling 043965548X var 5 4.57 1999 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: var
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/31
date added: 2024/10/31
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]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)]]> 15881
And strike it does. For in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor and a spirit who haunts the girls� bathroom. But then the real trouble begins � someone is turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects� Harry Potter himself!]]> 352 J.K. Rowling var 4 4.42 1998 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: var
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1998
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/28
date added: 2024/10/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Masked & Mine (High Stakes Syndicate)]]> 202197562 @devils_sovereign : Marfa, but call me Mar.

I’m just your favorite devilish cam girl looking to showcase my assets to my loyal demons. I was encouraged to take on this new persona as a cam girl by one of my clients at my former place of employment, � In Sin City,� and here I am thriving. Sins is the biggest and most reputable sex club in Vegas, and well, I just got fired yesterday. Not for anything I did, but because my father is the leader of the Russian Mafia. Now I’m stuck, needing to put my all into this cam girl gig if I want to survive living in Vegas.



@Untrained__Ghostt : Mack

To many, I’m known as a tattoo shop owner and artist by day and, in the words of my subs, a “drool-worthy� cam guy by night with the persona of Ghost from Call of Duty. Together with my partner Percy, whom I met through TikTok, we have been camming for the best subscribers ever. Tomorrow we’re meeting with the first person we are going to collaborate with. The first girl I’ve been with in years—let’s see how this goes�



@Königoftheunderworld : Percy

I’m a marketing firm manager and a little bit of a control freak, but underneath the boring, my real self comes alive when I cosplay as König when camming with my partner, Mack. I’ve never been happier, and everything has been perfect, but the pessimist in me feels it’s a little too perfect. I’ve been feeling a little apprehensive about sharing Mack, but I know it’s been something we’ve both been wanting to dip our toes into. It doesn’t, however, make me any less anxious about losing control.]]> 272 Tilly Ridge var 2 3.75 Masked & Mine (High Stakes Syndicate)
author: Tilly Ridge
name: var
average rating: 3.75
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/27
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves:
review:

]]> Left of Forever 217388096 An emotional, spicy, second-chance romance from USA Today bestselling author Tarah DeWitt.

This time, they'll get it right.

Wren and Ellis Byrd fell in love as kids, had their son Sam when they were only teenagers, and built a life together in the coastal town of Spunes, Oregon. They were made for one another…until they fell apart.

Now divorced and in their 30s, Wren runs the bakery in town, while Ellis works as a firefighter. They live separate lives, though they are hardly off each other’s minds.

When Sam gets accepted into college and the pair help him move in together, Ellis convinces Wren to take an extended road trip back to Spunes with him to see if they can give their relationship one last chance. Amid the gorgeous scenery of the California coastline, dreamy destinations, and a great deal of long-yearned-for proximity, Wren starts to think it just might be possible. But the two still have to contend with their tumultuous past in order to move forward. And when spoken words fail, sometimes the written word must bridge the gap.
Will they make the most of what’s left of forever? Or will they let each other go for good?

Brimming with big feelings and packed with steam, Left of Forever is bestseller Tarah DeWitt at the top of her game.]]> 336 Tarah DeWitt 1250329442 var 0 to-read 4.58 2025 Left of Forever
author: Tarah DeWitt
name: var
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Power Play (D.C. Stars, #2) 218022571 Divorced, feeling stuck in her professional life and terrified of reentering the world of dating, she’s decided she’s going to work on something she can control: learning how to be good in the bedroom.
Enter Liam Sullivan.
The star NHL goalie might not be a people person, but he's the perfect teacher. He knows what he's doing behind closed doors, and with a little convincing, he agrees to be Piper's guide.
Things between them are casual and easy. Something they can both benefit from. And when a road trip to Vegas has Piper and Liam waking up from a night they can’t remember with matching wedding rings, they decide to figure out how much more fun they can have as husband and wife.
It’s just for the hockey season.
It doesn’t mean anything.
But as the clock ticks down on their fake-marriage-with-benefits, can Piper and Liam make it work in the real world? Or will their relationship be a power play straight to disaster?]]> 514 Chelsea Curto var 0 to-read 4.00 2024 Power Play (D.C. Stars, #2)
author: Chelsea Curto
name: var
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Marriage for One 45694898 520 Ella Maise var 4 3.86 2022 Marriage for One
author: Ella Maise
name: var
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/25
date added: 2024/10/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter, #1)]]> 42844155 An alternative cover for this ASIN can be found here

"Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'."

Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!]]> 333 J.K. Rowling var 4 4.47 1997 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter, #1)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: var
average rating: 4.47
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/23
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[On the Line (A Line Cook Romance)]]> 199237564
But after her authoritative father gives her the ultimatum—stay in line rather than pursue her art—she needs to find a quick way to support herself since she’s unwilling to give up on her dreams.

The answer is landing a job at Orso, a fine-dining restaurant in the heart of Marsford Bay.

Between learning to navigate the grind of restaurant life, trying not to cry in the walk-freezer, and rebuilding her life, there is only one silver lining—a line cook that seems to always make her shifts a little easier whether it be with a cheeky grin or a delicious mid-shift snack.

Ozzy McKenna, the tattooed jester with a Casanova reputation is immediately smitten and makes it his mission to charm the new girl.

But James isn’t ready for anything serious, having just broken up with her abusive long-term boyfriend.

Their attraction, however, is undeniable.

James proposes they become friends with benefits; making a deal to leave drama out of it, and hide their arrangement from their coworkers at Orso.

However, despite their best efforts to keep it casual, things inevitably begin to change. Between cooking for James late at night and dates that aren’t meant to be dates, both soon discover that maybe they can become what the other one needs, in ways neither thought was possible.

All they need to do is get out of their own way.


*On the Line is a dark contemporary romance with a guaranteed HEA. It has mature situations and themes which may be considered triggers for some. Reader discretion is advised.*]]> Naomi Loud var 2 3.75 2024 On the Line (A Line Cook Romance)
author: Naomi Loud
name: var
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/22
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves:
review:

]]> Scorpion (The Exodus) 215273966
The fall from grace hurt.

I was one of the few specialist snipers in the military who is a woman. I made a name for myself. Set records.

But death has a way of changing everyone.

The descent from Special Forces, to dirty fighting pits, to becoming a bodyguard for the man whose heart I broke, I never thought I’d stop drowning.

One night is all it took for everything to change.

One shot is all I need.

My name is Zalak Bhatia. They call me Scorpion.


*This book is set in a shared world with authors Lauren Biel, Dana LeeAnn, Harleigh Beck, Amber Nicole, Willow McQuerry, Jenn Bullard, Kinsley Kincaid, and Ann-Marie Davis.*]]> 246 Avina St. Graves 0473718324 var 0 to-read 3.62 Scorpion (The Exodus)
author: Avina St. Graves
name: var
average rating: 3.62
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/20
shelves: to-read
review:

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

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

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

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

Every monster has their weakness. She’s his.

His obsession.
His addiction.
His only exception.

**

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

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

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

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

Passionate.
Protected.
Truly wanted.

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

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

WARNING: Contains a morally gray male MC, explicit content, violence, profanity, and topics that may be sensitive to some readers. Please see inside the book for a detailed list. Recommended for 18+ ]]> 530 Ana Huang var 2 4.20 2022 Twisted Lies (Twisted, #4)
author: Ana Huang
name: var
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2024/10/12
shelves:
review:

]]> Twisted Love (Twisted, #1) 55817097 He has a heart of ice...but for her, he'd burn the world.

Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape.

Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart.

But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he starts to feel something in his chest:

A crack.
A melt.
A fire that could end his world as he knew it.

***

Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember.

But despite her broken past, she’s never stopped seeing the beauty in the world…including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn’t want.

Her brother’s best friend.
Her neighbor.
Her savior and her downfall.

Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen—but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both…and everything they hold dear.

Twisted Love is a brother’s best friend/opposites attract romance with a hint of suspense. It's book one in the Twisted series but can be read as a standalone.

WARNING: This book contains a possessive, morally gray alphahole; explicit sexual content, and profanity. No cheating or menage, but if you're looking for a traditionally sweet, loveable hero, this is not the book for you. Recommended for 18+. ]]> 360 Ana Huang var 2 3.74 2021 Twisted Love (Twisted, #1)
author: Ana Huang
name: var
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2024/10/12
shelves:
review:

]]> Twisted Games (Twisted, #2) 56653002 She can never be his...but he's taking her anyway.

Stoic, broody, and arrogant, elite bodyguard Rhys Larsen has two rules: 1) Protect his clients at all costs 2) Do not become emotionally involved. Ever.

He has never once been tempted to break those rules…until her.

