Diane's bookshelf: all en-US Sun, 27 Apr 2025 18:42:04 -0700 60 Diane's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Honourable Lucas Kincaid (Miss Fleming #3)]]> 214922693
Kincaid鈥檚 role as Felicity鈥檚 guardian hasn鈥檛 been easy, but his last duty shouldn鈥檛 be he needs to find Felicity a chaperone for the Season. He thinks 丑别鈥檚 found the perfect candidate in his own future wife, Miss Jane Harris. But unfortunately, the worthy Miss Harris does not approve of Felicity . . .

The Honourable Lucas Kincaid is a sweet Regency romantic comedy, and book 3 in the bestselling Miss Fleming series.
Heat Closed-door romance (kisses only).

Author's The Honourable Lucas Kincaid can be read as a standalone, but for the best reading experience, I recommend reading the Miss Fleming books in order.]]>
338 Emma Melbourne Diane 0 romance-historical-european 4.18 The Honourable Lucas Kincaid (Miss Fleming #3)
author: Emma Melbourne
name: Diane
average rating: 4.18
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves: romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[The Mysterious Mr. Oliver (Miss Fleming #2)]]> 198428042
Miss Isabelle Fleming is the beauty of the season, but s丑别鈥檚 ready to escape from the ton. After a whirl of balls, routs, and Venetian breakfasts, Isabelle has yet to meet a man who can see beyond her looks, and s丑别鈥檚 beginning to doubt she ever will. So when her sister Amelia invites her to Stonecroft, her country estate, Isabelle is relieved to get out of London. She plans to spend her time writing a novel and enjoying the scenery, but she doesn鈥檛 expect the scenery to include Mr. Oliver, Stonecroft鈥檚 new land agent. He鈥檚 a former soldier with a mysterious past, and he doesn鈥檛 seem to notice Isabelle鈥檚 appearance. Isabelle, however, can鈥檛 help but notice Mr. Oliver...

The Mysterious Mr. Oliver is a Regency Romantic Comedy about facing your fears, forgiving yourself, and falling in love.

While The Mysterious Mr. Oliver can be read as a standalone, I recommend starting with the first in the series, Miss Fleming Falls in Love.
Heat Level: This is a closed-door romance with no explicit content.]]>
302 Emma Melbourne Diane 0 romance-historical-european 4.34 The Mysterious Mr. Oliver (Miss Fleming #2)
author: Emma Melbourne
name: Diane
average rating: 4.34
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves: romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (Maggie the Undying, #1)]]> 220061020 Game of Thrones meets Outlander in This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me

When Maggie wakes up, cold, naked, and filthy in Kair Toren, a city in the kingdom of Rellas, she recognizes it immediately. It鈥檚 the world she knows intimately from the pages of an unfinished dark fantasy series s丑别鈥檚 been obsessively reading and re-reading while waiting years for the final novel. With no idea how or why she landed in this gritty, violent world, s丑别鈥檚 determined to survive until she can figure out how to get home with her only tools 鈥� an encyclopedic knowledge of the plot, setting, and the characters鈥� actions, motivations, and fates: information she can sell to the highest bidder 鈥� all while staying under the radar so as not to change the very information she plans to barter.

Soon Maggie discovers another surprising 鈥渟kill鈥�: she cannot be killed (though many will try.) And as she becomes more attached to the motley band s丑别鈥檚 somehow gathered 鈥� which includes a former lady鈥檚 maid, a deadly assassin, a dangerous soldier, and various outrageous magic creatures 鈥� she abandons all thoughts of lying low for her own good. Instead she finds herself trying to save them, and the Kingdom of Rellas from the cataclysmic war she knows is coming.]]>
Ilona Andrews Diane 0 to-read 5.00 2026 This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (Maggie the Undying, #1)
author: Ilona Andrews
name: Diane
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[A Mistletoe Promise (The Wishing Well #4.5)]]> 59689418 When an errant Earl and a feisty schoolteacher are snowed in together over Christmas, mistletoe promises happen鈥�

All alone in a girls鈥� school in Bath. This is not how Frances Littleworth imagined she鈥檇 celebrate Christmas. But when a handsome stranger unexpectedly collapses on the doorstep, the kind-hearted schoolteacher decides to take him in and nurse him back to health. At least it won鈥檛 feel quite so lonesome on Christmas, with this fever-garbling stranger to tend to. When the grateful but mysterious convalescent insists she hire him as a drawing master, Frances hesitates. For this man鈥檚 flirtatious charm is a dangerous threat to the careful order of her life鈥攁nd her well-guarded heart.

Mr Percy Tiverton, future Earl of Halsford, disillusioned nobleman and divinely talented artist, has never had to work in his entire life. Yet he is determined to prove that he can fend for himself without relying on his father鈥檚 fortune, using solely his artistic talents. If only he can convince this stubborn but enchanting woman that he is serious about his position鈥攁nd her. For he has never met a woman quite like her. So sweet. So stubborn. So kissable!

As the school鈥檚 substitute headmistress, Frances is determined to maintain a professional relationship with the new teacher and keeps the charming stranger at an arm鈥檚 length. She cannot afford to lose her position again over a mere flirtation. Yet what should she do when her heart races every time he glances at her?

Then there is this fateful encounter under the mistletoe鈥�.

A sweet, heart-warming Christmas Regency romance to fall in love with.

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154 Sofi Laporte Diane 0 4.28 2021 A Mistletoe Promise (The Wishing Well #4.5)
author: Sofi Laporte
name: Diane
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2025/04/02
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves:
review:

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Blood Over Bright Haven 208430658 Magic has made the city of Tiran an industrial utopia, but magic has a cost鈥攁nd the collectors have come calling.

An orphan since the age of four, Sciona has always had more to prove than her fellow students. For twenty years, she has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry. When she finally claws her way up the ranks to become a highmage, however, she finds that her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues will stop at nothing to let her know she is unwelcome, beginning with giving her a janitor instead of a qualified lab assistant.

What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was once more than a janitor; before he mopped floors for the mages, Thomil was a nomadic hunter from beyond Tiran鈥檚 magical barrier. Ten years have passed since he survived the perilous crossing that killed his family. But working for a highmage, he sees the opportunity to finally understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the Tiranish in power.

Through their fractious relationship, mage and outsider uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever鈥攊f it doesn鈥檛 get them killed first. Sciona has defined her life by the pursuit of truth, but how much is one truth worth with the fate of civilization in the balance?

A standalone dark academia brimming with mystery, tragedy, and the damning echoes of the past. For fans of Leigh Bardugo, V. E. Schwab, and Fullmetal Alchemist.

(Content warnings for gore, sexual assault, and suicidal ideation)]]>
430 M.L. Wang 0593873351 Diane 3 fantasy-adult
Well-written and fast-paced, I would have liked a more satisfying conclusion seeing as it鈥檚 not a series. ]]>
4.40 2023 Blood Over Bright Haven
author: M.L. Wang
name: Diane
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: fantasy-adult
review:
3.5 Stars

Well-written and fast-paced, I would have liked a more satisfying conclusion seeing as it鈥檚 not a series.
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Confess 22609310
For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is hiding a huge secret. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything Auburn loves most, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it鈥攂ut can she do it?]]>
306 Colleen Hoover 1476791457 Diane 4 romance-contemporary 4.14 2015 Confess
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Diane
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: romance-contemporary
review:

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<![CDATA[Miss Hilversham and the Pesky Duke (Wishing Well Seminary #1)]]> 60756663 A strict schoolmistress. A degenerate duke. One house standing between them.

Weary of his decadent life, the wicked Duke of Rochford arrives in Bath with every intent to turn over a new leaf. But when the prim, meddling, feisty headmistress of the neighbouring school unleashes her outspoken opposition to Marcus鈥檚 presence, he decides to turn his new house into a gambling den, if only to vex her.

Miss Eleonore Hilversham, headmistress of the Seminary for Young Ladies in Bath, has one aim in life: to run the most exclusive school in all of England. When she discovers that the property she needs has been snitched from right under her nose, she vows to get rid of the new owner, even if he is a powerful duke.

When tragedy strikes at the height of their conflict, both unveil facets of themselves that they have hitherto managed to hide. What heartbreak does Miss Hilversham harbor, and is the wicked duke really that wicked?

Can love prevail and triumph over clashing goals and personalities?

A sweet enemies to lovers Regency romance that is part of the Wishing Well Seminary series.]]>
268 Sofi Laporte Diane 0 4.38 Miss Hilversham and the Pesky Duke (Wishing Well Seminary #1)
author: Sofi Laporte
name: Diane
average rating: 4.38
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[Penelope and the Wicked Duke (The Wishing Well #4)]]> 58509165 A princess in disguise. A charming lord. A quest for true love.

Half-Indian, orphaned and abandoned...
...Penelope Reid is done waiting for love.

Masquerading as a boy, she ventures to London to search for the man s丑别鈥檚 loved her entire life: her elusive guardian, who鈥檚 all but forgotten she even exists. But proving her mettle in the bewildering world of men turns out to be a challenge. Lost and out of her depths, she prowls the streets of London, until she crashes headlong into a charming dandy whose sleepy grey eyes are more perceptive than she thinks.

Lord Archibald Alworth takes Pen under his wing and derives great amusement from introducing her to the glittering life of the Regency bachelor. As Pen falls from one muddle into another, he is prepared to haul her out of gaming hells and duels. Becoming increasingly irked that she will neither trust nor confide in him, he questions his self-imposed role as guide and protector. For there is something about the spirited beauty that grabs him and won鈥檛 let go.

Pen鈥檚 world crashes when she discovers the shocking truth about her guardian. When a mysterious patron steps forward to sponsor her for a season on the condition that she transforms herself back to a lady, Pen finds herself in a pickle. For s丑别鈥檚 not only lost herself and her heritage...
...she no longer knows the truth of her own heart.

Can the lady Penelope find the love that the lad Pen couldn鈥檛?

This is a sweet and clean romance. It is the story about a girl鈥檚 fierce loyalty, her quest for identity and true love鈥攖hat 颈蝉苍鈥檛 always where you think it is.

Penelope and the Wicked Duke
is a standalone and book 4 of the Wishing Well Series, which can be read in any order.

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212 Sofi Laporte Diane 0 4.32 2021 Penelope and the Wicked Duke (The Wishing Well #4)
author: Sofi Laporte
name: Diane
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[Birdie and the Beastly Duke (The Wishing Well #3)]]> 58133823 A battle-scarred duke. A substitute bride. A dangerous secret that brings them together.

The Honorable Roberta Talbot is tired of being the practical one in her family. As the impoverished daughter of a reckless baron, she has spent years supporting her mother and siblings. When a chance-meeting brings an opportunity for adventure her way, Birdie grabs hold and takes it鈥� all the way to a haunted castle in Scotland and into the domain of its beastly lord.

A tormented past鈥�
Captain Gabriel Eversleigh never expected to become the Duke of Dunross. Racked by survivor鈥檚 guilt after the Battle of Waterloo, Gabriel wishes for nothing more than to be left in alone in his tower. Bound by honor to fulfill his promise to wed a girl he has never met, Gabriel plans to be a husband in name only.

But the bold young woman who arrives as his bride is irksomely determined to upend both his life and his castle. Worst of all, she pulls on the strings of a heart he thought was long since dead.

A committed wife鈥�
Determined to turn her sham of a marriage into the real-thing, Birdie not only confronts the ghosts of Gabriel鈥檚 past but stirs up a dangerous secret hidden deep within the castle walls.
But when Gabriel discovers 丑别鈥檚 married the wrong bride, will their love be able to flourish, or will his softening heart harden once more?

This Beauty and the Beast variation is a sweet Regency romance that is part of the Wishing Well series; however, it can be read as a separate story.

Trigger Warning: Even though there are no graphic descriptions of violence in this book, topics of war, PTSD, and suicide play a role in the main characters鈥� pasts.]]>
171 Sofi Laporte Diane 0 4.22 2021 Birdie and the Beastly Duke (The Wishing Well #3)
author: Sofi Laporte
name: Diane
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[Arabella and the Reluctant Duke (The Wishing Well #2)]]> 57289484 A runaway Duke鈥檚 daughter. A dashingly handsome blacksmith. A festering secret.

Everything was a lie ....until it all unravelled.

Being a Duke鈥檚 daughter is not what it鈥檚 cut out to be. Surely, there must be more to life than embroidery, balls, and finding a husband? Running away to work as a governess, Lady Arabella does not count on being hired by a precocious 14-year-old girl who runs the family鈥�.and a dashingly handsome father.

Mr Philip Merivale, inventor, blacksmith, and widowed father of three lively children, is not amused. There is one thing he dislikes the most: the aristocracy.

Clearly, the pretty girl who answered his daughter鈥檚 advertisement must be a lady. Why did she choose his family for her social experiments? She must be taught a lesson on middle-to-lower-class life.

Adjusting to her new life is difficult, especially when Philip is bent on challenging her at every turn. As the spats between the two grow to undeniable attraction, Arabella uncovers Philip鈥檚 devastating secret that jeopardizes everything.

How can Arabella succumb to love when her real identity is what Philip despises the most?]]>
238 Sofi Laporte Diane 0 4.16 Arabella and the Reluctant Duke (The Wishing Well #2)
author: Sofi Laporte
name: Diane
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[Lucy and the Duke of Secrets (The Wishing Well #1)]]> 56037620
Penniless and seeking a new start, Lucy Bell sets out to visit her childhood friend at Ashmore Hall. When she finds herself stranded in a barn with a handsome gardener, Lucy thinks her luck may be finally turning. Henry is everything she has ever wanted: charming, caring, and kind.