Bridget von Ascheberg. A princess with a stubborn streak that matches his own and a hidden fire that reduces his rules to ash. She’s nothing he expected and everything he never knew he needed.

Day by day, inch by inch, she breaks down his defenses until he’s faced with a truth he can no longer deny: he swore an oath to protect her, but all he wants is to ruin her. Take her.

Because she’s his.

His princess.
His forbidden fruit.
His every depraved fantasy.

***

Regal, strong-willed, and bound by the chains of duty, Princess Bridget dreams of the freedom to live and love as she chooses.

But when her brother abdicates, she’s suddenly faced with the prospect of a loveless, politically expedient marriage and a throne she never wanted.

And as she navigates the intricacies—and treacheries—of her new role, she must also hide her desire for a man she can’t have.

Her bodyguard.
Her protector.
Her ultimate ruin.

Unexpected and forbidden, theirs is a love that could destroy a kingdom…and doom them both.

Twisted Games is a slow to medium burn contemporary royal bodyguard romance. It’s book two of the Twisted series but can be read as a standalone.

Warning: This book contains a possessive alpha hero, explicit sexual content, and profanity.]]> 456 Ana Huang var 4 4.10 2021 Twisted Games (Twisted, #2)
author: Ana Huang
name: var
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/20
date added: 2024/10/12
shelves:
review:

]]> Twisted Hate (Twisted, #3) 56688531 He hates her...almost as much as he wants her.

Gorgeous, cocky, and fast on his way to becoming a hotshot doctor, Josh Chen has never met a woman he couldn’t charm—except for Jules f**king Ambrose.

The beautiful redhead has been a thorn in his side since they met, but she also consumes his thoughts in a way no woman ever has.

When their animosity explodes into one unforgettable night, he proposes a solution that’ll get her out of his system once and for all: an enemies with benefits arrangement with simple rules.

No jealousy.

No strings attached.

And absolutely no falling in love.

**

Outgoing and ambitious, Jules Ambrose is a former party girl who’s focused on one thing: passing the attorney’s bar exam.

The last thing she needs is to get involved with a doctor who puts the SUFFER in insufferable…no matter how good-looking he is.

But the more she gets to know him, the more she realizes there’s more than meets the eye to the man she’s hated for so long.

Her best friend’s brother.

Her nemesis.

And her only salvation.


Theirs is a match made in hell, and when the demons from their past catch up with them, they’re faced with truths that could either save them …or destroy everything they’ve worked for.

Twisted Hate is a steamy enemies with benefits/enemies to lovers romance. It's book three in the Twisted series but can be read as a standalone.

Warning: It contains explicit content, profanity, and topics that may be sensitive to some readers. For details, please see content notes inside the book. Recommended for 18+.]]> 522 Ana Huang var 4 3.98 2022 Twisted Hate (Twisted, #3)
author: Ana Huang
name: var
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/10/12
shelves:
review:

]]> My Neighbor's Secret 201800414
I’m glad I’ve discovered my neighbor’s secret, though; because I’ve got a secret of my own. Now, I'm thinking we should team up to solve both our problems, and maybe even have some naughty fun along the way.

MY NEIGHBOR’s SECRET is a spicy, raunchy, hilarious, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, standalone rom com that will make you laugh, swoon, and fan yourself all the way to Auggie and Charlotte’s happily ever after.]]> 370 Lauren Rowe 1951315529 var 0 to-read 3.93 My Neighbor's Secret
author: Lauren Rowe
name: var
average rating: 3.93
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> When Gracie Met the Grump 62603994
For most people, finding a half-naked superbeing in their yard might be a dream come true.

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

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

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

Even if it compromises everything you know.

And totally changes your life.]]> 570 Mariana Zapata 1953262023 var 4 3.95 2022 When Gracie Met the Grump
author: Mariana Zapata
name: var
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/07
date added: 2024/10/07
shelves:
review:

]]> Face Off (D.C. Stars, #1) 213779197
Maverick Miller is the best player in the league, but he’s never had a winning record. Team captain and desperate to turn things around, he agrees to play nice with the fiery new left-winger even though they’re total opposites.

After a night where the tension between them reaches a tipping point and they fall in bed together, Emmy and Maverick vow it was only one time. Just once to get it out of their systems so they can play better and help their team.

It doesn’t mean anything. She doesn’t date hockey players. He’s a notorious playboy who doesn’t date. Period.

Except� what should’ve been just once happens again, then again. They tell each other their friends with benefits arrangement is only for the season, but despite facing off on the ice, behind closed doors, the pair is nothing but fire.]]> 450 Chelsea Curto var 0 to-read 4.14 2024 Face Off (D.C. Stars, #1)
author: Chelsea Curto
name: var
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Off Camera (Love Through a Lens, #4)]]> 215573311
Reid Duncan isn’t the world’s biggest sports fan, but he loves his job. Working for the DC Titans means working on the same team as his best friend� and being constantly annoyed by the woman who works for the rival team up the road.

But when a night with a woman he can’t get out of his head turns out to be the woman who won’t leave him alone on social media, Reid isn’t sure what to do. The only solution? A casual arrangement that goes perfectly with the bet they’ve enacted for the football season.

Online, they exchange sarcasm and snark like it’s their job. In the bedroom, though, it’s a different story. What’s supposed to be one time turns into something more.

Avery and Reid know they aren’t supposed to fall for each other. Feelings aren’t part of their agreement, but neither one of them can stay away.

Can what happens off camera and away from their phones really work in real life? Or are they destined to never get along?

Off Camera is a spicy rivals to lovers sports romance with a guaranteed happily ever after.]]> Chelsea Curto var 5 4.11 Off Camera (Love Through a Lens, #4)
author: Chelsea Curto
name: var
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/03
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Camera Chemistry (Love Through a Lens, #1)]]> 83823487
There’s an undeniable heat between us, and electric energy surges through my veins whenever he touches me. When he invites me back to his place for a one-night stand after we finish the shoot, I don’t even hesitate.

He’s attentive, funny, sweet and kind. And his mouth is downright filthy, hearing my fantasies and delivering on every one. It’s only twenty-four hours, no strings attached. That’s it. Except there’s one tiny problem; he makes me feel more alive than I have in my entire life.

I can’t stop thinking about him, and I’m wondering if he’s thinking about me, too. I try to tell myself it’s just camera chemistry. Adrenaline from a fun photography session, not actual attraction. There’s no way men like this exist in real life, is there? If so, Aiden Wood is the blueprint, and I’m the sucker who’s desperate for more of him. One night wasn’t enough.]]> 197 Chelsea Curto var 5 3.53 2023 Camera Chemistry (Love Through a Lens, #1)
author: Chelsea Curto
name: var
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/29
date added: 2024/10/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Behind the Camera (Love through a Lens, #3)]]> 205825696
When her godfather–the coach of the hottest team in the NFL–tells her about an open position as a sports photographer, she jumps at the chance to apply. The pay is good, but it doesn’t cover her rent after her roommate moves out. Out of ideas, she’s not sure how she’s going to afford to make ends meet� until the cute kicker comes to her rescue.

Dallas Lansfield never thought he’d be a single dad, but he’s embracing the role as best as he can. With a four-year-old that has too much energy and not enough time on his hands, he needs help.

Desperately.

So when he hears that his coach’s goddaughter is looking for a way to make more money, he practically begs her to come be his nanny.

Maven and Dallas aren’t allowed to fall for each other. Getting involved with a player on the team is off-limits and a quick way to get fired. But what starts as a professional relationship turns into something deeper.

In front of people, they’re colleagues. Behind the cameras, though, their attraction only grows. Late night talks turn into sharing a bed, and soon, Dallas would rather give up his career than give up the feelings he has for Maven.

He can’t have her. So why does he want her so damn bad?]]> 458 Chelsea Curto var 4 4.17 Behind the Camera (Love through a Lens, #3)
author: Chelsea Curto
name: var
average rating: 4.17
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/02
date added: 2024/10/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Pursuit of Perfect: How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Start Living a Richer, Happier Life]]> 4462310 “This fine book shimmers with a rare brand of good sense that is embedded in scientific knowledge about how to increase happiness. It is easy to see how this is the backbone of the most popular course at Harvard today.�
-Martin E. P. Seligman, author of Authentic Happiness]]> 246 Tal Ben-Shahar 0071608826 var 0 to-read 4.02 2009 The Pursuit of Perfect: How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Start Living a Richer, Happier Life
author: Tal Ben-Shahar
name: var
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Caught on Camera (Love Through a Lens, #2)]]> 199278295
When Lacey’s date refuses to kiss her on the kiss cam, she’s mortified� until Shawn saves the day, cutting an interview short to kiss her in front of seventy thousand screaming fans.

The kiss doesn’t mean anything. But when the video goes viral in a matter of hours, Lacey and Shawn are forced to reevaluate how to handle the publicity.

They agree on a simple solution: a fake relationship through the holidays. It’s mutually beneficial: it gets Shawn’s family off his back about bringing home a significant other for Christmas, and it makes Lacey look good at her office Christmas party.

As the weather turns colder and they spend more time pretending, things between Lacey and Shawn heat up. Soon, faking it feels like the best relationship both have ever had. With New Year’s approaching, will they realize how much they care about each other, or end the agreement and move on?]]> Chelsea Curto var 5 3.88 2023 Caught on Camera (Love Through a Lens, #2)
author: Chelsea Curto
name: var
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/30
date added: 2024/09/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bull Rush (The Quiet Horsemen, #1)]]> 218454362 Those words change everything.

Now my should-be ex-husband, Ramsey Stockton, the former pro football star turned felon and hero who left this town—and me—behind years ago, is at my door offering me a deal with the devil.

If I let him stay and play his wife again for ninety days, he’ll give me a quiet divorce and his family ranch—the one my inn is on.

When I scoff at the idea, he offers a million-dollar bonus to help my business float through this rough patch, but only if I’m his.

Then he’ll walk away, and I can walk down the aisle with my fiancé. Or I can say no and watch everything I’ve worked so hard for fall apart.

There’s only one answer I can afford to give him. But he knows everything about me—every hurt, every secret, and every single weakness I have, including him.

And while Ramsey might want me, his brothers want him back in the family business.

If there's one universal truth in this town, it's that Stockton men stop at nothing to get what they want.]]> 402 Maggie Rawdon 1959523317 var 0 to-read 3.76 Bull Rush (The Quiet Horsemen, #1)
author: Maggie Rawdon
name: var
average rating: 3.76
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen]]> 112974860 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER � A practical, heartfelt guide to the art of truly knowing another person in order to foster deeper connections at home, at work, and throughout our lives—from the author of The Road to Character and The Second Mountain

As David Brooks observes, “There is one skill that lies at the heart of any healthy person, family, school, community organization, or society: the ability to see someone else deeply and make them feel seen—to accurately know another person, to let them feel valued, heard, and understood.�

And yet we humans don’t do this well. All around us are people who feel invisible, unseen, misunderstood. In How to Know a Person, Brooks sets out to help us do better, posing questions that are essential for all of us: If you want to know a person, what kind of attention should you cast on them? What kind of conversations should you have? What parts of a person’s story should you pay attention to?

Driven by his trademark sense of curiosity and his determination to grow as a person, Brooks draws from the fields of psychology and neuroscience and from the worlds of theater, philosophy, history, and education to present a welcoming, hopeful, integrated approach to human connection. How to Know a Person helps readers become more understanding and considerate toward others, and to find the joy that comes from being seen. Along the way it offers a possible remedy for a society that is riven by fragmentation, hostility, and misperception.

The act of seeing another person, Brooks argues, is profoundly creative: How can we look somebody in the eye and see something large in them, and in turn, see something larger in ourselves? How to Know a Person is for anyone searching for connection, and yearning to be understood.]]> 304 David Brooks 059323006X var 0 to-read 4.09 2023 How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen
author: David Brooks
name: var
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships]]> 35210 "You'll not only break the ice, you'll melt it away with your new skills." -- Larry King

"The lost art of verbal communication may be revitalized by Leil Lowndes." -- Harvey McKay, author of "How to Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive"

What is that magic quality makes some people instantly loved and respected? Everyone wants to be their friend (or, if single, their lover!) In business, they rise swiftly to the top of the corporate ladder. What is their "Midas touch?"

What it boils down to is a more skillful way of dealing with people.

The author has spent her career teaching people how to communicate for success. In her book How to Talk to Anyone (Contemporary Books, October 2003) Lowndes offers 92 easy and effective sure-fire success techniques-- she takes the reader from first meeting all the way up to sophisticated techniques used by the big winners in life. In this information-packed book you'll find:


9 ways to make a dynamite first impression 14 ways to master small talk, "big talk," and body language 14 ways to walk and talk like a VIP or celebrity 6 ways to sound like an insider in any crowd 7 ways to establish deep subliminal rapport with anyone 9 ways to feed someone's ego (and know when NOT to!) 11 ways to make your phone a powerful communications tool 15 ways to work a party like a politician works a room 7 ways to talk with tigers and not get eaten alive
In her trademark entertaining and straight-shooting style, Leil gives the techniques catchy names so you'll remember them when you really need them, including: "Rubberneck the Room," "Be a Copyclass," "Come Hither Hands," "Bare Their Hot Button," "The Great Scorecard in the Sky," and "Play the Tombstone Game," for big success in your social life, romance, and business.

How to Talk to Anyone, which is an update of her popular book, Talking the Winner's Way (see the 5-star reviews of the latter) is based on solid research about techniques that work!

By the way, don't confuse How to Talk to Anyone with one of Leil's previous books, How to Talk to Anybody About Anything. This one is completely different!]]> 345 Leil Lowndes 007141858X var 0 to-read 3.68 1998 How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships
author: Leil Lowndes
name: var
average rating: 3.68
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Give Me Butterflies (Oaks Sisters, #1)]]> 183904913
. . . Not that she’s spent much time noticing any of those things.

Finn Ashford doesn’t mean to glare at everyone, but he’s juggling his job at the museum, navigating the grief of losing his sister, attempting to make his nieces smile, and not ruin dinner for the fifth night in a row.

When Millie stumbles through the door of her interview, her eyes scan the committee and land on the one man that could derail her promotion, but it just so happens he’s also the one man that could make all her dreams come true.

Give Me Butterflies is a slow burn, single guardian romance. This steamy story features a handsome grump who seems to only smile for his nieces, an anxious curator finding the confidence to believe in herself, and a cast of endearing, meddling side characters. It’s full of swoony moments, nerdy banter, and enough fiery tension to light the museum ablaze.]]> 340 Jillian Meadows var 4 4.00 2023 Give Me Butterflies (Oaks Sisters, #1)
author: Jillian Meadows
name: var
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/21
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[My Vampire Plus-One (My Vampires, #2)]]> 204640539
Amelia Collins is by definition successful. She would even go so far as to say successfully single. But not according to her family, and she’s tired of the constant questions about her nonexistent dating life. When an invitation to yet another family wedding arrives, she decides to get everyone off her back once and for all by finding someone–anyone–to pose as her date.

After a chance encounter with Reginald Cleaves, Amelia decides he’s perfect for her purposes. He’s a bit strange, but that’s fine; it’ll discourage tough questions from her family. (And it certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s very handsome.) For centuries-old vampire Reggie, posing as her plus-one sounds like the ultimate fun. And if it helps his ruse of pretending to be human, so much the better.

As Amelia and Reggie practice their fauxmance, it becomes clear that Reggie is as loyal to her as the day is long, and that Amelia’s first impressions could not have been more wrong. Suddenly, being in a real relationship with Reggie sounds pretty fang-tastic.]]> 372 Jenna Levine 0593548930 var 2 3.73 2024 My Vampire Plus-One (My Vampires, #2)
author: Jenna Levine
name: var
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/09/20
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Love Unwritten (Lakefront Billionaires, #2)]]> 201145400 Rafael
Ellie Sinclair is a hopeless romantic who writes love songs.
I’m a struggling workaholic who could inspire a hundred breakup albums.
On paper, we have nothing in common except for my son.
For eight months, I avoid her until our summer trip.
Fourteen days. Two islands. And one nanny I shouldn’t be attracted to.
Spending time with Ellie is expected, but enjoying her company?
That isn’t part of our travel plans.
After my divorce, I swore to protect my heart at all costs.
Even if it means breaking hers in the process.
Ellie
What’s worse than working for a grumpy single dad?
Admitting that I once had a secret crush on him in high school.
Thankfully, Rafael Lopez and I have changed since we graduated from Wisteria High.
He is a billionaire with a company to run and a child to take care of.
I’m an unemployed songwriter he hired to watch his son and teach music.
We coexist without any issues until a vacation changes everything.
Lines blur and old feelings for Rafael return with vengeance as I face a new dilemma.
Being his son’s nanny is one thing, but wishing for more?
Sounds like a heartbreak song waiting to be written.]]> 551 Lauren Asher var 2 4.08 2024 Love Unwritten (Lakefront Billionaires, #2)
author: Lauren Asher
name: var
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/09/17
date added: 2024/09/17
shelves:
review:

]]> Close Knit (The Hastings #1) 216475163

CAMERON HASTINGS
I was running from the paparazzi when I crashed into a mystery girl with bright eyes and lavender hair.
All it took was a smile from her, and I was a goner.
We agreed to one night. No strings. No real names.
So imagine my surprise when I discover she’s moving across the hall from me—in another country.
But I don’t have time for distractions, especially after last season.
It doesn’t matter that I’m the best of the best, the only American keeper in the Premier League. I need to prove myself to my new team. I need to give them everything so we have a shot at winning the championship.
But I have a problem.
It was supposed to be one night. But I want more...