Arriving at the estate, Lucy is devastated to discover her beloved gardener is actually the duke of Ashmore - a man she despises. She puts her talent for mischief to good use, cheerfully upending the Duke's life at every turn. Lucy is certain of one thing: she loves the gardener, not the duke. But as they match wits, she discovers that the duke may not be the arrogant aristocrat she thought.

When scandal strikes and her past catches up with her, Lucy faces an impossible dilemma. She must decide if love means protecting the people she cares about or risking everything to fight for her happiness...

...for the Duke of Secrets is not the only one wearing a disguise.

铀モ櫏铀�

Lucy and the Duke of Secrets is a sweet, light-hearted Regency romp full of witty banter, mischief, and heart-tugging happily ever after.

The Wishing Well Series are standalone novels, though you'll encounter cameos from earlier stories.]]>
227 Sofi Laporte Diane 0 4.21 2021 Lucy and the Duke of Secrets  (The Wishing Well #1)
author: Sofi Laporte
name: Diane
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[Lady Emily's Matchmaking Mishap (Merry Spinsters, Charming Rogues, #5)]]> 215571413 A pretty impostor. A devil of a duke. A dangerous game of deception鈥�

When a scheming spinster is determined to help her sister find a match, she gets herself hopelessly entangled in a game of deception that will undoubtedly lead to disaster鈥�.or to love. Don鈥檛 miss Emily鈥檚 story in the next instalment of the Merry Spinster, Charming Rogues series!

Escape into the world of Sofi Laporte鈥檚 Regency ton, where spinsters are merry, rakes are charming, and no one is who they seem.

The books in this clean, sweet and cheeky Regency romcom series are standalones that can be read in any order:

Lady Ludmilla's Accidental Letter
Miss Ava's Scandalous Secret
Lady Avery and the False Butler
Miss Louisa's Final Waltz]]>
360 Sofi Laporte Diane 0 4.44 Lady Emily's Matchmaking Mishap (Merry Spinsters, Charming Rogues, #5)
author: Sofi Laporte
name: Diane
average rating: 4.44
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[Miss Louisa's Final Waltz (Merry Spinsters, Charming Rogues, #4)]]> 200188118 When a proud beauty weds a humble costermonger, their worlds collide with challenges and secrets that only love can conquer.Miss Louisa Highworth is celebrated not just for her stunning beauty, but also for her unwavering pride. Suitors from near and far seek her hand, only to be dismissed with a haughty demeanour that leaves them humiliated. Yet, it is the hundred-and-first suitor who would change the course of her life forever. After a heated confrontation with her exasperated father, Louisa, in a fit of anger, declares that she will marry the first man she encounters鈥�....who happens to be a modest costermonger from the streets...This is a sweet and enchanting Regency Romance, loosely inspired by the timeless fairy tale King Thrushbeard.Escape into the world of Sofi Laporte鈥檚 Regency ton, where spinsters are merry, rakes are charming, and no one is who they seem.Other books in the Merry Spinsters, Charming Rogues Ludmilla鈥檚 Accidental LetterMiss Ava鈥檚 Scandalous SecretLady Avery and the False Butler]]> 300 Sofi Laporte Diane 0 4.13 Miss Louisa's Final Waltz (Merry Spinsters, Charming Rogues, #4)
author: Sofi Laporte
name: Diane
average rating: 4.13
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[Lady Avery and the False Butler (Merry Spinsters, Charming Rogues #3)]]> 123238138
Lady Avery has never been kissed. The staunch spinster has never had a season, visited the theatre, danced the waltz, or been in love. As Avery sets out to check off each item on her list, she relies on her butler for assistance鈥攐nly to discover that he may not be the man she always believed him to be. As she finds herself embroiled in a splendid adventure of danger and intrigue, she discovers that love is found in the most unexpected places鈥�

A lively and romantic tale of love against all odds.]]>
274 Sofi Laporte Diane 0 4.20 Lady Avery and the False Butler (Merry Spinsters, Charming Rogues #3)
author: Sofi Laporte
name: Diane
average rating: 4.20
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[Miss Ava's Scandalous Secret (Merry Spinsters, Charming Rogues #2)]]> 60756662 Anyone will do, provided she is respectable and ugly. Tristan Sydney, Earl of Ravenscroft, is determined to get his own back on his tyrannous father, even if it means he鈥檒l end up shackled to a spinster, buckteeth, and all. For no woman will measure up to the goddess he is hopelessly, feverishly in love with: Violetta Winter, the celebrated opera star. Little does he know that his shy little fianc茅e is about to lead him on a merry ride鈥nd a lesson in true love.

Miss Ava Sackville must remain invisible.
For if her secret comes to light, a colossal scandal will smirch her stuffy but respectable family name and drag down her newly titled twin brother with her. So, when a dashing rake proposes to her out of the blue, she doesn鈥檛 think twice. Little does she know that she might be in for so much more than she bargained for. Dare she drop the masquerade to embrace true love?]]>
306 Sofi Laporte Diane 0 4.11 2023 Miss Ava's Scandalous Secret (Merry Spinsters, Charming Rogues #2)
author: Sofi Laporte
name: Diane
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[Lady Ludmilla's Accidental Letter (Merry Spinsters, Charming Rogues #1)]]> 60391368
Adrian St. Addington, hellrake extraordinaire, has a problem. He is developing a marked tendre for a spinster, and that cannot be. The problem? He suspects she is taking him for someone he is not. Or is it that she knows precisely who he is? Either possibility he finds profoundly disturbing. For he has a role to uphold, cost what may. And a depraved heart like his surely cannot fall in love鈥east of all with a plain, outspoken spinster.

Determined to discover the truth behind the man she loves, Lu does what she does best: she sits down and writes a letter鈥�


Escape into the world of the Regency ton with Sofi Laporte's new series, where spinsters are merry, rakes are charming, and no one is who they seem.]]>
266 Sofi Laporte Diane 0 4.12 2022 Lady Ludmilla's Accidental Letter (Merry Spinsters, Charming Rogues #1)
author: Sofi Laporte
name: Diane
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[A River Enchanted (Elements of Cadence, #1)]]> 58132544
As Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together, they find they make better allies than rivals as their partnership turns into something more. But with each passing song, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected, and an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all.]]>
480 Rebecca Ross 0063055988 Diane 3 4.06 2022 A River Enchanted (Elements of Cadence, #1)
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Diane
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: fantasy-adult, kindle-unlimited
review:
This is the second book I鈥檝e tried by this author and I feel like the story ideas are good but wish the prose felt more historical/magical/elevated in some way. I really liked the characters in this with the exception of the female half of the main 鈥渃ouple鈥� who was pretty flat.
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<![CDATA[Remember When: Clarissa's Story (Ravenswood, #4)]]> 211025422 Discover the beauty of second chances at love and life in this heartfelt new novel from New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh.

The Dowager Countess of Stratton, Clarissa Ware, n茅e Greenfield, has just presented her younger daughter to the ton, and the rest of her life belongs only to herself. She returns to Ravenswood, intending to spend the summer alone there. But the summer has other plans for her.

Born a gentleman, Matthew Taylor has chosen to spend his life as the village carpenter. Growing up, he and Clarissa were close鈥攄angerously so, considering his family鈥檚 modest fortune. As a young man, he never would have been a suitable match for the daughter of the wealthy Greenfields. Clarissa married Caleb Ware, the Earl of Stratton, so Matthew married another, though he was widowed soon after.

Now everything is different鈥擟larissa has already lived the life expected of her by society. And Matthew is as attractive and intriguing as he was when they were young. As their summer friendship deepens into romance, they stand together on the precipice of change鈥攅ssentially the same man and woman they remember being back then, but with renewed passion and the potential to take their lives in an entirely new direction.]]>
368 Mary Balogh 0593638417 Diane 2 romance-historical-european 3.73 2025 Remember When: Clarissa's Story (Ravenswood, #4)
author: Mary Balogh
name: Diane
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/07
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: romance-historical-european
review:
Main characters had pretty bland personalities.
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<![CDATA[The Goblin Emperor (The Chronicles of Osreth, #1)]]> 17910048 A lush tale of deadly court intrigue and a modern classic of fantasy by Locus award winner and Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award finalist Katherine Addison

The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three half brothers in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.

Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment.

Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the na茂ve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend . . . and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne鈥搊r his life.]]>
446 Katherine Addison 076532699X Diane 4 fantasy-adult 4.04 2014 The Goblin Emperor (The Chronicles of Osreth, #1)
author: Katherine Addison
name: Diane
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/05
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: fantasy-adult
review:
On account of feeling like both the quality of the storytelling and editing has been lacking in new releases for a while, I鈥檝e started going back and trying older books that I had never got around to. It hasn鈥檛 always been better (side-eyes Holly Black). I am relieved that I actually really enjoyed this. The main character is sweet and adorable and the prose was above average. I intend to get to the other two novels set in this world at some point.
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<![CDATA[The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)]]> 26032825 Of course I want to be like them. They鈥檙e beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

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

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

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him鈥揳nd face the consequences.

As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.]]>
370 Holly Black 0316310271 Diane 1 4.01 2018 The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)
author: Holly Black
name: Diane
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2018
rating: 1
read at: 2025/01/23
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves:
review:

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East (East, #1) 161887 Rose has always been different.

Since the day she was born, it was clear she had a special fate. Her superstitious mother keeps the unusual circumstances of Rose's birth a secret, hoping to prevent her adventurous daughter from leaving home... but she can't suppress Rose's true nature forever.

So when an enormous white bear shows up one cold autumn evening and asks teenage Rose to come away with it--in exchange for health and prosperity for her ailing family--she readily agrees.

Rose travels on the bear's broad back to a distant and empty castle, where she is nightly joined by a mysterious stranger. In discovering his identity, she loses her heart-- and finds her purpose--and realizes her journey has only just begun.

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507 Edith Pattou 0152052216 Diane 4 fantasy-ya 4.14 2003 East (East, #1)
author: Edith Pattou
name: Diane
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: fantasy-ya
review:

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<![CDATA[Half a Soul (Regency Faerie Tales, #1)]]> 60717747 It's difficult to find a husband in Regency England when you're a young lady with only half a soul.

Ever since she was cursed by a faerie, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear or embarrassment - a condition which makes her prone to accidental scandal. Dora hopes to be a quiet, sensible wallflower during the London Season - but when the strange, handsome and utterly uncouth Lord Sorcier discovers her condition, she is instead drawn into dangerous and peculiar faerie affairs.

If Dora's reputation can survive both her curse and her sudden connection with the least-liked man in all of high society, then she may yet reclaim her normal place in the world. . . but the longer Dora spends with Elias Wilder, the more she begins to suspect that one may indeed fall in love, even with only half a soul.

Bridgerton meets Howl's Moving Castle in this enchanting historical fantasy, where the only thing more meddlesome than faeries is a marriage-minded mother.

Pick up HALF A SOUL, and be stolen away into Olivia Atwater's charming, magical version of Regency England!]]>
304 Olivia Atwater Diane 4 historical-fantasy 4.04 2020 Half a Soul (Regency Faerie Tales, #1)
author: Olivia Atwater
name: Diane
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/20
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: historical-fantasy
review:

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Heart's Blood 6278019
For young scribe Caitrin it is a safe haven. This place where nobody else is prepared to go seems exactly what she needs, for Caitrin is fleeing her own demons. As Caitrin comes to know Anluan and his home in more depth she realizes that it is only through her love and determination that the curse can be broken and Anluan and his people set free.]]>
405 Juliet Marillier 0230017916 Diane 4 4.07 2009 Heart's Blood
author: Juliet Marillier
name: Diane
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: fantasy-adult, 4-5-stars, historical-fantasy
review:

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Thomas the Rhymer 152427
A minstrel lives by his words, his tunes, and sometimes by his lies. But when the bold and gifted young Thomas the Rhymer awakens the desire of the powerful Queen of Elfland, he finds that words are not enough to keep him from his fate. As the Queen sweeps him far from the people he has known and loved into her realm of magic, opulence鈥攁nd captivity鈥攈e learns at last what it is to be truly human. When he returns to his home with the Queen鈥檚 parting gift, his great task will be to seek out the girl he loved and wronged, and offer her at last the tongue that cannot lie.]]>
258 Ellen Kushner 0553586971 Diane 4 3.87 1990 Thomas the Rhymer
author: Ellen Kushner
name: Diane
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1990
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: fantasy-adult, 4-5-stars, historical-fantasy
review:

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<![CDATA[Seer of Sevenwaters (Sevenwaters, #5)]]> 7839024 432 Juliet Marillier 0451463552 Diane 3 4.06 2010 Seer of Sevenwaters (Sevenwaters, #5)
author: Juliet Marillier
name: Diane
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: fantasy-adult, historical-fantasy
review:

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<![CDATA[Child of the Prophecy (Sevenwaters, #3)]]> 13925
Magic is fading... and the ways of Man are driving the Old Ones to the West, beyond the ken of humankind. The ancient groves are being destroyed, and if nothing is done, Ireland will lose its essential mystic core.

The prophecies of long ago have foretold a way to prevent this horror, and it is the Sevenwaters clan that the Spirits of Eire look to for salvation. They are a family bound into the lifeblood of the land, and their promise to preserve the magic has been the cause of great joy to them... as well as great sorrow.

It is up to Fainne, daughter of Niamh, the lost sister of Sevenwaters, to solve the riddles of power. She is the shy child of a reclusive sorcerer, and her way is hard, for her father is the son of the wicked sorceress Oonagh, who has emerged from the shadows and seeks to destroy all that Sevenwaters has striven for. Oonagh will use her granddaughter Fainne most cruelly to accomplish her ends, and stops at nothing to see her will done.