DAPHNE QUINN
I blame it on my Yes Year: finally stepping out of my comfort zone, moving to London, and . . . Him.
The man I spent that magical evening with. But this version of him, the guy who wears all black and a matching scowl, is nothing like the man I remember.
I do my best to avoid him, instead focusing on creating a real-world safe space for my online knitting community and collecting as many experiences as I can during my stint abroad.
But one neighborly run-in leads to another, and suddenly, I’m catching glimpses of him again.
For the first time in my life, I feel confident enough to play by my own rules. To live my life on my own terms, bullies be damned.
But how do I play to win when I’m facing down a man who protects his heart at all costs?


Close Knit is the first book in The Hastings series, a collection of interconnected standalone sports romances about the Hastings siblings, scions of sports royalty.]]> 432 Kels Stone var 0 to-read 3.89 2024 Close Knit (The Hastings #1)
author: Kels Stone
name: var
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Blue Sisters 195430687 Three estranged siblings return to their family home in New York after their beloved sister's death in this unforgettable story of grief, identity, and the complexities of family.

The three Blue sisters are exceptional—and exceptionally different. Avery, the eldest and a recovering heroin addict turned strait-laced lawyer, lives with her wife in London; Bonnie, a former boxer, works as a bouncer in Los Angeles following a devastating defeat; and Lucky, the youngest, models in Paris while trying to outrun her hard-partying ways. They also had a fourth sister, Nicky, whose unexpected death left Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky reeling. A year later, as they each navigate grief, addiction, and ambition, they find they must return to New York to stop the sale of the apartment they were raised in.

But coming home is never as easy as it seems. As the sisters reckon with the disappointments of their childhood and the loss of the only person who held them together, they realize the greatest secrets they've been keeping might not have been from each other, but from themselves.]]> 342 Coco Mellors 0593723767 var 0 to-read 3.93 2024 Blue Sisters
author: Coco Mellors
name: var
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Boyfriend Goal (Love and Hockey, #1)]]> 215508008 A forbidden romance with my brother’s hockey-playing teammate wasn’t on my to-do list when I moved across the country.

Neither was getting locked out of a friend’s place wearing next to nothing.
Or spending the night with the sexy stranger who rescues me.
But I’m trying to get out of my comfort zone so getting out of the rest of my clothes with him seems like a good way to start.
In the morning, I learn the filthy-mouthed man with the talented hands is not only the hotshot new hockey player on my brother’s team: he’s also � wait for it � my brand new roommate.
I’m a good student turned good librarian. A rule-follower. I’m not the kind of girl who does complicated flings. So we agree to another rule: friends-only.
It’s not easy though. Wes is bossy, flirty and generous.
He gives me rides to work.
Pitches in at my library’s fundraiser.
Takes care of me when I get hurt.
And looks at me like I’m the only one.
Soon, I’m falling hard for my brother’s teammate.
Especially when Wes comes to my door and tells me exactly how he’d like to break our rules.
Every single one.]]> 496 Lauren Blakely 1964048079 var 0 to-read 3.85 2024 The Boyfriend Goal (Love and Hockey, #1)
author: Lauren Blakely
name: var
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Passenger Princess (Evergreen Park, #1)]]> 216657877
Who knew applying to be the next Miss Americana while you’re drunk on tequila would actually
get anywhere? But that’s exactly what happened to Ava when she wanted an excuse to promote her best friends� new businesses. She never even expected to get past the first round of auditions, much less win the beauty pageant, and now here she is, wearing a silk sash and a crown on her head, trying to picture what the next three months is going to look like. As the newly crowned Miss Americana, she’s off on a three-month press tour, visiting all 50 states as part of her contract.

For a girl who loves adventure, it’s a dream come true, except for two hiccups. The first one being the morality clause and long list of rules the organization is forcing her to live by while wearing the crown. And second, and probably the worst one, is the delicious sexy, yet grumpy driver-slash-bodyguard assigned to keep her in line.

Jaime normally spends his days as head of security for the world-famous rock band Atlas Oaks, but when they take a break from touring, he’s excited for a change of pace. Until he learns his new assignment is the gorgeous and ever-frustrating pageant princess who gets under his skin in more ways than one.

When he learns Ava has made it her mission to drive him crazy—by constantly looking for a new hit of endorphins by toeing the line as well as by flirting with him endlessly—he realizes what he thought would be a simple assignment is anything but. Now if only he can survive the next ninety days keeping his hands to himself and off the woman he can’t get out of his head.]]> 324 Morgan Elizabeth var 4 3.75 2024 Passenger Princess (Evergreen Park, #1)
author: Morgan Elizabeth
name: var
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/17
date added: 2024/08/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Doctor Scandalous (Boston's Billionaire Bachelors, #1)]]> 58614740 I've been dreading this for a year.

Okay, that's a lie. I've been dreading this reunion since we graduated high school ten years ago.

So why am I here, standing outside the door like the eternal wallflower I am?

I'd say it's because my younger sister browbeat me into it, but the truth is, I'm tired of being a nobody. Of never taking a risk with myself and my life.

And...well...maybe I'm also hoping to see him.

The tall, insanely gorgeous man walking my way now. Oliver Fritz is regarded as one Boston's sexiest doctors. I know him as the former god of our school. The one every girl wanted, and every guy wanted to be.

The one as unhappy to be here as I am.

That's when he makes the proposal I've always dreamed of. Only, this one is fake. On bended knee, he places a ring on my finger and proposes we brave this reunion together, with me as his fake fiancée. But when our wild and steamy night ends in scandal, we're forced to make a deal.

He gives me what I need, and in return I stay his fake fiancée, so he doesn't lose face with the media who love him or his sick mother. Should be easy, right? Just a few months pretending to be engaged to one of Boston's most notorious billionaire bachelors. What could go wrong?

Turns out everything.


DOCTOR SCANDALOUS is a 100k word SUPER steamy, laugh out loud, full on romance that will hit you straight in the feels! It is a standalone in a brand new series about Boston's hottest billionaire doctors and the women they fall head over heels for!]]> 336 J. Saman var 0 to-read 4.28 2021 Doctor Scandalous (Boston's Billionaire Bachelors, #1)
author: J. Saman
name: var
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Emma 6969 The newest edition is here. Another alternate cover can be found here.

Emma Woodhouse is one of Austen's most captivating and vivid characters. Beautiful, spoilt, vain and irrepressibly witty, Emma organizes the lives of the inhabitants of her sleepy little village and plays matchmaker with devastating effect.]]> 474 Jane Austen 0141439580 var 0 to-read 4.05 1815 Emma
author: Jane Austen
name: var
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1815
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Mad Honey 59912428 A soul-stirring novel about what we choose to keep from our past, and what we choose to leave behind.

Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising a beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in, and taking over her father's beekeeping business.

Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.

And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can she trust him completely . . .

Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in him, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.

Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.]]> 464 Jodi Picoult 1984818384 var 0 to-read 4.05 2022 Mad Honey
author: Jodi Picoult
name: var
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5)]]> 76713323 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don't.

With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

In this breathtaking fifth installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, Aelin will have to choose what—and who—to sacrifice if she's to keep the world of Erilea from breaking apart.]]> 693 Sarah J. Maas 1639731024 var 5 4.65 2016 Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: var
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/10
date added: 2024/08/10
shelves:
review:

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

Dante Russo thrives on control, both personally and professionally.

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

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

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

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

***

Elegant. Ambitious. Well-mannered.

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

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

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

Craving his touch was never part of the plan.

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

King of Wrath is a steamy arranged-marriage billionaire romance. It includes explicit content and profanity. Recommended for mature listeners only.]]> 398 Ana Huang var 2 4.05 2022 King of Wrath (Kings of Sin, #1)
author: Ana Huang
name: var
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2024/08/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4)]]> 76707900 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past�

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.]]> 648 Sarah J. Maas 1639731008 var 5 4.64 2015 Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: var
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/07
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:

]]> Watching Women & Girls 60822162
A wedding day brings back memories of sisterhood and betrayals; a motorway service station is the site of explosive violence, but also strange bonds; a trip home forces a reminder of a life-changing, lost friendship; a woman confronts her own infidelity; an artist celebrates a life spent in observation.

This debut collection movingly explores how women and girls are looked at, look at one another, and look at themselves, and how living as an object can shape their passions, fears, and joys. With a clear eye and dark humour, Danielle Pender considers sex, parenting, grief and class as lenses for the ways in which the world watches women � and how women are always watching back.]]> 272 Danielle Pender 0008472467 var 0 to-read 3.65 2022 Watching Women & Girls
author: Danielle Pender
name: var
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, #2)]]> 17167166 "A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.

It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.]]> 420 Sarah J. Maas 1619630621 var 4 4.35 2013 Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, #2)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: var
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/01
date added: 2024/08/01
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)]]> 7896527 Meet Celaena Sardothien.

Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, Celaena, an assassin, is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king’s champion.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass—and it’s there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.]]> 406 Sarah J. Maas var 5 4.19 2012 Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: var
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/29
date added: 2024/07/29
shelves:
review:

]]> The Rivals 53421505 A sexy, enemies-to-lovers standalone from #1 New York Times Bestseller, Vi Keeland.

The feud between Weston Lockwood and me started at the altar.

Only neither of us attended the wedding, and the nuptials happened decades before either of us was born.

Our grandfathers had been best friends and business partners, at least up until my grandfather’s wedding day—when his bride-to-be blurted out she couldn’t marry him because she was also in love with Weston‘s grandfather.

The two men spent years fighting over Grace Copeland, who also happened to be their third business partner.� But in the end, neither man could steal half of her heart away from the other.

Eventually, they all went their separate ways. Our grandfathers married other women, and the two men became one of the biggest business rivals in history.

Our fathers continued the family tradition of feuding. And then Weston and I did, too.

For the most part, we kept as much distance as possible.

Until the day the woman who started the feud died—and unexpectedly left one of the most valuable hotels in the world to our grandfathers to share.

Now I’m stuck in a hotel with the man I was born to hate, trying to unravel the mess our families inherited.

As usual, it didn’t take long for us to be at each other’s throats.

Weston Lockwood was everything I hated: tall, smart, cocky, and too gorgeous for his own good.� We were fire and ice.�

But that shouldn’t be an issue. Our families were used to being at war. There was just one minor problem, though. Every time Weston and I fought, we somehow wound up in bed.]]> 353 Vi Keeland var 0 to-read 3.92 The Rivals
author: Vi Keeland
name: var
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Business Casual (Lovelight, #4)]]> 199252912 Two opposites decide to test their chemistry with one steamy night together. But will once be enough?

Nova Porter isn’t looking for love, and she certainly has no explanation for her attraction to buttoned-up, three-piece-suit-wearing investment banker Charlie Milford. Maybe it’s his charm? Or maybe it’s his determination to help her fledgling business however he can. Either way, she’s distracted every time he’s around. With her new tattoo studio set to open in her hometown of Inglewild, she doesn’t have time for frivolous flirtations.

In an effort to get Charlie out of her system once and for all, Nova offers a proposition. One night. No strings. They’ll kick their uncomfortable attraction to the curb and return to their respective responsibilities.But their explosive night together scatters their expectations like fallen leaves. And with Charlie in town as the temporary head of Lovelight Farms, Nova can’t quite avoid him.

And Charlie? Well, Charlie knows a good investment when he sees one. He’s hoping he can convince Nova he’s worth some of her time.]]> 384 B.K. Borison 0593641175 var 5 4.09 2024 Business Casual (Lovelight, #4)
author: B.K. Borison
name: var
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/19
date added: 2024/07/19
shelves: best-book-bfs, cinnamon-roll-mmc, favorites
review:

]]> Our Wives Under the Sea 58659343
Moving through something that only resembles normal life, Miri comes to realize that the life that they had before might be gone. Though Leah is still there, Miri can feel the woman she loves slipping from her grasp.

Our Wives Under The Sea is the debut novel from Julia Armfield, the critically acclaimed author of Salt Slow. It’s a story of falling in love, loss, grief, and what life there is in the deep deep sea.]]> 240 Julia Armfield 152901722X var 0 to-read 3.75 2022 Our Wives Under the Sea
author: Julia Armfield
name: var
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.5)]]> 31076583 229 Sarah J. Maas 168119631X var 3 3.77 2019 A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.5)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: var
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/07/02
shelves:
review:

]]> Piranesi 50202953
There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.]]> 272 Susanna Clarke 163557563X var 0 to-read 4.22 2020 Piranesi
author: Susanna Clarke
name: var
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Swift and Saddled (Rebel Blue Ranch, #2)]]> 195532965
The last thing Ada Hart needs is a man to take care of her. Not anymore. After failing out of her interior design program and the disaster that was her short-lived marriage, Ada clawed her way up from her rock bottom. Now, the only person she trusts is herself, and that has gotten her further than ever before. She has her own business, and one of the largest ranches in Wyoming just hired her for the most important project of her career.

When Ada arrives in Meadowlark, she finds herself in a dive bar where she can’t seem to shake the eyes of a handsome cowboy. When she leads him to the back of the bar, he leaves her with a kiss that most people can only fantasize about. She almost regrets that she’ll never see him again... except it turns out he’s her new boss.

Weston Ryder is a happy guy. Even happier now that the mystery woman from the bar is the interior designer for his dream project on his family’s ranch. He feels like he hit the jackpot. It’s too bad she wants absolutely nothing to do with him outside of work. Ada is convinced the pull she feels toward Wes will go away, but Wes can’t stop thinking about her. Even though walls are coming down around Rebel Blue, Ada’s walls are firmly in place.

Can they make it through this project without giving in? Or will they both put their dreams on the line for a chance at love?]]> 320 Lyla Sage 059373243X var 3 3.90 2024 Swift and Saddled (Rebel Blue Ranch, #2)
author: Lyla Sage
name: var
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/15
date added: 2024/06/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fragile Sanctuary (Sparrow Falls, #1)]]> 209773181
He’s everything I’m not: grumpy, rude, and more than a little attached to his solitude. It doesn’t matter how many times I try to kill him with kindness; the man simply won’t crack.

Until he sees me shatter.

Because when my world comes crashing down around me, Anson is the one catching me as I fall. And as so-called accidents start plaguing every part of my life, it’s Anson who steps in to keep me safe.

As he does, I can’t help but feel a flicker of heat. And it only takes a single moment for that spark to ignite into flames, engulfing us both.

But Anson’s a man with secrets, and they have a price. When they’re revealed, neither of us will make it out unscathed…]]> 366 Catherine Cowles 1951936574 var 0 to-read 4.10 2024 Fragile Sanctuary (Sparrow Falls, #1)
author: Catherine Cowles
name: var
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[An Offer From a Gentleman (Bridgertons, #3)]]> 9408584
Sophie Beckett never dreamed she'd be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton's famed masquerade ball—or that "Prince Charming" would be waiting there for her! Though the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.

Who was that extraordinary woman? Ever since that magical night, a radiant vision in silver has blinded Benedict to the attractions of any other—except, perhaps this alluring and oddly familiar beauty dressed in housemaid's garb whom he feels compelled to rescue from a most disagreeable situation. He has sworn to find and wed his mystery miss, but this breathtaking maid makes him weak with wanting her. Yet, if he offers his heart, will Benedict sacrifice his only chance for a fairy tale love?

Alternate cover for ISBN 0380815583 / 9780380815586]]> 390 Julia Quinn var 2 3.89 2001 An Offer From a Gentleman (Bridgertons, #3)
author: Julia Quinn
name: var
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2001
rating: 2
read at: 2024/05/29
date added: 2024/05/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bridesmaid for Hire (Bridesmaid for Hire, #1)]]> 194022372 Sometimes the wedding of the century calls for desperate measures.
And sometimes those desperate measures are to pretend the person you hate most is actually your boyfriend.


After years of working her tail off at her event-planning business, Maggie Mitchell is ready for a vacation. With nothing on her mind but R & R, she’s enjoying the warm weather of Bora Bora when in saunters Brody McFadden, her brother’s best friend and also her sworn enemy. Thanks to years of tension between the two—kicked off by a make-out session at her brother’s wedding that ended horribly—Maggie has sworn to stay away from the man. That is, until she finds out he’s in Bora Bora for his boss’s daughter’s wedding, hoping to use the trip to win a real future at the company.


Maggie promised herself she wouldn’t even think of work on the island, but as word spreads about the “wedding of the century� taking place in the midst of her vacation, she realizes offering her services as a bridesmaid and planner could bring her business to the next level. The only catch? She needs to pose as Brody’s girlfriend to get the job…while letting him stay in her peaceful bungalow.