Will Fainne be strong enough to battle this evil and save those she has come to love?]]>
596 Juliet Marillier 0765345013 Diane 4 4.12 2001 Child of the Prophecy (Sevenwaters, #3)
author: Juliet Marillier
name: Diane
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: fantasy-adult, 4-5-stars, historical-fantasy
review:

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<![CDATA[Son of the Shadows (Sevenwaters, #2)]]> 13927 608 Juliet Marillier 0765343266 Diane 5 4.33 2000 Son of the Shadows (Sevenwaters, #2)
author: Juliet Marillier
name: Diane
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: fantasy-adult, 4-5-stars, historical-fantasy
review:

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<![CDATA[Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1)]]> 13928
But Sorcha's joy is shattered when her father is bewitched by his new wife, an evil enchantress who binds her brothers with a terrible spell, a spell which only Sorcha can lift鈥攂y staying silent. If she speaks before she completes the quest set to her by the Fair Folk and their queen, the Lady of the Forest, she will lose her brothers forever.

When Sorcha is kidnapped by the enemies of Sevenwaters and taken to a foreign land, she is torn between the desire to save her beloved brothers, and a love that comes only once. Sorcha despairs at ever being able to complete her task, but the magic of the Fair Folk knows no boundaries, and love is the strongest magic of them all...]]>
554 Juliet Marillier Diane 5 4.27 1999 Daughter of the Forest  (Sevenwaters, #1)
author: Juliet Marillier
name: Diane
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: fantasy-adult, 4-5-stars, historical-fantasy
review:

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<![CDATA[Den of Wolves (Blackthorn & Grim, #3)]]> 31340505 "Feather bright and feather fine
None shall harm this child of mine"

Healer Blackthorn knows all too well the rules of her bond to the fey: seek no vengeance, help any who ask, do only good. But after the most recent ordeal she and Grim have suffered, she knows she cannot let go of her quest to bring justice to the man who ruined her life.

Despite her own struggles, Blackthorn agrees to help the princess of Dalriada to care for a troubled young girl who has been brought to court, while Grim travels to the girl's home at Wolf Glen to aid her wealthy father with a strange task, repairing a broken down house deep in the woods. It doesn't take Grim long to realize that everything in Wolf Glen is not as it seems, the place is full of perilous secrets and deadly lies.

Back at Winterfalls, the evil touch of Blackthorn's sworn enemy reopens old wounds and fuels her long simmering desire for retribution. With danger on two fronts, Blackthorn and Grim are faced with a heartbreaking choice, to stand once again by each other's side or to fight their battles alone.

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433 Juliet Marillier 1925483800 Diane 5 No spoilers, just general feelings:

- the two extra POV characters in this one were far more likable than in the previous books. Throughout this series my main issue has been that the POV's outside Blackthorn or Grim were merely ones I tolerated, but in this I enjoyed Cara and Bardan.

-the steady character development of both Blackthorn and Grim that has been the best part of the series continues here until the end.

-good resolution/clarity to Blackthorns association with both Mathuin and Conmael.

-best of all, an appearance from a new generation of Swan Island warriors! While their names are not mentioned, I love seeing what a positive and enduring legacy Bran and the others have left

All in all I loved this and feel it wrapped up everything perfectly, while still leaving open the option for future stories with some of these characters. I read an interview with Marillier last winter where she said she had ideas for more books in this series if she gets the approval from her publisher. I'd love this and even think taking a generational approach like she did with Sevenwaters would work well. We'll see. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this early.]]>
4.50 2016 Den of Wolves (Blackthorn & Grim, #3)
author: Juliet Marillier
name: Diane
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2016/08/18
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: netgalley, fantasy-adult, 4-5-stars, historical-fantasy
review:
I'll do a real review closer to release date, but I think this finale is the best of the Blackthorn & Grim series for a number of reasons. No spoilers, just general feelings:

- the two extra POV characters in this one were far more likable than in the previous books. Throughout this series my main issue has been that the POV's outside Blackthorn or Grim were merely ones I tolerated, but in this I enjoyed Cara and Bardan.

-the steady character development of both Blackthorn and Grim that has been the best part of the series continues here until the end.

-good resolution/clarity to Blackthorns association with both Mathuin and Conmael.

-best of all, an appearance from a new generation of Swan Island warriors! While their names are not mentioned, I love seeing what a positive and enduring legacy Bran and the others have left

All in all I loved this and feel it wrapped up everything perfectly, while still leaving open the option for future stories with some of these characters. I read an interview with Marillier last winter where she said she had ideas for more books in this series if she gets the approval from her publisher. I'd love this and even think taking a generational approach like she did with Sevenwaters would work well. We'll see. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this early.
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<![CDATA[The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy, #1)]]> 28862387 Alternate Cover Edition can be found here.

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn鈥檛 mind鈥攕he spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse鈥檚 fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.

After Vasilisa鈥檚 mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa鈥檚 new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa鈥檚 stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed鈥攖his, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse鈥檚 most frightening tales.]]>
336 Katherine Arden Diane 3
This is hard to rate given that it was very good in some places and less so in others. The first quarter I didn't care for, I wasn't into the hungry, cold, and humorless atmosphere and have had trouble getting into things set in Russia. I feel like one of the few people that didn't like The Bronze Horseman. Here, the characters can feel pretty remote, closer to fairy tale stock characters than real people. I did end up becoming invested in the protagonist, Vasya, by the mid point. But she isn't surrounded by much in the way of good side characters. Most are unlikable or forgettable. I tend to get really into side characters, sometimes they are my favorite. I've read many books where the majority of character development and love went into the MC, but I think stories are almost always better when the others are given as much thought and love. Naomi Novik did a good job with this in Uprooted. There are a few here, but I'd have liked more. There also aren't many well written female characters beyond Vasya.

The second quarter became more interesting with the inclusion of all kinds of faery-type beings that bare close resemblance to hobgoblins, water spirits, and various other genii loci. I love these entities in stories. It was practically screaming "Brian Froud Illustrated Edition!" at me. It would make a beautiful story book.

It's at the 65%-100% passage that I really thought this was great. If the whole book had managed to be as good I'd give it 5 stars. Imagine Agnieszka from Uprooted living north of the wall with the White Walkers and you get an idea for the level of creepiness, danger, and excitement that sets in! If you don't mind what equates to a lot of world building and set up to get to that stage, and you happen to love nature spirits and witches, then I definitely think this is worth a read. Many people won't have any of the issues that I did and will give it a much higher rating, which it may deserve, but my personal feelings towards it don't stack up high enough against other similar stories I adore. That said, this is a debut novel with an ending that felt like a new beginning, if the story was to be continued I'd definitely read to see where things go.]]>
4.18 2017 The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy, #1)
author: Katherine Arden
name: Diane
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2016/11/28
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: fantasy-adult, netgalley, historical-fantasy
review:
3.5 Stars

This is hard to rate given that it was very good in some places and less so in others. The first quarter I didn't care for, I wasn't into the hungry, cold, and humorless atmosphere and have had trouble getting into things set in Russia. I feel like one of the few people that didn't like The Bronze Horseman. Here, the characters can feel pretty remote, closer to fairy tale stock characters than real people. I did end up becoming invested in the protagonist, Vasya, by the mid point. But she isn't surrounded by much in the way of good side characters. Most are unlikable or forgettable. I tend to get really into side characters, sometimes they are my favorite. I've read many books where the majority of character development and love went into the MC, but I think stories are almost always better when the others are given as much thought and love. Naomi Novik did a good job with this in Uprooted. There are a few here, but I'd have liked more. There also aren't many well written female characters beyond Vasya.

The second quarter became more interesting with the inclusion of all kinds of faery-type beings that bare close resemblance to hobgoblins, water spirits, and various other genii loci. I love these entities in stories. It was practically screaming "Brian Froud Illustrated Edition!" at me. It would make a beautiful story book.

It's at the 65%-100% passage that I really thought this was great. If the whole book had managed to be as good I'd give it 5 stars. Imagine Agnieszka from Uprooted living north of the wall with the White Walkers and you get an idea for the level of creepiness, danger, and excitement that sets in! If you don't mind what equates to a lot of world building and set up to get to that stage, and you happen to love nature spirits and witches, then I definitely think this is worth a read. Many people won't have any of the issues that I did and will give it a much higher rating, which it may deserve, but my personal feelings towards it don't stack up high enough against other similar stories I adore. That said, this is a debut novel with an ending that felt like a new beginning, if the story was to be continued I'd definitely read to see where things go.
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<![CDATA[The Girl in the Tower (The Winternight Trilogy, #2)]]> 34050917 The Bear and the Nightingale, Katherine Arden鈥檚 enchanting first novel, introduced readers to an irresistible heroine. Vasilisa has grown up at the edge of a Russian wilderness, where snowdrifts reach the eaves of her family鈥檚 wooden house and there is truth in the fairy tales told around the fire. Vasilisa鈥檚 gift for seeing what others do not won her the attention of Morozko鈥擣rost, the winter demon from the stories鈥攁nd together they saved her people from destruction. But Frost鈥檚 aid comes at a cost, and her people have condemned her as a witch.

In The Girl in the Tower, Vasilisa faces an impossible choice. Driven from her home by frightened villagers, she has only two options left: marriage or the convent. She cannot bring herself to accept either fate and instead chooses adventure, dressing herself as a boy and setting off astride her magnificent stallion Solovey.

But after she prevails in a skirmish with bandits, everything changes. The Grand Prince of Moscow anoints her a hero for her exploits, and she is reunited with her beloved sister and brother, who are now part of the Grand Prince鈥檚 inner circle. She dares not reveal to the court that she is a girl, for if her deception were discovered it would have terrible consequences for herself and her family. Before she can untangle herself from Moscow鈥檚 intrigues鈥攁nd as Frost provides counsel that may or may not be trustworthy鈥攕he will also confront an even graver threat lying in wait for all of Moscow itself.]]>
360 Katherine Arden 1101885963 Diane 4
This story was like a little snow ball rolling down hill steadily picking up speed and size as it went. In other words I found it both better paced and much more exciting than its predecessor. I don鈥檛 think it was at all easy to predict and was excited by each new turn. I鈥檇 go from liking characters to disliking them, being let down by people to feeling proud and relieved. Another major figure from Russian myth finds his way into this tale and my thoughts and feelings about his nature took similar turns. I rarely knew where I stood with anyone other than Vasya. This was dark, adventuresome, sad, scary, and I loved it.]]>
4.34 2017 The Girl in the Tower (The Winternight Trilogy, #2)
author: Katherine Arden
name: Diane
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2018/01/18
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: fantasy-adult, 4-5-stars, historical-fantasy
review:
4.5 Stars

This story was like a little snow ball rolling down hill steadily picking up speed and size as it went. In other words I found it both better paced and much more exciting than its predecessor. I don鈥檛 think it was at all easy to predict and was excited by each new turn. I鈥檇 go from liking characters to disliking them, being let down by people to feeling proud and relieved. Another major figure from Russian myth finds his way into this tale and my thoughts and feelings about his nature took similar turns. I rarely knew where I stood with anyone other than Vasya. This was dark, adventuresome, sad, scary, and I loved it.
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<![CDATA[The Winter of the Witch (The Winternight Trilogy, #3)]]> 36621586 Following their adventures in The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower, Vasya and Morozko return in this stunning conclusion to the bestselling Winternight Trilogy, battling enemies mortal and magical to save both Russias, the seen and the unseen.


Now Moscow has been struck by disaster. Its people are searching for answers鈥攁nd for someone to blame. Vasya finds herself alone, beset on all sides. The Grand Prince is in a rage, choosing allies that will lead him on a path to war and ruin. A wicked demon returns, stronger than ever and determined to spread chaos. Caught at the center of the conflict is Vasya, who finds the fate of two worlds resting on her shoulders. Her destiny uncertain, Vasya will uncover surprising truths about herself and her history as she desperately tries to save Russia, Morozko, and the magical world she treasures. But she may not be able to save them all.

Advance praise for The Winter of the Witch

鈥淜atherine Arden鈥檚 Winternight Trilogy 颈蝉苍鈥檛 just good鈥攊t鈥檚 hug-to-your-chest, straight-to-the-favorites-shelf, reread-immediately good, and each book just gets better. The Winter of the Witch plunges us back to fourteenth-century Moscow, where old gods and new vie for the soul of Russia and fate rests on a witch girl鈥檚 slender shoulders. Prepare to have your heart ripped out, loaned back to you full of snow and magic, and ripped out some more.鈥濃�Laini Taylor]]>
400 Katherine Arden 1101886005 Diane 4 4.48 2019 The Winter of the Witch (The Winternight Trilogy, #3)
author: Katherine Arden
name: Diane
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2019/01/26
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: 4-5-stars, fantasy-adult, historical-fantasy
review:
While Girl in the Tower is probably still my favorite in this series, I loved this.
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<![CDATA[Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde, #1)]]> 60657589
Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world's first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party--or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, and the Fair Folk.

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

But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones--the most elusive of all faeries--lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all--her own heart.]]>
336 Heather Fawcett 059350013X Diane 5 3.98 2023 Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde, #1)
author: Heather Fawcett
name: Diane
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/09
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: fantasy-adult, historical-fantasy
review:

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<![CDATA[The Harp of Kings (Warrior Bards #1)]]> 43289136 A young woman is both a bard--and a warrior--in this thrilling historical fantasy from the author of the Sevenwaters novels.

Eighteen-year-old Liobhan is a powerful singer and an expert whistle player. Her brother has a voice to melt the hardest heart, and a rare talent on the harp. But Liobhan's burning ambition is to join the elite warrior band on Swan Island. She and her brother train there to compete for places, and find themselves joining a mission while still candidates. Their unusual blend of skills makes them ideal for this particular job, which requires going undercover as traveling minstrels. For Swan Island trains both warriors and spies.

Their mission: to find and retrieve a precious harp, an ancient symbol of kingship, which has gone mysteriously missing. If the instrument is not played at the upcoming coronation, the candidate will not be accepted and the people could revolt. Faced with plotting courtiers and tight-lipped druids, an insightful storyteller, and a boorish Crown Prince, Liobhan soon realizes an Otherworld power may be meddling in the affairs of the kingdom. When ambition clashes with conscience, Liobhan must make a bold decision and is faced with a heartbreaking choice. . .]]>
448 Juliet Marillier 0451492781 Diane 3
I鈥檒l start with her best, the Sevenwaters trilogy. In the first book the heart of the plot is a dramatic turn of events that occurs when the main characters father re-marries a woman who turns out to be a sorceress bent on destroying the family. Sorcha鈥檚 journey to break a curse cast over her brothers is a long harrowing one that takes her across the sea and back over a course of years. The villain is very personal (you hate that bitch Oona) and you feel like you know and love Sorcha well after going through so much through her eyes. I felt like the rest of the trilogy also had the right blend of characters you either loved or hated and a plot that was mostly tight and relevant to said characters.


Now I鈥檒l move on to Blackthorn & Grim, which I don鈥檛 think handled plot as well. The main conflict in each story didn鈥檛 have much to do with Blackthorn herself and she was just put to work at resolving it for someone else. This worked to a degree because Blackthorn鈥檚 arc was one about healing her past. I don鈥檛 even remember the names of the people she was helping in any of the books as they didn鈥檛 matter much. I loved the series because I loved Blackthorn because she is a 30+ character who was angry, bitter, and on a revenge quest. And I loved Grim because he was like her Samwise Gamgee (and how can one not love that). I wanted good things for both of them and their relationship alone made each book for me.


Which brings me to Harp of Kings ...it also has a plot where the conflict is not personal to the main characters, of which there are three, and also feels kind of small and low stakes. Worse, the characters themselves didn鈥檛 grab me, resulting in a pretty average story I wouldn鈥檛 recommend unless you, like me, are a huge Marillier fan. I do plan to keep reading the series, it鈥檚 not that bad. I just can鈥檛 rate it with some of her other work.]]>
4.03 2019 The Harp of Kings (Warrior Bards #1)
author: Juliet Marillier
name: Diane
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2019/09/06
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: fantasy-adult, historical-fantasy
review:
The only way I can think to explain why I found this book underwhelming is to compare it to other series by Marillier I like better.

I鈥檒l start with her best, the Sevenwaters trilogy. In the first book the heart of the plot is a dramatic turn of events that occurs when the main characters father re-marries a woman who turns out to be a sorceress bent on destroying the family. Sorcha鈥檚 journey to break a curse cast over her brothers is a long harrowing one that takes her across the sea and back over a course of years. The villain is very personal (you hate that bitch Oona) and you feel like you know and love Sorcha well after going through so much through her eyes. I felt like the rest of the trilogy also had the right blend of characters you either loved or hated and a plot that was mostly tight and relevant to said characters.


Now I鈥檒l move on to Blackthorn & Grim, which I don鈥檛 think handled plot as well. The main conflict in each story didn鈥檛 have much to do with Blackthorn herself and she was just put to work at resolving it for someone else. This worked to a degree because Blackthorn鈥檚 arc was one about healing her past. I don鈥檛 even remember the names of the people she was helping in any of the books as they didn鈥檛 matter much. I loved the series because I loved Blackthorn because she is a 30+ character who was angry, bitter, and on a revenge quest. And I loved Grim because he was like her Samwise Gamgee (and how can one not love that). I wanted good things for both of them and their relationship alone made each book for me.


Which brings me to Harp of Kings ...it also has a plot where the conflict is not personal to the main characters, of which there are three, and also feels kind of small and low stakes. Worse, the characters themselves didn鈥檛 grab me, resulting in a pretty average story I wouldn鈥檛 recommend unless you, like me, are a huge Marillier fan. I do plan to keep reading the series, it鈥檚 not that bad. I just can鈥檛 rate it with some of her other work.
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<![CDATA[Emily Wilde鈥檚 Map of the Otherlands (Emily Wilde, #2)]]> 134119076 When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it鈥檚 too late, in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series.

Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore who just wrote the world鈥檚 first comprehensive encyclopaedia of faeries. S丑别鈥檚 learned many of the secrets of the Hidden Ones on her adventures . . . and also from her fellow scholar and former rival Wendell Bambleby.

Because Bambleby is more than infuriatingly charming. He鈥檚 an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother and in search of a door back to his realm. And despite Emily鈥檚 feelings for Bambleby, s丑别鈥檚 not ready to accept his proposal of marriage: Loving one of the Fair Folk comes with secrets and dangers.

She also has a new project to focus on: a map of the realms of faerie. While she is preparing her research, Bambleby lands her in trouble yet again, when assassins sent by his mother invade Cambridge. Now Bambleby and Emily are on another adventure, this time to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambleby鈥檚 realm and the key to freeing him from his family鈥檚 dark plans.

But with new relationships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors and of her own heart.]]>
370 Heather Fawcett 0593500202 Diane 5 4.28 2024 Emily Wilde鈥檚 Map of the Otherlands (Emily Wilde, #2)
author: Heather Fawcett
name: Diane
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/25
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: fantasy-adult, historical-fantasy
review:

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<![CDATA[Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales (Emily Wilde, #3)]]> 208841368 Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project studying the inner workings of a faerie realm-as its queen.

Along with her former academic rival-now fianc茅-the dashing and mercurial Wendell Bambleby, Emily is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell's long-lost kingdom, which Emily finds a beautiful nightmare, filled with scholarly treasures.

Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life, but at first she feels as ill-suited to Faerie as she did to the mortal world-how could an unassuming scholar like herself pass for a queen? Yet there is little time to settle in-Wendell's murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing without a trace. It will take all of Wendell's magic-and Emily's knowledge of stories-to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.
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368 Heather Fawcett 0356519198 Diane 5 4.14 2025 Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales (Emily Wilde, #3)
author: Heather Fawcett
name: Diane
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/12
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: fantasy-adult, historical-fantasy
review:
From start to finish, I don鈥檛 think I could have enjoyed this entire series more.
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<![CDATA[Paladin's Grace (The Saint of Steel, #1)]]> 50702014 Stephen's god died on the longest day of the year鈥�

Three years later, Stephen is a broken paladin, living only for the chance to be useful before he dies. But all that changes when he encounters a fugitive named Grace in an alley and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now the pair must navigate a web of treachery, beset on all sides by spies and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind鈥�

From the Hugo and Nebula Award winning author of Swordheart and The Twisted Ones comes a saga of murder, magic, and love on the far side of despair.]]>
366 T. Kingfisher Diane 3 fantasy-adult 4.08 2020 Paladin's Grace (The Saint of Steel, #1)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Diane
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/18
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: fantasy-adult
review:

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The Governess and the Rogue 223170265 A down-on-her-luck Victorian governess and an unrepentant rogue enter into a fake engagement during a lengthy voyage at sea in USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews鈥檚 sixth book in her acclaimed Somerset Stories series.

Stranded in India after being dismissed without a reference, governess Beatrice Layton exchanges her freedom for passage home to England, taking a position with the only family that will hire her. But Bea hasn鈥檛 reckoned for just how dreadful her new employers will be. Stuck with them at sea in increasingly desperate circumstances, she finds an unlikely champion in the injured ex-soldier traveling aboard their ship.

Colonel Jack Beresford has spent the last fourteen years serving in Her Majesty鈥檚 Army. Though time has lent him maturity, it hasn鈥檛 dulled the roguish impulses of his youth. When 丑别鈥檚 confronted with the tantalizing prospect of a damsel in distress, he naturally steps in to rescue her. His solution? An engagement of convenience, of course. One that will last only as long as their voyage.

But once back on land, Jack and Bea鈥檚 simple arrangement is beset by complication after complication. There are Bea鈥檚 horrid employers to contend with, and the growing gossip in Somerset society. Most complicated of all, there鈥檚 Jack鈥檚 family鈥攈is parents, siblings, and precocious nieces and nephews鈥攁ll of whom seem to think that Bea might be perfect for him. Jack is beginning to think so too. All that remains is to convince bold, beguiling Bea that 丑别鈥檚 perfect for her.]]>
Mimi Matthews 1736080296 Diane 0 to-read 0.0 The Governess and the Rogue
author: Mimi Matthews
name: Diane
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated, #1)]]> 165940202
Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband鈥檚 back.

Freya鈥檚 dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region鈥檚 jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess鈥檚 blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden鈥檚 fate.

Believing 丑别鈥檚 destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.]]>
419 Danielle L. Jensen 0593599837 Diane 3 fantasy-adult 3.91 2024 A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated, #1)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: Diane
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: fantasy-adult
review:

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<![CDATA[The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom, #1)]]> 211081101
The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom enriches itself and deprives its rivals, including Lara's homeland. So when s丑别鈥檚 sent as a bride under the guise of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture its impenetrable defenses. And the defenses of its king.

Yet as she infiltrates her new home and gains a deeper understanding of the war to possess the bridge, Lara begins to question whether s丑别鈥檚 the hero or the villain. And as her feelings for Aren transform from frosty hostility to fierce passion, Lara must choose which kingdom she鈥檒l save鈥� and which kingdom she鈥檒l destroy.

Passionate and violent, The Bridge Kingdom is a seductive fantasy perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.]]>
430 Danielle L. Jensen 0593975189 Diane 2 fantasy-adult
It wasn鈥檛 bad but it wasn鈥檛 good either. Reads like YA in every aspect but the obvious one. Meh. ]]>
4.01 2018 The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom, #1)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: Diane
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/15
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves: fantasy-adult
review:
2.5 stars.

It wasn鈥檛 bad but it wasn鈥檛 good either. Reads like YA in every aspect but the obvious one. Meh.
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Thornhedge 61884932 There鈥檚 a princess trapped in a tower. This 颈蝉苍鈥檛 her story.

Meet Toadling. On the day of her birth, she was stolen from her family by the fairies, but she grew up safe and loved in the warm waters of faerieland. Once an adult though, the fae ask a favor of Toadling: return to the human world and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn child. Simple, right?

But nothing with fairies is ever simple.

Centuries later, a knight approaches a towering wall of brambles, where the thorns are as thick as your arm and as sharp as swords. He's heard there's a curse here that needs breaking, but it's a curse Toadling will do anything to uphold鈥]>
116 T. Kingfisher 1250244099 Diane 4 3.95 2023 Thornhedge
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Diane
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment, #1)]]> 60784546 After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again鈥�

All eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow wants to do is hold her family together. With a brother on the frontline forced to fight on behalf of the Gods now missing from the frontline and a mother drowning her sorrows, Iris鈥檚 best bet is winning the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

But when Iris鈥檚 letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands 鈥� that of the handsome but cold Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper 鈥� an unlikely magical connection forms.

Expelled into the middle of a mystical war, magical typewriters in tow, can their bond withstand the fight for the fate of mankind and, most importantly, love?

An epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.]]>
357 Rebecca Ross 1250857430 Diane 3 kindle-unlimited 4.14 2023 Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment, #1)
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Diane
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves: kindle-unlimited
review:

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<![CDATA[The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)]]> 944073
Nobleman Captain Jezal dan Luthar, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.

Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a box. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendship. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government, if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.

Enter the wizard, Bayaz. A bald old man with a terrible temper and a pathetic assistant, he could be the First of the Magi, he could be a spectacular fraud, but whatever he is, he's about to make the lives of Logen, Jezal, and Glokta a whole lot more difficult.

Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood.

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515 Joe Abercrombie 0575079797 Diane 3 4.21 2006 The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)
author: Joe Abercrombie
name: Diane
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves: fantasy-adult, kindle-unlimited
review:

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<![CDATA[The House at Pooh Corner (Winnie-the-Pooh, #2)]]> 776407 180 A.A. Milne 0525444440 Diane 0 4.37 1928 The House at Pooh Corner (Winnie-the-Pooh, #2)
author: A.A. Milne
name: Diane
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1928
rating: 0
read at: 2017/01/20
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves: classics, elementary-and-middle-grade
review:

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<![CDATA[Moira's Pen: A Queen's Thief Collection]]> 60395737
This collectible companion to the New York Times鈥揵estselling Queen鈥檚 Thief series is ideal for longtime fans, as well as readers discovering Megan Whalen Turner鈥檚 epic and unforgettable world for the first time. The collection includes all of the author鈥檚 previously published short fiction set in the world of the Queen鈥檚 Thief, as well as never-before-published stories, vignettes and excerpts, poetry and rhymes, a guide to inspiring objects from museums around the world, and a very special recipe for almond cake.]]>
224 Megan Whalen Turner 006288560X Diane 0 to-read 4.00 2022 Moira's Pen: A Queen's Thief Collection
author: Megan Whalen Turner
name: Diane
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[A Conspiracy of Kings (The Queen's Thief, #4)]]> 6527841
In Attolia, Eugenides, the new and unlikely king, has never stopped wondering what happened to Sophos. Nor has the Queen of Eddis. They send spies. They pay informants. They appeal to the gods. But as time goes by, it becomes less and less certain that they will ever see their friend alive again.

Across the small peninsula battles are fought, bribes are offered, and conspiracies are set in motion. Darkening the horizon, the Mede Empire threatens, always, from across the sea. And Sophos, anonymous and alone, bides his time. Sophos, drawing on his memories of Gen, Pol, the Magus and Eddis, sets out on an adventure that will change all of their lives forever.]]>
316 Megan Whalen Turner 0061870935 Diane 4 fantasy-ya, 4-5-stars 4.10 2010 A Conspiracy of Kings (The Queen's Thief, #4)
author: Megan Whalen Turner
name: Diane
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2015/05/25
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves: fantasy-ya, 4-5-stars
review:

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<![CDATA[Thick as Thieves (The Queen's Thief, #5)]]> 8306741 his fortunes since the debacle in Attolia.