Tensions rise, irritation flairs, and despite years� worth of bickering behind closed doors, Maggie can’t quite squash the sparks building between her and her new fake boyfriend, especially when she learns the real reason their first kiss was cut short. But as the wedding day draws closer and everything starts to go wrong, it just might be Brody who sends Maggie’s business crashing down—and her heart along with it.

]]> 448 Meghan Quinn 1728294363 var 0 to-read 3.72 2024 Bridesmaid for Hire (Bridesmaid for Hire, #1)
author: Meghan Quinn
name: var
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> I Who Have Never Known Men 11996 "As far back as I can recall, I have been in the bunker."

A young woman is kept in a cage underground with thirty-nine other females, guarded by armed men who never speak; her crimes unremembered... if indeed there were crimes.

The youngest of forty—a child with no name and no past—she survives for some purpose long forgotten in a world ravaged and wasted. In this reality where intimacy is forbidden—in the unrelenting sameness of the artificial days and nights—she knows nothing of books and time, of needs and feelings.

Then everything changes... and nothing changes.

A young woman who has never known men—a child who knows of no history before the bars and restraints—must now reinvent herself, piece by piece, in a place she has never been... and in the face of the most challenging and terrifying of unknowns: freedom.]]> 208 Jacqueline Harpman 0380731819 var 0 to-read 4.22 1995 I Who Have Never Known Men
author: Jacqueline Harpman
name: var
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Yours, Unexpectedly (The Bardot Siblings, #1)]]> 209744579
Bex Bardot is in the final semester of her senior year at Hawthorne University. She’s so close to graduation, she can taste it. The only hitch in her plans? A missing fine arts credit in the form of Introduction to Acting, TA’d by none other than Anders Olsson � her brother’s best friend and roommate, and her not-so-secret teenage crush.

Anders Olsson has finally put some of the pieces of his life back together after a failed attempt at a Broadway career delivered him to rock bottom. He’s going to therapy, he’s found a way to use his ADHD to his advantage, and he’s embraced a life of sobriety. The only thing with the potential to derail his perfectly rebuilt life? A run-in with Bex Bardot � his best friend’s little sister and someone he’s intentionally avoided since coming back to Hawthorne.

Now that Bex and Anders are forced to spend more time together, buried feelings are returning to the surface. Can Anders convince Bex that he’s a changed man? Can Bex learn to accept the love she deserves? They’ll have to trust each other if they ever want their relationship to take center stage.]]> 322 Rachel Lewis var 0 to-read 3.99 Yours, Unexpectedly (The Bardot Siblings, #1)
author: Rachel Lewis
name: var
average rating: 3.99
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes, #1)]]> 61242426
The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success � not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.]]> 296 Travis Baldree var 0 to-read 4.04 2022 Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes, #1)
author: Travis Baldree
name: var
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Our Scorching Summer (Perks & Benefits #2)]]> 63251553 Nico Navarro and I are friends.

His signature grin and playfulness are charming, except when you’re on the receiving end of his self-absorbed personality. For years, I’ve dealt with Nico’s incessant flirting by keeping my occasional fantasies about him strictly between me, my keyboard, and my vibrator.

We’re both players and not interested in settling down. He’s never been in love, and I refuse to commit to someone again. Besides, Nico is my best friend’s brother-in-law, so he’s strictly off-limits.

Just. Friends.

But when I suddenly lose my job, fail a class, and a man faints inside me—yes, inside me—all rationality falls by the wayside.

One out-of-character decision later, I find myself on an international adventure with the irresponsible playboy. Our spontaneous vacation is filled with interrogations, a steamy arrangement, and the uncovering of my decade-old secret. The rules I have to protect my heart quickly crumble between Nico’s relentless obsession with me and our lavish travel destinations.

Can I let myself love again or will our summer fling end up in flames?]]> 448 Kels Stone var 0 to-read 3.80 Our Scorching Summer (Perks & Benefits #2)
author: Kels Stone
name: var
average rating: 3.80
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Falling for Meadow (Perks & Benefits #4)]]> 201146751
We were two kids with dreams that were too big for our town in the Scottish Highlands. We planned on forever, but when the day arrived, she left me waiting at the airport with just a text message telling me that she wasn't coming.

So I picked up the pieces and built a new life—a better life—all on my own. I spent years chasing and achieving every measure of success I'd set for myself. And if the memory of my first love was never far from my mind, so what? I wasn't going back to Scotland, to her, or to anything that reminded me of where I came from. Even the tragedy of losing my best friend—Meadow’s older brother—didn't pull me back.

Now, two decades later, this prodigal son has returned to Thistlehill, determined to make up for lost time by saving the distillery that's been in my family for generations while my parents go on their long-awaited retirement honeymoon.

It was meant to be an easy three months.

Yet, there she is. Meadow. My Doe. Right next door. Except this time, she’s a single mother, and she’s opening a restaurant like she always wanted.

Meadow can still see straight through me, down to everything I’ve tried to run away from. And while she's not the same woman I remember, she’s more irresistible than ever, and I can’t keep my old feelings at bay. Which is the most terrifying thing of all. Because no matter how many years or how many miles we’ve put between us, I'm starting to realize that I might have found my heart where I left right here in the Highlands.

Falling for Meadow is book four of the Perks & Benefits series but can be read as a standalone.]]> Kels Stone var 0 to-read 4.03 Falling for Meadow (Perks & Benefits #4)
author: Kels Stone
name: var
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Small Things Like These 58662236
Already an international bestseller, Small Things Like These is a deeply affecting story of hope, quiet heroism, and empathy from one of our most critically lauded and iconic writers.]]> 128 Claire Keegan 0802158749 var 0 to-read 4.13 2021 Small Things Like These
author: Claire Keegan
name: var
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Cleopatra & Julius 59574051
Consecrated at birth as a royal goddess, Cleopatra learns early on from her father's experience that to rule means to fight. Politically astute, her deep love for Egypt means she'll do everything in her power to retain its autonomy from the all-devouring Romans.

A great emperor.

Julius Caesar is a legendary warrior whose might helped secure the Egyptian throne for Cleopatra's father. Years later, when he encounters the now Queen of Egypt, it is more than a meeting of rulers - it is a meeting of souls.

Together they could have ruled the world.

In Julius, Cleopatra finds the first person who challenges and respects her fiercely brilliant mind, who understands her duty and shares her passionate nature. Their union, forged in conflict, seems unbreakable, but are the bonds binding them to their countries even stronger?

Yet in choice between love and duty, only one can win.]]> 400 Joanna Courtney 0349432953 var 0 to-read 3.70 2023 Cleopatra & Julius
author: Joanna Courtney
name: var
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Seeing Red (Wells Ranch, #2) 205834472 In this spicy romance from the author of Alive and Wells and Change of Hart, asmall-town sweetheart finds herself unexpectedly pregnant after a one-night stand binds her to a local cowboy who has had a crush on her for years.


She lives by the rules. He lives to break them.



Cassidy Bowman has strict rules to uphold her good-girl reputation: she doesn’t date the Wells Ranch locals, and she definitely doesn’t sleep with men she isn’t dating. But after a run-in with her ex-boyfriend—and a few too many drinks—she’s ready to buck those rules and allow herself one night of recklessness.

On the other hand, local cowboy Chase “Red� Thompson has never met a rule he didn’t love breaking. With a long-time crush on Cassidy, he’s more than willing to accept her offer of a one-night stand and her one condition: he must agree to never speak of it again.

That is until two pink lines render Cassidy’s entire rule book null and void. Cassidy isn’t looking for a relationship with the rough-and-tumble cowboy, and Red doesn’t need anyone to tell him he’s not good enough for the sweetheart of Wells Canyon.

So the two make another agreement—they’ll be friends and co-parents, nothing more. But as their carefully constructed boundaries begin to blur, Cassidy might just realize that perhaps some rules are worth breaking.]]> 346 Bailey Hannah var 0 to-read 4.10 2024 Seeing Red (Wells Ranch, #2)
author: Bailey Hannah
name: var
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Heartburn 225343
Seven months into her pregnancy, Rachel Samstat discovers that her husband, Mark, is in love with another woman. The fact that the other woman has "a neck as long as an arm and a nose as long as a thumb and you should see her legs" is no consolation. Food sometimes is, though, since Rachel writes cookbooks for a living. And in between trying to win Mark back and loudly wishing him dead, Ephron's irrepressible heroine offers some of her favorite recipes. "Heartburn" is a sinfully delicious novel, as soul-satisfying as mashed potatoes and as airy as a perfect soufflé.]]> 179 Nora Ephron var 0 to-read 3.59 1983 Heartburn
author: Nora Ephron
name: var
average rating: 3.59
book published: 1983
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Viciously Yours (Fae Kings of Eden, #1)]]> 205404157
When Rennick was thirteen, the gods bestowed upon him the name of his fated mate--a human girl. As the sole heir to the Mountain Kingdom, magic bound him to his kingdom until he ascended the throne on his twenty-fifth birthday, and as a human, she couldn't cross the magical barrier separating the humans from the fae. Heartsore and consumed with thoughts of her, he did the only thing he could and sent her anonymous letters and gifts�

Until he crossed the barrier into her kingdom to claim her as his own.


Six months after Amelia's thirteenth birthday, she received a strange letter from a fae boy claiming her as his mate. Humans weren't taught much about the fae, and one look at the horrifying doll meant to be her belated birthday gift solidified her suspicions that someone was playing a cruel joke. Except the letters and odd gifts kept coming. Against her better judgment, Amelia fell in love with her mysterious admirer throughout the years, certain they would never meet. But on her twenty-fifth birthday, her walk to work was interrupted by two familiar words she'd read a million times.

"Hello, love."

Viciously Yours is a new adult fantasy romance long novella/short novel of about 60k words/250 pages. It is fast-paced and focuses solely on the relationship between the two main characters. There is no overarching background plot. Example: Rebels attack the kingdoms, but there is no story as to why because it just is.

The couple does have minor obstacles, but there is no miscommunication trope, no third act breakup, and no cheating.

PLEASE NOTE: The male main character does a few morally black things to those he deems a threat to his relationship. There are no shades of grey.

CONTENT WARNINGS:
Orphaned heroine, gore, unethical kills and decisions by main characters, death of a parent, mature language, explicit sexual situations, graphic violence and death]]> 258 Jamie Applegate Hunter var 0 to-read 3.59 2024 Viciously Yours (Fae Kings of Eden, #1)
author: Jamie Applegate Hunter
name: var
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Happy All the Time 164408 Happy All the Time follows four sane, intelligent, and good-intentioned people who manage to find love in spite of themselves.]]> 224 Laurie Colwin 0060955325 var 0 to-read 3.86 1978 Happy All the Time
author: Laurie Colwin
name: var
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1978
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[King of Sloth (Kings of Sin, #4)]]> 75491526 He'd never wanted anyone enough to chase them...until he met her.

Charming, easygoing, and rich beyond belief, Xavier Castillo has the world at his fingertips.

He also has no interest in taking over his family’s empire (much to his father’s chagrin), but that hasn’t stopped women from throwing themselves at him…unless the woman in question is his publicist.

Nothing brings him more joy than riling her up, but when a tragedy forces them closer than ever, he must grapple with the uncertainty of his future—and the realization that the only person immune to his charms is the only one he truly wants.

***
Cool, intelligent, and ambitious, Sloane Kensington is a high-powered publicist who’s used to dealing with difficult clients.

However, none infuriate—or tempt—her more than a certain billionaire heir, with his stupid dimples and laid-back attitude.

She may be forced to work with him, but she’ll never fall for him…no matter how fast he makes her heart beat or how thoughtful he is beneath his party persona.

He’s her client, and that’s all he’ll ever be. Right?]]> 466 Ana Huang var 3 4.00 2024 King of Sloth (Kings of Sin, #4)
author: Ana Huang
name: var
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/30
date added: 2024/04/30
shelves:
review:

]]> Circe 35959740
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or with the mortals she has come to love.]]> 393 Madeline Miller 0316556343 var 0 4.22 2018 Circe
author: Madeline Miller
name: var
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/26
shelves:
review:

]]> Bunny (Bunny, #1) 42815544
But everything changes when Samantha receives an invitation to the Bunnies' fabled "Smut Salon," and finds herself inexplicably drawn to their front door--ditching her only friend, Ava, in the process. As Samantha plunges deeper and deeper into the Bunnies' sinister yet saccharine world, beginning to take part in the ritualistic off-campus "Workshop" where they conjure their monstrous creations, the edges of reality begin to blur. Soon, her friendships with Ava and the Bunnies will be brought into deadly collision.

The spellbinding new novel from one of our most fearless chroniclers of the female experience, Bunny is a down-the-rabbit-hole tale of loneliness and belonging, friendship and desire, and the fantastic and terrible power of the imagination.]]> 307 Mona Awad 0525559736 var 0 to-read 3.53 2019 Bunny (Bunny, #1)
author: Mona Awad
name: var
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Sorrow and Bliss 49110165
Martha told Patrick before they got married that she didn't want to have children. He said he didn't mind either way because he has loved her since he was fourteen and making her happy is all that matters, although he does not seem able to do it.

By the time Martha finds out what is wrong, it doesn't really matter anymore. It is too late to get the only thing she has ever wanted. Or maybe it will turn out that you can stop loving someone and start again from nothing - if you can find something else to want.]]> 352 Meg Mason var 0 to-read 4.08 2020 Sorrow and Bliss
author: Meg Mason
name: var
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City, #3)]]> 52857700
Bryce Quinlan never expected to see a world other than Midgard, but now that she has, all she wants is to get back. Everything she loves is in Midgard: her family, her friends, her mate. Stranded in a strange new world, she's going to need all her wits about her to get home again. And that's no easy feat when she has no idea who to trust.

Hunt Athalar has found himself in some deep holes in his life, but this one might be the deepest of all. After a few brief months with everything he ever wanted, he's in the Asteri's dungeons again, stripped of his freedom and without a clue as to Bryce's fate. He's desperate to help her, but until he can escape the Asteri's leash, his hands are quite literally tied.

In this sexy, breathtaking sequel to the #1 bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath, Sarah J. Maas's Crescent City series reaches new heights as Bryce and Hunt's world is brought to the brink of collapse-with its future resting on their shoulders.]]> 835 Sarah J. Maas 1681193094 var 3
I give this a 3/5

What I liked:
- The world building and how the universe in each of SJMs series tied together in this.
- Almost all characters had flaws and made some terrible decisions. Think about it, they are in a difficult situation, trusting someone is a task, of course they are bound to make bad choices. Most readers seemed to have an issue with this and called Bryce dumb. She did what she had to.
- Almost all supporting characters had a purpose since book 1, which made sense in this book.

What I didn’t like:
- The story felt rushed. For the first time it felt like SJM was truly making up stuff just to add content into the story.
- A lot of things were left incomplete. If there is another book to this series then it could make sense, but not otherwise.
- Way too many unnecessary characters.

My preferred order of books in this series:
HOEAB > HOFAS > HOSAB]]> 4.15 2024 House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City, #3)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: var
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/22
date added: 2024/04/25
shelves:
review:
I was hesitant to read this book because many seemed to have not liked it, but I’m glad I did.

I give this a 3/5

What I liked:
- The world building and how the universe in each of SJMs series tied together in this.
- Almost all characters had flaws and made some terrible decisions. Think about it, they are in a difficult situation, trusting someone is a task, of course they are bound to make bad choices. Most readers seemed to have an issue with this and called Bryce dumb. She did what she had to.
- Almost all supporting characters had a purpose since book 1, which made sense in this book.

What I didn’t like:
- The story felt rushed. For the first time it felt like SJM was truly making up stuff just to add content into the story.
- A lot of things were left incomplete. If there is another book to this series then it could make sense, but not otherwise.
- Way too many unnecessary characters.

My preferred order of books in this series:
HOEAB > HOFAS > HOSAB
]]> Kiss an Angel 73086 Wedding Day

Pretty, flighty Daisy Devreaux can either go to jail or marry the mystery man her father has chosen for her. Arranged marriages don't happen in the modern world, so how did the irrepressible Daisy find herself in this fix?

Alex Markov, as humorless as he is deadly handsome, has no intention of playing the loving bridegroom to a spoiled little feather-head with champagne tastes. He drags Daisy from her uptown life to a broken down traveling circus and sets out to tame her to his ways.

But this man without a soul has met his match in a woman who's nothing but heart. Before long, passion will send them flying sky high without a safety net... risking it all in search of a love that will last forever.]]> 384 Susan Elizabeth Phillips 0380782332 var 0 to-read 4.16 1996 Kiss an Angel
author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
name: var
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1996
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Role Playing 63843397
Otter is Aiden, a fifty-year-old optimist using the guild as an emotional outlet from his family drama caring for his aging mother while his brother plays house with Aiden’s ex-fiancée.

Bogwitch and Otter become fast virtual friends, but there’s a catch. Bogwitch thinks Otter is a college student. Otter assumes Bogwitch is an octogenarian.

When they finally meet face to face―after a rocky, shocking start―the unlikely pair of sunshine and stormy personalities grow tentatively closer. But Maggie’s previous relationships have left her bitter, and Aiden’s got a complicated past of his own.