A soldier in the shadows offers escape, but Kamet won鈥檛 sacrifice his ambition for a meager and unreliable freedom; not until a whispered warning of poison and murder destroys all of his carefully laid plans. When Kamet flees for his life, he leaves behind everything鈥攈is past, his identity, his meticulously crafted defenses鈥攁nd finds himself woefully unprepared for the journey that lies ahead.

Pursued across rivers, wastelands, salt plains, snowcapped mountains, and storm-tossed seas, Kamet is dead set on regaining control of his future and protecting himself at any cost. Friendships鈥攏ew and long-forgotten鈥攂eckon, lethal enemies circle, secrets accumulate, and the fragile hopes of the little kingdoms of Attolia, Eddis, and Sounis hang in the balance.]]>
337 Megan Whalen Turner 0062568248 Diane 4 fantasy-ya, 4-5-stars 4.16 2017 Thick as Thieves (The Queen's Thief, #5)
author: Megan Whalen Turner
name: Diane
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves: fantasy-ya, 4-5-stars
review:
The only thing a reader of this series knows while reading one of its books is that nothing is exactly as it seems, which is part of what makes it so fun. You also can't help but note that as Eugenides star has risen over the course of the series the reader is removed from knowing him a little more each book, until here we are with the perspective of a foreign outsider looking in. I loved this story and hope the next isn't too long off.
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<![CDATA[Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive, #5)]]> 203578847 The long-awaited explosive climax to the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive鈥晅he iconic epic fantasy masterpiece that has sold more than 10 million copies, from acclaimed bestselling author Brandon Sanderson.

Dalinar Kholin challenged the evil god Odium to a contest of champions with the future of Roshar on the line. The Knights Radiant have only ten days to prepare鈥昦nd the sudden ascension of the crafty and ruthless Taravangian to take Odium鈥檚 place has thrown everything into disarray.

Desperate fighting continues simultaneously worldwide鈥旳dolin in Azimir, Sigzil and Venli at the Shattered Plains, and Jasnah at Thaylen City. The former assassin, Szeth, must cleanse his homeland of Shinovar from the dark influence of the Unmade. He is accompanied by Kaladin, who faces a new battle helping Szeth fight his own demons . . . and who must do the same for the insane Herald of the Almighty, Ishar.

At the same time, Shallan, Renarin, and Rlain work to unravel the mystery behind the Unmade Ba-Ado-Mishram and her involvement in the enslavement of the singer race and in the ancient Knights Radiants killing their spren. And Dalinar and Navani seek an edge against Odium鈥檚 champion that can be found only in the Spiritual Realm, where memory and possibility combine in chaos. The fate of the entire Cosmere hangs in the balance.]]>
1344 Brandon Sanderson 1250319188 Diane 5
Days 1-5 felt a bit uneven, there were things I liked and things I didn鈥檛. For a book he said he had trouble keeping the size down there were a lot of character moments and commentary in the early portion that I think could have been trimmed. I also didn鈥檛 like the inclusion of modern mental health jargon. The use of the word 鈥榯herapist鈥� made me cringe.

Days 6-10/Epilogue/Postlude made up for most of it. The plots became very focused and far more interesting at this stage and it was hard to take breaks from the story at that point. There were two reveals that most saw coming from a mile away but in the end it didn鈥檛 bother me. Szeth may have unseated Dalinar as my favorite flashback character. Some characters, especially the Unmade, were left hanging but I am ok waiting on them. I have so many spoiler-y things to talk about but if I do this review will go on too long. If I had one quibble about the ending (which I am largely a fan of) it is that there is one aspect with Dalinar where I felt Sanderson was having his cake and eating it too. I am very relieved for some people I was worried about and would love a novella about a certain youngster and her new mentor.

All in all I am left curious about how life will go on for our characters on Roshar during this dark stasis and excited to see how the action picks up again in the back half.]]>
4.36 2024 Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive, #5)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Diane
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves:
review:
On my Stormlight favorites list I would probably place this in the third spot after Words of Radiance and Way of Kings. Though it may tie with Way of Kings, but I need to digest longer .

Days 1-5 felt a bit uneven, there were things I liked and things I didn鈥檛. For a book he said he had trouble keeping the size down there were a lot of character moments and commentary in the early portion that I think could have been trimmed. I also didn鈥檛 like the inclusion of modern mental health jargon. The use of the word 鈥榯herapist鈥� made me cringe.

Days 6-10/Epilogue/Postlude made up for most of it. The plots became very focused and far more interesting at this stage and it was hard to take breaks from the story at that point. There were two reveals that most saw coming from a mile away but in the end it didn鈥檛 bother me. Szeth may have unseated Dalinar as my favorite flashback character. Some characters, especially the Unmade, were left hanging but I am ok waiting on them. I have so many spoiler-y things to talk about but if I do this review will go on too long. If I had one quibble about the ending (which I am largely a fan of) it is that there is one aspect with Dalinar where I felt Sanderson was having his cake and eating it too. I am very relieved for some people I was worried about and would love a novella about a certain youngster and her new mentor.

All in all I am left curious about how life will go on for our characters on Roshar during this dark stasis and excited to see how the action picks up again in the back half.
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<![CDATA[Rules for Ruin (The Crinoline Academy, #1)]]> 62342354 No one betrays the Academy. But now Euphemia must decide: break the rules for her enemy, or let the rules break her heart.

On the outskirts of London sits a seemingly innocuous institution with a secretive aim鈥攖rain young women to distract, disrupt, and discredit the patriarchy. Outraged by a powerful politician鈥檚 systematic attack on women鈥檚 rights, the Academy summons its brightest鈥攁nd most bitter鈥攑upil to infiltrate the odious man鈥檚 inner circle. A deal is struck: bring down the viscount, and Miss Euphemia Flite will finally earn her freedom.

But betting shop owner Gabriel Royce has other plans. The viscount is the perfect pawn to insulate Gabriel鈥檚 underworld empire from government interference. He鈥檚 not about to let some crinoline-clad miss destroy his carefully constructed enterprise鈥攏o matter how captivating he finds her threats.

From the rookeries of St. Giles to the ballrooms of Mayfair, Euphemia and Gabriel engage in a battle of wits and wills that鈥檚 complicated by a blossoming desire. Soon Euphemia realizes it鈥檚 not the broken promises to her Academy sisters she should fear. . . . It鈥檚 the danger to her heart.]]>
400 Mimi Matthews 0593639294 Diane 5 romance-historical-european 4.48 2025 Rules for Ruin (The Crinoline Academy, #1)
author: Mimi Matthews
name: Diane
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/18
date added: 2024/11/18
shelves: romance-historical-european
review:
Couldn鈥檛 put this one down and only took me a night and a morning to finish. So good. Put it on your list. 鉂わ笍鉂わ笍鉂わ笍
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<![CDATA[My Lady, Will You Dance? (Viennese Waltz)]]> 201783385 A Lost Love. A Cold Marquess. A Fateful Christmas Country House Party鈥�

Mirabel鈥檚 dreams are shattered when her bridegroom vanishes without a trace from her little village in Cornwall. With a determined heart, she embarks on a journey to London to find him, only to find herself in humble service in a noble household. As time passes, the memory of her lost love lingers, defying the odds. When an unexpected opportunity arises to attend a lavish country house party as a companion, Mira seizes the chance.

Enter the enigmatic Lord Atherton, a sought-after bachelor known as the 'Cold Marquess.' His icy demeanour belies a longing for connection. At the opulent London opera, he's captivated by the exquisite Mira and resolves to make her his own. As Christmas approaches, a festive country house party sets the stage for a tale of lost love, concealed identities, and the promise of second chances. Will Mira's heart find the love it yearns for amidst the glistening snow and warm glow of Christmas?

This enchanting story serves as the prequel to the "Viennese Waltz" series, introducing a world of captivating characters and timeless romance.]]>
186 Sofi Laporte Diane 5 4.33 My Lady, Will You Dance? (Viennese Waltz)
author: Sofi Laporte
name: Diane
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/29
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[The Forgotten Duke (Viennese Waltz Book 1)]]> 210626297 When a penniless Viennese musician is told she may be an English duke鈥檚 wife, a quest for lost love begins.

Amid the glamour and intrigue of the Congress of Vienna, Lena Arenheim and her musical family perform at aristocratic soirees to make ends meet. When, out of the blue, the sister of the arrogant Duke of Aldingbourne proclaims Lena to be her brother's long-lost duchess, her safe but small world is turned upside down. Amid opulent ballrooms and echoes of forgotten memories, Lina embarks on a quest to uncover the secrets of her past.

For Julius Stafford-Hill, Duke of Aldingbourne, the wounds of a tragic loss still linger after eight long years. When he encounters a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to his late wife Catherine, he will do anything to uncover the truth, even if it means immersing himself in her world and facing the everyday challenges of a common middle-class life.

Can the lost Duchess be found, and can they rebuild a love that transcends the boundaries of time and circumstance?


This is a sweet and clean Regency romance and the first book of the Viennese Waltz

Set against the backdrop of Vienna鈥檚 1814 elegance, diplomacy, and intrigue, this series twirls through the entwined destinies of friends, enemies, and lost lovers in charming tales of love, desire and courtship.

My Lady, Will you Dance?]]>
350 Sofi Laporte Diane 5 4.42 The Forgotten Duke (Viennese Waltz Book 1)
author: Sofi Laporte
name: Diane
average rating: 4.42
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/29
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-european
review:

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An Enchantment of Ravens 30969741 Every enchantment has a price.

With a flick of her paintbrush, Isobel creates stunning portraits for a dangerous set of clients: the fair folk. These immortal creatures cannot bake bread or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and they trade valuable enchantments for Isobel鈥檚 paintings. But when she receives her first royal patron鈥擱ook, the autumn prince鈥擨sobel makes a deadly mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes, a weakness that could cost him his throne, and even his life.

Furious, Rook spirits Isobel away to his kingdom to stand trial for her crime. But something is seriously amiss in his world, and they are attacked from every side. With Isobel and Rook depending upon each other for survival, their alliance blossoms into trust, perhaps even love . . . a forbidden emotion that would violate the fair folks鈥� ruthless laws, rendering both their lives forfeit. What force could Isobel's paintings conjure that is powerful enough to defy the ancient malice of the fairy courts?

Isobel and Rook journey along a knife-edge in a lush world where beauty masks corruption and the cost of survival might be more frightening than death itself.]]>
304 Margaret Rogerson 1481497588 Diane 2 fantasy-ya 3.64 2017 An Enchantment of Ravens
author: Margaret Rogerson
name: Diane
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2017
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/14
date added: 2024/10/14
shelves: fantasy-ya
review:
I liked the world-building and the descriptions, but the dialogue and internal monologues were pretty lacking.
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<![CDATA[Empire of Shadows (Raiders of the Arcana, #1)]]> 203592539 Nice Victorian ladies don鈥檛 run off to find legendary lost cities.

One trifling little arrest shouldn鈥檛 have cost Ellie Mallory her job, but it鈥檚 only the latest in a line of injustices facing any educated woman with archaeological ambitions.

When Ellie stumbles across the map to a mysterious ancient city, she knows s丑别鈥檚 holding her chance to revolutionize Pre-Colombian history. There鈥檚 just one teensy complication. A ruthless villain wants it, and Ellie is all that stands in his way.

To race him to the ruins鈥攁nd avoid being violently disposed of鈥攕he needs the help of maverick surveyor Adam Bates, a snake-wrangling rogue who can鈥檛 seem to keep his dratted shirt on.

But there鈥檚 more than Ellie鈥檚 scholarly reputation (and life) on the line. Her enemies aren鈥檛 just looters. They鈥檙e after an arcane secret rumored to lie in the heart of the ruins, a mythical artifact with a power that could shake the world.

Between stealing trousers, plummeting over waterfalls, and trying not to fall in love with her machete-wielding partner, will Ellie be able to stop the oracle of a lost empire from falling into the wrong hands?

Empire of Shadows is the first book in Jacquelyn Benson鈥檚 smart, swashbuckling Raiders of the Arcana series. Read it now and dive into a rip-roaring historical fantasy adventure perfect for fans of Romancing the Stone and The Mummy.]]>
476 Jacquelyn Benson 1958051330 Diane 3 historical 4.22 2024 Empire of Shadows (Raiders of the Arcana, #1)
author: Jacquelyn Benson
name: Diane
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/08
date added: 2024/10/08
shelves: historical
review:

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<![CDATA[Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1)]]> 55399 Vast legions of gods, mages, humans, dragons and all manner of creatures play out the fate of the Malazan Empire in this first book in a major epic fantasy series from Steven Erikson.

The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, bled dry by interminable warfare, bitter infighting and bloody confrontations with the formidable Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, ancient and implacable sorcerers. Even the imperial legions, long inured to the bloodshed, yearn for some respite. Yet Empress Laseen's rule remains absolute, enforced by her dread Claw assassins.

For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his squad of Bridgeburners, and for Tattersail, surviving cadre mage of the Second Legion, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the many dead. But Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, yet holds out. It is to this ancient citadel that Laseen turns her predatory gaze.

However, it would appear that the Empire is not alone in this great game. Sinister, shadowbound forces are gathering as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand...

Conceived and written on a panoramic scale, Gardens of the Moon is epic fantasy of the highest order--an enthralling adventure by an outstanding new voice.]]>
666 Steven Erikson 0765348780 Diane 3 fantasy-adult
At this current moment I鈥檇 say three stars best represents my enjoyment level. I found both the world and most of the characters interesting, this can be a taxing read at times though with a large number of POV鈥檚 as well as time and place jumping. And some pretty off-the-wall magic.

I鈥檝e been told that this series only really starts to come together for the reader in book three. I鈥檓 still waiting for book two to be available from the library. It was recommended to me to approach each portion of this book as its own short story, focus only on what I was currently reading and to put off questions of what the bigger story was and in general found this approach worked. ]]>
3.91 1999 Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1)
author: Steven Erikson
name: Diane
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/25
date added: 2024/09/25
shelves: fantasy-adult
review:
I plugged away at a pretty good pace for the first half of this book until I got approved for the extended excerpt of Wind and Truth, after which I struggled to get my brain switched off of Roshar and back into this more complicated story in a world I don鈥檛 know a tenth as well.

At this current moment I鈥檇 say three stars best represents my enjoyment level. I found both the world and most of the characters interesting, this can be a taxing read at times though with a large number of POV鈥檚 as well as time and place jumping. And some pretty off-the-wall magic.

I鈥檝e been told that this series only really starts to come together for the reader in book three. I鈥檓 still waiting for book two to be available from the library. It was recommended to me to approach each portion of this book as its own short story, focus only on what I was currently reading and to put off questions of what the bigger story was and in general found this approach worked.
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<![CDATA[Remember Love (Ravenswood, #1)]]> 59453897 The handsome and charismatic Earl of Stratton, Caleb Ware, has been exposed to the ton for his clandestine affairs鈥攂y his own son.

As a child, Devlin Ware thought his family stood for all that was right and good in the world. They were kind, gracious, and shared the beauty of Ravenwood, their grand country estate, by hosting lavish parties for the entire countryside. But at twenty-two, he discovered his whole world was an elaborate illusion, and when Devlin publicly called his family to account for it, he was exiled as a traitor.

So be it. He enlisted in the fight against Napoleon and didn鈥檛 look back for six years. But now his father is dead, the Ware family is broken, and as the heir he is being called home. It鈥檚 only when Gwyneth Rhys鈥攖he woman he loved and then lost after his family banished him鈥攈olds out her hand to help him that he is able make the difficult journey and try to piece together his fractured family.

It is Gwyneth鈥檚 loyalty, patience, and love that he needs. But is Devlin鈥檚 war-hardened heart even capable of offering her love in return?

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400 Mary Balogh 0593438132 Diane 3 romance-historical-european 4.30 2022 Remember Love (Ravenswood, #1)
author: Mary Balogh
name: Diane
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2021/12/17
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves: romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[Engines of Empire (The Age of Uprising, #1)]]> 57941229 This epic fantasy tells the tales of clashing Guilds, magic-fueled machines, intrigue and revolution鈥攁nd the one family that stands between an empire's salvation or destruction.

The nation of Torwyn is run on the power of industry, and industry is run by the Guilds. Chief among them are the Hawkspurs, and their responsibility is to keep the gears of the empire turning. It鈥檚 exactly why matriarch Rosomon Hawkspur sends each of her heirs to the far reaches of the nation.听

Conall, the eldest son, is sent to the distant frontier to earn his stripes in the military. It is here that he faces a threat he could have never seen coming: the first rumblings of revolution.

Tyreta鈥檚 sorcerous connection to the magical resource of pyrstone that fuels the empire鈥檚 machines makes her a perfect heir鈥搃n theory. While Tyreta hopes that she might shirk her responsibilities during her journey one of Torwyn鈥檚 most important pyrestone mines, she instead finds the dark horrors of industry that the empire would prefer to keep hidden.听

The youngest, Fulren, is a talented artificer, and finds himself acting as consort to a foreign emissary. Soon after, he is framed for a crime he never committed. A crime that could start a war.听

As each of the Hawkspurs grapple with the many threats that face the nation within and without, they must finally prove themselves worthy鈥搊r their empire will fall apart.听]]>
607 Richard S. Ford 0316629561 Diane 0 to-read 3.72 2022 Engines of Empire (The Age of Uprising, #1)
author: Richard S. Ford
name: Diane
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/03
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Ninth Rain (The Winnowing Flame Trilogy, #1)]]> 29758013
When eccentric explorer, Lady Vincenza 'Vintage' de Grazon, offers him employment, he sees an easy way out. Even when they are joined by a fugitive witch with a tendency to set things on fire, the prospect of facing down monsters and retrieving ancient artefacts is preferable to the abomination he left behind.

But not everyone is willing to let the Eboran empire collapse, and the adventurers are quickly drawn into a tangled conspiracy of magic and war. For the Jure'lia are coming, and the Ninth Rain must fall...]]>
544 Jen Williams 1472235177 Diane 0 to-read 4.07 2017 The Ninth Rain (The Winnowing Flame Trilogy, #1)
author: Jen Williams
name: Diane
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/03
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Dragonflight (Dragonriders of Pern, #1)]]> 61975
To the nobles who live in Benden Weyr, Lessa is nothing but a ragged kitchen girl. For most of her life she has survived by serving those who betrayed her father and took over his lands. Now the time has come for Lessa to shed her disguise-and take back her stolen birthright.

But everything changes when she meets a Queen dragon. The bond they share will be deep and last forever. It will protect them when, for the first time in centuries, Lessa's world is threatened by Thread, an evil substance that falls like rain and destroys everything it touches. Dragons and their Riders once protected the planet from Thread and the blood-red star, but there are very few of them left these days. Only the gigantic, golden Queen can breed new dragons. And the Queen is fading... dying...

Now brave Lessa must risk her life, and the life of her beloved dragon, to save her beautiful world...]]>
299 Anne McCaffrey 0345484266 Diane 0 fantasy-adult 4.09 1968 Dragonflight (Dragonriders of Pern, #1)
author: Anne McCaffrey
name: Diane
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1968
rating: 0
read at: 2024/08/19
date added: 2024/08/19
shelves: fantasy-adult
review:

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<![CDATA[Ice & Ivy (Mages of the Wheel, #4)]]> 198245056
She is a void, the empty balance of magic.
When the Grand Vizier seeks to humiliate a man who has crossed him, a woman of the humblest origins becomes entangled in political webs far beyond her understanding, and bound into a marriage she cannot escape. She does not know who is an ally, and who is an enemy. But she does know she is drawn to the man whose dreams and heart seem made of ice.

He is a mage broken, whose power has been warped.
The Blight ravages both Tamar and Sarkum, and their people, and armies, are starving. Violence and protests in Narfour have the city on the brink of rebellion. When Ihsan sees a chance to gain an ally with the only productive land left in Tamar for his cousin, the Sultana, he takes it. But nothing is as it seems when Behram Kadir is involved. Ihsan knows he should not trust the woman who has upended his life, even if she is the first warmth he has felt since fire stole everything from him.

Some broken things were never meant to be as they were.

CW/ Some scenes involving assault (non-sexual), descriptions of blood and injuries, including severe burning and loss of a limb. Descriptions of the effects of starvation. Death of a family member.]]>
574 J.D. Evans Diane 4 4.58 Ice & Ivy (Mages of the Wheel, #4)
author: J.D. Evans
name: Diane
average rating: 4.58
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/08
date added: 2024/08/08
shelves: fantasy-adult, kindle-unlimited
review:

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<![CDATA[The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories]]> 99300
Written from a feminist perspective, often focusing on the inferior status accorded to women by society, the tales include "turned," an ironic story with a startling twist, in which a husband seduces and impregnates a na茂ve servant; "Cottagette," concerning the romance of a young artist and a man who's apparently too good to be true; "Mr. Peebles' Heart," a liberating tale of a fiftyish shopkeeper whose sister-in-law, a doctor, persuades him to take a solo trip to Europe, with revivifying results; "The Yellow Wallpaper"; and three other outstanding stories.

These charming tales are not only highly readable and full of humor and invention, but also offer ample food for thought about the social, economic, and personal relationship of men and women 鈥� and how they might be improved.

Collects:
鈥擳he Yellow Wallpaper
鈥擳hree Thanksgivings
鈥擳he Cottagette
鈥擳耻谤苍别诲
鈥擬aking a Change
鈥擨f I Were a Man
鈥擬r. Peebles' Heart]]>
129 Charlotte Perkins Gilman 0486298574 Diane 0 4.05 1892 The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories
author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
name: Diane
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1892
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:

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Lysistrata and Other Plays 1567 Achanians is a plea for peace set against the background of the long war with Sparta. In Lysistrata a band of women tap into the awesome power of sex in order to end a war. The darker comedy of The Clouds satirizes Athenian philosophers, Socrates in particular, and reflects the uncertainties of a generation in which all traditional religious and ethical beliefs were being challenged.

For this edition Alan Sommerstein has completely revised his translation of these three plays, bringing out the full nuances of Aristophanes鈥� ribald humour and intricate word play, with a new introduction explaining the historical and cultural background to the plays.]]>
241 Aristophanes Diane 0 classics 3.94 -423 Lysistrata and Other Plays
author: Aristophanes
name: Diane
average rating: 3.94
book published: -423
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: classics
review:

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<![CDATA[Siren & Scion (Mages of the Wheel, #3)]]> 51485441 She was beautiful the way the ocean was beautiful. In a new way every time one looked.

She is water, bright and alluring, fathomless and profound. He is a bridge between peoples, artist and criminal, vengeful and compassionate.

Amara Mutar has risen to the highest ranks of Tamar society by her wits and ambition. But it is not high enough to keep those she loves, and herself, safe from a past that will not release her.

Cassian Haydar has sunk as low as it is possible to sink, but he intends to take back what is his, and crush those who took everything that mattered from him鈥攁fter 丑别鈥檚 done stealing back all the other lives they鈥檝e robbed.

In exchange for a betrothal that would secure Amara鈥檚 position and freedom, the Tamaran Sultana sends her on a dangerous hunt for lost mages of the Third House, in the last place any mage should be. Amara and Cassian, brought together deep inside the Republic, discover they have nothing, and everything, in common.

But their paths were never meant to converge, and there are horrors in the heart of a rising Empire that threaten both Amara鈥檚 plans and every mage in Tamar. Knowing the fate of the Circle rests in her hands, Amara must choose whether to serve her heart, or her people.

He was a shore upon which she crawled from the dark deep of her magic and fell against to breathe, and taste the air again. ]]>
420 J.D. Evans 195160704X Diane 2 4.06 2020 Siren & Scion (Mages of the Wheel, #3)
author: J.D. Evans
name: Diane
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2024/08/04
date added: 2024/08/04
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Storm & Shield (Mages of the Wheel, #2)]]> 50403674 鈥淎ll you see is that I run. Why haven鈥檛 you realized I always come back?鈥�


She is lightning and storm. A spy, driven out of her home by a tyrant ruler. He is granite and earth. A guard, ordered to keep her contained.

To protect herself and her family, s丑别鈥檚 learned to go unnoticed, unseen. Suddenly a refugee in a land that once was enemy and now must be home, she 颈蝉苍鈥檛 certain where she belongs, or what her duty is beyond her family. She can鈥檛 protect them alone this time, but the only man who can help her is the only one she cannot ask.

He鈥檚 sworn his loyalty to the Sultana since she lifted him out of the gutter that made him. The arrival of a foreign spy loyal to the new prince makes him question himself and his orders, and his mistakes threaten the life of the ruler he swore to serve.

War will force choices of them both. She鈥攖o remain a spy, or stand and lend her powerful, untamed magic to the Sultana of Tamar. He鈥攖o remain a loyal, unquestioning guard, or learn to trust his instincts, and his heart.

They are magic in opposition, earth and sky, steady and mutable. One immovable as stone, the other fast as the wind. Balance, sometimes, is chaos.

He needed the storm and wildness of her, he needed the way she broke him apart. ]]>
400 J.D. Evans 1951607031 Diane 4 fantasy-adult 4.04 2020 Storm & Shield (Mages of the Wheel, #2)
author: J.D. Evans
name: Diane
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/01
date added: 2024/08/01
shelves: fantasy-adult
review:

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<![CDATA[A Lady of Conscience (Somerset Stories, #5)]]> 178805478 A Victorian bluestocking with a passion for lost causes attracts the unwilling attention of a frost-hearted viscount during her tumultuous debut season in Bath in USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews鈥檚 fifth book in her acclaimed Somerset Stories series.

West Country beauty Hannah Heywood may be quiet with fashionable strangers, but when it comes to animals in need, she has no trouble finding her voice. Newly arrived in Bath for her very first season, all she desires is to find one like-minded gentleman. A man of warmth and compassion, as sensitive to animals as he is to people. But if such a man exists, he dare not approach her. Not with the tall, blond, and menacing Viscount St. Clare standing in the way.

James Beresford, Viscount St. Clare has often been described as a sentient block of ice. A man so cold and dispassionate, he would never suit a young lady of Hannah鈥檚 disposition. And she would certainly never suit him. Focused on repairing his family鈥檚 infamous reputation, James requires a diamond of the first water. The daughter of a duke or a marquess, at least, not a simple country girl with a passion for four-legged creatures.

And yet, there鈥檚 something about conscience-driven young Hannah that draws James, first to Bath, and then into one increasingly hare-brained scheme after another. She confounds him at every turn, subverting his expectations and threatening to do what no lady has succeeded in doing before鈥攖hawing his ice-cold heart.]]>
248 Mimi Matthews 173608027X Diane 4 romance-historical-european 4.17 2024 A Lady of Conscience (Somerset Stories, #5)
author: Mimi Matthews
name: Diane
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/01
date added: 2024/08/01
shelves: romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[Reign & Ruin (Mages of the Wheel, #1)]]> 50607309 鈥淎ll magic is beautiful,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd terrible. Do you not see the beauty in yours, or the terror in mine? You can stop a heart, and I can stop your breath.鈥�

She is heir to a Sultanate that once ruled the world. He is an unwanted prince with the power to destroy.