Everything’s easier online. Can they make it work in real life?]]> 331 Cathy Yardley 1662503989 var 0 to-read 3.92 2023 Role Playing
author: Cathy Yardley
name: var
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Rule Book (The Cheat Sheet, #2)]]> 182484354 College exes break all the rules when they reunite years later in this enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance, the highly anticipated companion novel to the viral TikTok sensation The Cheat Sheet.

Nora Mackenzie’s entire career lies in the hands of famous NFL tight end Derek Pender, who happens to be her extremely hot college ex-boyfriend. Nora didn’t end things as gracefully as she could have back then, and now it has come back to haunt her. Derek is her first client as an official full-time sports agent, and he’s holding a grudge.

Derek has set his sights on a little friendly revenge. If Nora Mackenzie, the first girl to ever break his heart, wants to be his agent, oh, he’ll let her be his agent. The plan is simple: make Nora’s life absolutely miserable. But if Derek knows anything about the woman he once loved—she won’t quit easily.

Instead of giving in, Nora starts a scheme of her own. But then a wild night in Vegas leads to Nora and Derek in bed the next morning married. With their rule book out the window, could this new relationship save their careers and spark the romance of a lifetime?]]> 356 Sarah Adams 0593723678 var 4 3.88 2024 The Rule Book (The Cheat Sheet, #2)
author: Sarah Adams
name: var
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/16
date added: 2024/04/16
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City, #3)]]> 123211531
Bryce Quinlan never expected to see a world other than Midgard, but now that she has, all she wants is to get back. Everything she loves is in Midgard: her family, her friends, her mate. Stranded in a strange new world, she's going to need all her wits about her to get home again. And that's no easy feat when she has no idea who to trust.

Hunt Athalar has found himself in some deep holes in his life, but this one might be the deepest of all. After a few brief months with everything he ever wanted, he's in the Asteri's dungeons again, stripped of his freedom and without a clue as to Bryce's fate. He's desperate to help her, but until he can escape the Asteri's leash, his hands are quite literally tied.

In this sexy, breathtaking sequel to the #1 bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath, Sarah J. Maas's Crescent City series reaches new heights as Bryce and Hunt's world is brought to the brink of collapse-with its future resting on their shoulders.]]> 835 Sarah J. Maas 1635574102 var 2 to-read 4.15 2024 House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City, #3)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: var
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2024/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Secret History 29044 559 Donna Tartt 1400031702 var 0 to-read 4.17 1992 The Secret History
author: Donna Tartt
name: var
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Changeling 31147267
Thus begins Apollo’s odyssey through a world he only thought he understood, to find a wife and child who are nothing like he’d imagined. His quest, which begins when he meets a mysterious stranger who claims to have information about Emma’s whereabouts, takes him to a forgotten island, a graveyard full of secrets, a forest where immigrant legends still live, and finally back to a place he thought he had lost forever.

This captivating retelling of a classic fairy tale imaginatively explores parental obsession, spousal love, and the secrets that make strangers out of the people we love the most. It’s a thrilling and emotionally devastating journey through the gruesome legacies that threaten to devour us and the homely, messy magic that saves us, if we’re lucky.]]> 431 Victor LaValle 0812995945 var 0 to-read 3.75 2017 The Changeling
author: Victor LaValle
name: var
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Sable Peak (The Edens, #6) 161176794
Maybe some would consider her crush on Mateo Eden wasted time. Maybe some would call her a fool for loving a man who hasn’t once dropped a crumb of interest her way. Still, to Vera, it’s Mateo or nothing.

He’s handsome. Charming. Witty. And he loves his family the way Vera loves—with her whole heart.

Maybe he’ll never notice her. Maybe she’s too damaged, too broken, to find that normal life she craves. Maybe her secrets will always keep them apart. But Vera will love him anyway. Whether Mateo realizes it or not.

An unrequited love, small town romance.]]> 343 Devney Perry 1957376422 var 1 4.20 2023 Sable Peak (The Edens, #6)
author: Devney Perry
name: var
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 1
read at: 2023/12/09
date added: 2024/04/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Only and Forever (Bergman Brothers, #7)]]> 195035565 It’s a room-mance for the books in this tender, steamy story about unexpectedly finding love and being brave enough to let it revise life’s narrative in the final book in the beloved Bergman Brothers series.

Viggo Bergman, hopeless romantic, is thoroughly weary of waiting for his happily ever after. But between opening a romance bookstore, running a romance book club, coaching kids' soccer, and adopting a household of pets—just maybe, he’s overcommitted himself?—Viggo’s chaotic life has made finding his forever love seem downright improbable.

Enter Tallulah Clarke, chilly cynic with a massive case of writer’s block. Tallulah needs help with her thriller’s romantic subplot. Viggo needs another pair of hands to keep his store afloat. So they agree to swap skills and cohabitate for convenience—his romance expertise to revive her book, her organizational prowess to salvage his store. They hardly get along, and they couldn’t be more different, but who says roommate-coworkers need to be friends?

As they share a home and life, Tallulah and Viggo discover a connection that challenges everything they believe about love, and reveals the plot twist they never saw happily ever after is here already, right under their roof.]]> 368 Chloe Liese 0593642481 var 3 4.00 2024 Only and Forever (Bergman Brothers, #7)
author: Chloe Liese
name: var
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/06
date added: 2024/04/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Photo Finish (Gold Rush Ranch, #2)]]> 57722155 I’ve seen every square inch of Violet Eaton’s delectable body and she has no idea who I am.

Until now.

What happened between us online, in our chats, was meant to stay anonymous and in the past.

Until it didn’t.

It’s a small world, but Ruby Creek is even smaller. When I move to the tiny town, the grumpy facade I’ve created slips when we’re forced to live under the same roof.

Every flush of her cheeks, every time her eyes flare with heat, every time she begs me not to stop, the ice I’ve encased myself in melts. She has me wanting things I can’t want. Things I’ve been dreaming about since I first laid eyes on her two years ago—things I don’t deserve.

But my invisible wounds have the power to ruin us both. As a former soldier, I should have the discipline to walk away, but the more I open up to Violet, the more I want to keep her.

I came back from the war a different man, but my scars are older and deeper than anyone knows—and I planned to keep it that way. I planned to keep my secrets hidden.

Until her.]]> 420 Elsie Silver var 0 4.06 2021 A Photo Finish (Gold Rush Ranch, #2)
author: Elsie Silver
name: var
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2024/04/03
date added: 2024/04/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City, #2)]]> 40132775
The Asteri have kept their word so far, leaving Bryce and Hunt alone. But with the rebels chipping away at the Asteri’s power, the threat the rulers pose is growing. As Bryce, Hunt, and their friends get pulled into the rebels� plans, the choice becomes clear: stay silent while others are oppressed, or fight for what’s right. And they’ve never been very good at staying silent.

In this sexy, action-packed sequel to the #1 bestseller House of Earth and Blood, Sarah J. Maas weaves a captivating story of a world about to explode―and the people who will do anything to save it.]]> 805 Sarah J. Maas 1408884429 var 2 4.41 2022 House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City, #2)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: var
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2024/02/17
date added: 2024/04/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Oath We Give (Hollow Boys, #5)]]> 126835939
Two years.
That’s all the peace we had before our past awoke from the dead.
Rose from the grave with malicious hands, famished, and ready to bury us six feet below. The tombstones of our enemies have been overturned, and we are reminded that we can never escape the chains of the corrupt.
Seeking retribution for my lost love consumed my past, but that violence and desire for punishment now jeopardized the future of those closest to me.
We are given one choice, a singular option.
Return to Ponderosa Springs. Or reap the consequences.
But it’s more than the infamous Hollow Boys in danger this time.
It’s her.
The cursed one.
A mirage of a woman too stubborn for her own good.
Coraline Whittaker and I share a common enemy. Her fear of him and his possession over her is the only reason she agrees to work with me.
We promise to protect one another. Share the weight of his return and the misery his presences brings; Till death do us part or the man plaguing her dreams is finally sent to the grave.
What she doesn’t know is there is more than a villain weaving us together.
It’s not just the revenge I want. It’s not the satisfaction of ruining the town that tainted us.
I want her.
Once again, I’ve taken a vow to protect someone, took her vengeance and made it my own.
Still waters have always run deep.
Ponderosa Springs isn’t the only one with secrets. I’ll let the world know mine before they take her away from me. That rotting town knows what I do to people who take things that belong to me.
A mistake repeated?
Not even God himself will deliver them from my evil.]]> 429 Monty Jay var 0 to-read 4.29 2023 The Oath We Give (Hollow Boys, #5)
author: Monty Jay
name: var
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/01
shelves: to-read
review:

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