She is order and intellect, a woman fit to rule in a man's place. He is chaos and violence and will stop at nothing to protect his people.

His magic answers hers with shadow for light. They need each other, but the cost of balance may be too high a price. Magic is dying and the only way to save it is to enlist mages who wield the forbidden power of death, mages cast out centuries ago in a brutal and bloody war.

Now, a new war is coming. Science and machines to replace magic and old religion.

They must find a way to save their people from annihilation and balance the sacred Wheel鈥攂ut first, they will have to balance their own forbidden passion. His peace for her tempest, his restlessness for her calm鈥�

Night and day, dusk and dawn, the end, and the beginning. ]]>
420 J.D. Evans 1951607015 Diane 4 4.17 2020 Reign & Ruin (Mages of the Wheel, #1)
author: J.D. Evans
name: Diane
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/28
date added: 2024/07/28
shelves: fantasy-adult, kindle-unlimited
review:
Things unfold somewhat slowly at first, both in terms of world-building and my ability to get into the characters, but even so it was never boring and about halfway through took off and I really ended up enjoying this. Political fantasy with really likable, decent, main characters and a slow-burn romance in the background.
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Starless 36144849 Jacqueline Carey is back with an amazing adventure not seen since her New York Times bestselling Kushiel's Legacy series. Lush and sensual, Starless introduces us to an epic world where exiled gods live among us, and a hero whose journey will resonate long after the last page is turned.

Let your mind be like the eye of the hawk鈥�

Destined from birth to serve as protector of the princess Zariya, Khai is trained in the arts of killing and stealth by a warrior sect in the deep desert; yet there is one profound truth that has been withheld from him.

In the court of the Sun-Blessed, Khai must learn to navigate deadly intrigue and his own conflicted identity鈥ut in the far reaches of the western seas, the dark god Miasmus is rising, intent on nothing less than wholesale destruction.

If Khai is to keep his soul鈥檚 twin Zariya alive, their only hope lies with an unlikely crew of prophecy-seekers on a journey that will take them farther beneath the starless skies than anyone can imagine.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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574 Jacqueline Carey 0765386836 Diane 3 fantasy-adult 4.32 2018 Starless
author: Jacqueline Carey
name: Diane
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2018/08/29
date added: 2024/07/23
shelves: fantasy-adult
review:
2.5 Stars. What a disappointment. The first third of this book is really good and I thought I鈥檇 end up loving it, the main character is raised in a rather interesting brotherhood and there were some great side characters and events. Then they leave to fulfill their life purpose which includes being leg shackled to a nauseatingly bloodless Mary Sue in the form of Princess Zariya and a mission to Save the World that I could not have cared less about.
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<![CDATA[Elizabeth of East Hampton (For the Love of Austen, #2)]]> 199797789 Pride and Prejudice transports you to summer in the Hamptons, where classes clash, rumors run wild, and love has a frustrating habit of popping up where you least expect it.

It鈥檚 a truth universally acknowledged鈥攚ell, by Elizabeth Bennet anyway鈥攖hat there鈥檚 nothing worse than summer in the Hamptons. She should s丑别鈥檚 lived out there her whole life. Every June, her hometown on the edge of Long Island is inundated with rich Manhattanites who party until dawn and then disappear by September. And after twenty-five years, Lizzy wants to leave, too.

But after putting her own dreams on hold to help save her family鈥檚 failing bakery, s丑别鈥檚 still surfing the same beach every morning and waiting for something, anything, to change. S丑别鈥檚 not holding her breath though, not even when her sister starts flirting with the hot new bachelor in town, Charlie Pierce, and he introduces Lizzy to his even hotter friend.

Will Darcy is everything Lizzy Bennet is not. Aloof, arrogant鈥nd rich. Of course, 丑别鈥檚 never cared about money. In fact, it鈥檚 number one on his long list of things that irk him. Number two? His friend Charlie鈥檚 insistence on setting him up with his new girlfriend鈥檚 sharp-tongued sister. Lizzy Bennet is all wrong for him, from her money-hungry family to her uncanny ability to speak to him as bluntly as he does everyone else. But then maybe that鈥檚 why he can鈥檛 stop thinking about her.

Lizzy is sure Will hates everybody. He thinks she willfully misunderstands them. Yet, just as they strike an uneasy truce, mistakes threaten Charlie and Annabelle鈥檚 romance, with Will and Lizzy caught in the undertow. Between a hurricane and a hypocritical stepmother, a drunken voicemail and a deceptive property developer, the two must sift through the gossip and lies to protect the happiness of everyone they love鈥攅ven if it means sacrificing their own. But when the truth also forces them to see each other in an entirely new light, they must swallow their pride to learn that love is a lot like sometimes the only way to survive is to let yourself fall.]]>
384 Audrey Bellezza 1668052555 Diane 4 romance-contemporary 3.89 Elizabeth of East Hampton (For the Love of Austen, #2)
author: Audrey Bellezza
name: Diane
average rating: 3.89
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/10
date added: 2024/06/10
shelves: romance-contemporary
review:
This was fun, though I didn鈥檛 love as much as the first one. I think part of the issue was the same as in the original novel鈥� too many annoying Bennet sisters. Also, was the fact that geeky Jane often loved the absolute worst version of everything in geekdom supposed to be part of the joke? I could never decide, it was distracting.
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<![CDATA[The Muse of Maiden Lane (Belles of London, #4)]]> 208894878
Stella Hobhouse is a brilliant rider, stalwart friend, skilled sketch artist鈥攁nd completely overlooked. Her outmodish gray hair makes her invisible to London society. Combined with her brother鈥檚 pious restrictions and her dwindling inheritance, Stella is on the verge of a lifetime marooned in Derbyshire as a spinster. Unless she does something drastic鈥ike posing for a daring new style of portrait by the only man who鈥檚 ever really seen her.

Aspiring painter Edward 鈥淭eddy鈥� Hayes knows true beauty when he sees it. He would never ask Stella to risk her reputation as an artist鈥檚 model but in the five years since a virulent bout of scarlet fever left him partially paralyzed, Teddy has learned to heed good fortune when he finds it. He鈥檒l do anything to persuade his muse to pose for him, even if he must offer her a marriage of convenience.

After all, though Teddy has yearned to trace Stella鈥檚 luminous beauty on canvas since their chance meeting, her heart is what he truly aches to capture鈥�.]]>
356 Mimi Matthews 0593639278 Diane 3 romance-historical-european 3.98 2024 The Muse of Maiden Lane (Belles of London, #4)
author: Mimi Matthews
name: Diane
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/06
date added: 2024/06/06
shelves: romance-historical-european
review:
The couple is lovely, as all of hers are. Stars off due to what was (for me) extreme pacing issues. The art aspect was wonderful (like really wonderful) as was seeing couples from previous novels. The premise for this entire series was so good, yet in almost each one there was something in the feel that kept this from being as loved by me as all her others. There is a preview at the end for Crinoline Academy in this and I have high hopes there.
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<![CDATA[Emma of 83rd Street (For the Love of Austen, #1)]]> 62919381
Beautiful, clever, and rich, Emma Woodhouse has lived twenty-three years in her tight-knit Upper East Side neighborhood with very little to distress or vex her鈥hat is, until her budding matchmaking hobby results in her sister鈥檚 marriage鈥攁nd subsequent move downtown. Now, with her sister gone and all her friends traveling abroad, Emma must start her final year of grad school grappling with an entirely new emotion: boredom. So when she meets Nadine, a wide-eyed Ohio transplant with a heart of gold and drugstore blonde highlights to match, Emma not only sees a potential new friend but a new project. If only her overbearing neighbor George Knightley would get out of her way.

Handsome, smart, and successful, the only thing that frustrates Knightley more than a corked whiskey is his childhood friend, Emma. Whether it鈥檚 her shopping sprees between classes or her revolving door of ill-conceived hobbies, he is only too happy to lecture her on all the finer points of adulthood s丑别鈥檚 so hell-bent on ignoring. But despite his gripes鈥攁nd much to his own chagrin鈥擪nightley can鈥檛 help but notice that the girl next door is a woman now鈥ne who he suddenly can鈥檛 get out of his head.

As Emma鈥檚 best laid plans collide with everyone from hipster baristas to meddling family members to flaky playboy millionaires, these two friends slowly realize their need to always be right has been usurped by a new need entirely, and it鈥檚 not long before they discover that even the most familiar stories still have some surprises.]]>
384 Audrey Bellezza 1668008394 Diane 5 romance-contemporary
Looks like a P&P focused story is next, though hopefully someday maybe there will be one for Persuasion as it鈥檚 my favorite but I haven鈥檛 even cared for any of the film adaptations of that one. ]]>
3.74 2023 Emma of 83rd Street (For the Love of Austen, #1)
author: Audrey Bellezza
name: Diane
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/04
date added: 2024/06/04
shelves: romance-contemporary
review:
Modern re-tellings of Austen usually don鈥檛 land for me for a variety is reasons. Either the plot was followed a little too loosely or the vibe was too crass or silly such that the charm of the original story got lost. If so many people hadn鈥檛 seemed to enjoy this I would have never bothered trying it and still was 75% sure I wouldn鈥檛 care for it. Surprise! This was completely charming, and felt like it fit the tone and setting of the original while also being modern. No easy feat.

Looks like a P&P focused story is next, though hopefully someday maybe there will be one for Persuasion as it鈥檚 my favorite but I haven鈥檛 even cared for any of the film adaptations of that one.
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<![CDATA[The Vicomte's Masquerade (Georgians in Paris)]]> 200203596
Sent to Paris with her elderly chaperone, Miss Melinda Finlay resists her arranged marriage to a haughty French vicomte. The headstrong beauty would rather drown in the channel than marry the odious man! Fate intervenes when a dashing English traveler crosses their path, offering assistance and a carriage ride to Paris. Little does Mellie know that this charming stranger carries his own burden of lost love and hidden truths.

As their enchanting adventure unfolds amidst the splendor of the Tuileries and Versailles, Mellie and Philippe discover a passionate connection that neither anticipated. Yet, as the shadow of Mellie's impending nuptials looms over them, she faces an impossible choice.
Will she have the audacity to defy the shackles of societal convention and follow her heart? 鈾he Vicomte's Masquerade is a light-hearted, sweet & clean Georgian Romance 鈾� Other books in the Georgians in Paris
* These books can be read out of order.]]>
182 Sofi Laporte Diane 0 4.21 The Vicomte's Masquerade (Georgians in Paris)
author: Sofi Laporte
name: Diane
average rating: 4.21
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/09
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-european
review:

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

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

Sal had long ago gotten over the worst non-break-up in the history of imaginary relationships with a man who hadn't known she'd existed. So she isn't prepared for this version of Reiner Kulti who shows up to her team's season: a quiet, reclusive shadow of the explosive, passionate man he'd once been.]]>
570 Mariana Zapata Diane 4 4.22 2015 Kulti
author: Mariana Zapata
name: Diane
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/04/25
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-contemporary
review:

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From Lukov with Love 37683751
After seventeen years鈥攁nd countless broken bones and broken promises鈥攕he knows her window to compete in figure skating is coming to a close.

But when the offer of a lifetime comes in from an arrogant idiot s丑别鈥檚 spent the last decade dreaming about pushing in the way of a moving bus, Jasmine might have to reconsider everything.

Including Ivan Lukov.]]>
493 Mariana Zapata Diane 5 4.19 2018 From Lukov with Love
author: Mariana Zapata
name: Diane
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/04/25
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-contemporary
review:

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Dear Aaron 35404657
The guidelines were simple: one letter or email a week for the length of his or her deployment. Care packages were optional.

Been there, done that. She thought she knew what to expect.

What she didn鈥檛 count on was falling in love with the guy.]]>
500 Mariana Zapata Diane 4 3.90 2017 Dear Aaron
author: Mariana Zapata
name: Diane
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/25
date added: 2024/04/25
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-contemporary
review:

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The Echo of Old Books 62060274
With no trace of how these mysterious books came into the world, Ashlyn is caught up in a decades-old literary mystery, beckoned by two hearts in ruins, whoever they were, wherever they are. Determined to learn the truth behind the doomed lovers鈥� tale, she reads on, following a trail of broken promises and seemingly unforgivable betrayals. The more Ashlyn learns about Hemi and Belle, the nearer she comes to bringing closure to their love story鈥攁nd to the unfinished chapters of her own life.]]>
431 Barbara Davis 1542038154 Diane 2 kindle-unlimited 4.27 2023 The Echo of Old Books
author: Barbara Davis
name: Diane
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2024/02/08
shelves: kindle-unlimited
review:

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<![CDATA[Merry Lover (Crime & Passion, #4.5)]]> 61403340 Home alone with a tragic mystery on Christmas Eve.

God rest ye merry, gentlemen鈥�


When she discovers a smiling corpse at her front door on Christmas Eve, Lady Grizelda Tizsa finds fresh meaning in the old carol. With her servants gone for the holiday, and her husband held up by snow storms in the north, she determines to discover how and why her smiling gentleman died where he did.

And who is responsible.

(Note: This story was first published as part of the Dragonblade Publishing Boxed set Star of Light, November 2021)

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55 Mary Lancaster Diane 0 4.34 2021 Merry Lover (Crime & Passion, #4.5)
author: Mary Lancaster
name: Diane
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: crime-mystery, kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[Dangerous Lover (Crime & Passion, #3)]]> 57991967 A danger to the world? Or just to her heart?

Alexandra Battle is desperate enough to accept a new post as governess to the illegitimate daughter of Sir Nicholas Swan, without having met either of them. Fortunately, Evelina turns out to be delightful as well as challenging, though her father, from their first encounter in the dead of night, remains a disturbingly attractive mystery.

Why does a wealthy, well-born baronet choose to live in an old, dusty house in an unfashionable area of London? What is he hiding there that clanks in the night? And who is the dying lady he brought home with him from Italy? Even more worryingly, why does he have such an effect on the prudent Alexandra鈥檚 senses?

When Evelina vanishes one day, the search threatens to expose secrets they would both rather hide, not least Alexandra鈥檚 growing feelings for her distraught employer. Alexandra asks for the help of her friends, Lady Grizelda and Dragan Tizsa, who never leave a puzzle unsolved.

But will the solution provide hope for Alexandra and Nicholas? Or will it tear her from him forever?

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266 Mary Lancaster Diane 0 4.46 2021 Dangerous Lover (Crime & Passion, #3)
author: Mary Lancaster
name: Diane
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: crime-mystery, kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[Mysterious Lover (Crime & Passion #1)]]> 56971813 Welcome to a thrilling new series, "Crime & Passion," from USA Today Bestselling Author Mary Lancaster.

London, 1851

In the shadow of the Great Exhibition, poverty and crime stalk the meaner backstreets of the city. But sin is not confined to the underworld. One couple passes seamlessly between the neighboring worlds of privilege and privation, solving crimes and enabling love to bloom.

An unforgettable night at the opera...

When she accompanies her family to Covent Garden, Lady Grizelda Niven does not expect to be discovered in a nearby back street, clutching a dagger over the dead body of her maid. However, she is even more surprised when the police arrest, not her, but, the devastatingly handsome young man who found her. Clearly, it behooves her to have him released and to enlist his alliance in discovering who truly killed Nancy.

Dragan Tizsa, a Hungarian refugee doctor, revolutionary, and soldier, lives constantly with the anguish of loss. The death of one more acquaintance makes little difference to him, except that it brings the vital and eccentric Griz into his life. He is a man who likes puzzles, and the mystery that is Griz soon assumes as much importance as that of the murder.

As they work together to unravel the layers of Nancy鈥檚 life and discover why she died, friendship and attraction blossom, much to her family鈥檚 unease. From the danger of London鈥檚 underworld, to the glittering salons of her married sister, Griz and Dragan look out for each other. But is she right to believe in her new friend when the evidence begins to tell against him?

And as she comes face to face with the killer at last, is love and happiness forever beyond her reach?

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280 Mary Lancaster Diane 0 4.43 2021 Mysterious Lover (Crime & Passion #1)
author: Mary Lancaster
name: Diane
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/21
shelves: crime-mystery, kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-european
review:

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The Widow of Rose House 43263486 A young widow restores a dilapidated mansion with the assistance of a charming, eccentric genius, only to find the house is full of dangerous secrets in this effervescent Gilded Age debut novel.

It's 1875, and Alva Webster has perfected her stiff upper lip after three years of being pilloried in the presses of two continents over fleeing her abusive husband. Now his sudden death allows her to return to New York to make a fresh start, restoring Liefdehuis, a dilapidated Hyde Park mansion, and hopefully her reputation at the same time. However, fresh starts aren't as easy as they seem, as Alva discovers when stories of a haunting at Liefdehuis begin to reach her. But Alva doesn't believe in ghosts. So when the eccentric and brilliant professor, Samuel Moore, appears and informs her that he can get to the bottom of the mystery that surrounds Liefdehuis, she turns him down flat. She doesn't need any more complications in her life鈥昬specially not a handsome, convention-flouting, scandal-raising one like Sam.

Unfortunately, though Alva is loath to admit it, Sam, a pioneer in electric lighting and a member of the nationally-adored Moore family of scientists, is the only one who can help. Together, the two delve into the tragic secrets wreathing Alva's new home while Sam attempts to unlock Alva's history鈥昦nd her heart.

Set during the Gilded Age in New York City, The Widow of Rose House is a gorgeous debut by Diana Biller, with a darkly Victorian Gothic flair and an intrepid and resilient American heroine guaranteed to delight readers.]]>
352 Diana Biller 1250297850 Diane 4 3.78 2019 The Widow of Rose House
author: Diana Biller
name: Diane
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/16
date added: 2023/12/16
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-american
review:

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A Wildflower for a Duke 135144420 Gabriel Anson, Duke of Northam, wants his wife alive and beside him again. Given the impossibility of that occurrence, he鈥檒l settle for seclusion from society and a good scotch to share with his demons. But devotion to his young daughter, Nora, prohibits even that pathetic option. Returning to his country estate, Gabriel longs to find his equilibrium and some much-needed peace. What he discovers instead is a quirky, goat-farming scientist and her shy, adolescent son.
An eccentric bluestocking鈥�
Violet Evans is content to fill her days raising goats, pondering scientific curiosities, and helping her remarkable, but slightly out-of-synch son, Zach, navigate the world and his feelings. Despite being a tenant farmer on the Duke of Northam鈥檚 land, she never expects or wants to actually meet the man. After all, dukes are all insufferable, self-important prigs. Right?
An unorthodox friendship鈥�
When a chance meeting between Nora and Zach culminates in their unlikely friendship, Gabriel and Violet can鈥檛 stop their paths from converging as well. Neither expects the friendly affection that blossoms between them, much less the sparks of something far more complicated that ignite when they鈥檙e together. When catastrophe strikes and marriage becomes the only means of safety for the Evans family, Violet and Gabriel fight for their budding love even as it鈥檚 threatened by shadows from the past.
After thirteen years of marriage to a rose, will this duke fall for a wildflower?]]>
414 Laura Linn Diane 4 4.35 A Wildflower for a Duke
author: Laura Linn
name: Diane
average rating: 4.35
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/25
date added: 2023/11/25
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[Six Missives (At Home in Brighton, #2)]]> 200623626
Sir Miles Wentworth made a promise to his dying father and is driven to succeed. He'd be well on his way if he could just entice the reputable Miss Ellington to leave her current position and work for him. Unfortunately, her frigid reply makes it clear that his school would be the last place she鈥檇 ever seek employment.

When the pair encounter each other as strangers one evening, they form an instant connection. Smitten by the mysterious woman, Sir Miles sets out to romance her. What he soon discovers, however, is that the woman he is falling more in love with every day is the same woman who would like to make mincemeat of him.]]>
282 Rachael Anderson 1941363318 Diane 4 4.36 2023 Six Missives (At Home in Brighton, #2)
author: Rachael Anderson
name: Diane
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/13
date added: 2023/11/13
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Red Tree, White Tree: Faeries and Humans in Partnership]]> 9694947 198 Wendy Berg 1908011068 Diane 5 myth-and-folklore 4.13 2010 Red Tree, White Tree: Faeries and Humans in Partnership
author: Wendy Berg
name: Diane
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/06
date added: 2023/11/06
shelves: myth-and-folklore
review:

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<![CDATA[Yumi and the Nightmare Painter]]> 60531416 #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson brings us a gripping story set in the Cosmere universe told by Hoid, where two people from incredibly different worlds must compromise and work together to save their worlds from ruin.

Yumi comes from a land of gardens, meditation, and spirits, while Painter lives in a world of darkness, technology, and nightmares. When their lives suddenly become intertwined in strange ways, can they put aside their differences and work together to uncover the mysteries of their situation and save each other鈥檚 communities from certain disaster?]]>
480 Brandon Sanderson 1938570375 Diane 5 4.45 2023 Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Diane
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/05
date added: 2023/11/05
shelves:
review:

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The Sunlit Man 60531420 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson鈥昪reator of The Stormlight Archive, the Mistborn Saga, and countless bestselling works of science fiction and fantasy鈥昪omes this standalone novel showing a rare glimpse of a future Cosmere universe.

Running. Putting distance between himself and the relentless Night Brigade has been Nomad鈥檚 strategy for years. Staying one or two steps ahead of his pursuers by skipping through the Cosmere from one world to the next.

But now, his powers too depleted to escape, Nomad finds himself trapped on Canticle, a planet that will kill anyone who doesn鈥檛 keep moving. Fleeing the fires of a sunrise that melts the very stones, he is instantly caught up in the struggle between a heartless tyrant and the brave rebels who defy him.

Failure means a quick death, incinerated by the sun鈥� or a lifetime as a mindless slave. Tormented by the consequences of his past, Nomad must fight not only for his survival鈥昩ut also for his very soul.]]>
447 Brandon Sanderson 1938570391 Diane 4 4.28 2023 The Sunlit Man
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Diane
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/17
date added: 2023/10/17
shelves:
review:
With good pacing and Stormlight connections this one was a win for me.
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<![CDATA[Someone to Hold (Westcott, #2)]]> 30658514
Humphrey Wescott, Earl of Riverdale, has died, leaving behind a fortune and a scandalous secret that will forever alter the lives of his family鈥攕ending one daughter on a journey of self-discovery...

With her parents鈥� marriage declared bigamous, Camille Westcott is now illegitimate and without a title. Looking to eschew the trappings of her old life, she leaves London to teach at the Bath orphanage where her newly discovered half-sister lived. But even as she settles in, she must sit for a portrait commissioned by her grandmother and endure an artist who riles her every nerve.

An art teacher at the orphanage that was once his home, Joel Cunningham has been hired to paint the portrait of the haughty new teacher. But as Camille poses for Joel, their mutual contempt soon turns to desire. And it is only the bond between them that will allow them to weather the rough storm that lies ahead...]]>
379 Mary Balogh 0451477804 Diane 0 romance-historical-european 3.88 2017 Someone to Hold (Westcott, #2)
author: Mary Balogh
name: Diane
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/05
shelves: romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[Culture and Horticulture: The Classic Guide to Biodynamic and Organic Gardening]]> 13642311 417 Wolf-Dieter Storl 1583945687 Diane 0 garden-herbals, non-fiction 3.86 2013 Culture and Horticulture: The Classic Guide to Biodynamic and Organic Gardening
author: Wolf-Dieter Storl
name: Diane
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at: 2023/08/06
date added: 2023/08/06
shelves: garden-herbals, non-fiction
review:

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<![CDATA[The Lily of Ludgate Hill (Belles of London, #3)]]> 134113888 Fortune favors the bold鈥攂ut is a confirmed spinster daring enough to loosen the reins and accept a favor from the wicked gentleman who haunts her dreams?

Lady Anne Deveril doesn鈥檛 spook easily. A woman of lofty social standing known for her glacial beauty and starchy opinions, s丑别鈥檚 the unofficial leader of her small group of equestriennes. Since her mother鈥檚 devastating plunge into mourning six years ago, Anne voluntarily renounced any fanciful notions of love and marriage. And yet, when fate puts Anne back into the entirely too enticing path of Mr. Felix Hartford, s丑别鈥檚 tempted to run鈥ight into his arms.

No one understands why Lady Anne withdrew into the shadows of society, Hart least of all. The youthful torch he once held for her has long since cooled. Or so he keeps telling himself. But now Anne needs a favor to help a friend. Hart will play along with her little ruse鈥攐n the condition that Anne attend a holiday house party at his grandfather鈥檚 country estate. No more mourning clothes. No more barriers. Only the two of them, unrequited feelings at last laid bare.

Finally free to gallop out on her own, Anne makes the tantalizing discovery that beneath the roguish exterior of her not-so-white knight is a man with hidden depths, scorching passions鈥攁nd a tender heart.]]>
428 Mimi Matthews Diane 4 4.07 2024 The Lily of Ludgate Hill (Belles of London, #3)
author: Mimi Matthews
name: Diane
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/02
date added: 2023/08/02
shelves:
review:
My favorite of this series by far. Poor Hart has enough fatiguing relations and associates to rival that of any found in Austen. Hero of this book is a saint.
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<![CDATA[Appointment in Bath (Somerset Stories, #4)]]> 81414076 A chance meeting between the sheltered daughter and the forward-thinking son of rival Victorian families sparks a forbidden romance in USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews's fourth book in her acclaimed Somerset Stories series.

Shy and stammering Meg Burton-Smythe has spent the whole of her life living on the fringes of local society. She's more comfortable with her daydreams than she is with people. But when a dashing, golden-haired hero rides to her rescue one morning, she dares to hope that her dreams might finally come true. There's only one problem: her handsome rescuer is the son of her father's sworn enemy.

Ivo Beresford doesn't believe in clinging to the past. Freshly returned from a lengthy grand tour, he's looking to the future, eager to spearhead the building of a new railway extension in Somersetshire. But an unexpected encounter with Meg Burton-Smythe, the isolated only daughter of his parents' oldest foe, sets the past and the future colliding.

Resolved to put ancient grudges to rest鈥攁t least where innocent young ladies are concerned鈥擨vo encourages lonely Meg to embark on a secret acquaintance. After all, what harm can a friendship do? It isn't as though there's any danger of the two of them falling in love...]]>
280 Mimi Matthews 1736080253 Diane 4 romance-historical-european 4.11 2023 Appointment in Bath (Somerset Stories, #4)
author: Mimi Matthews
name: Diane
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/28
date added: 2023/06/28
shelves: romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[Miss Fleming Falls in Love (Miss Fleming #1)]]> 84689411
Miss Amelia Fleming has a very good reason to hate the Earl of Langley. A year ago, her father drowned in the Thames after losing a fortune to Langley at cards. Now her family is broke, her fianc茅 has broken their engagement, and the debt still hasn't been paid. Someone has to deal with the earl, but Amelia's brother doesn't have the nerve and her mother has fled to France. It's no business for a gently bred young lady, but the Earl of Langley is about to learn that Amelia Fleming is not your typical young lady . . .

Miss Fleming Falls in Love is a sweet, sparkling Regency romp about a misunderstood nobleman who meets his match in a spirited and unconventional heroine.]]>
324 Emma Melbourne Diane 0 4.33 2023 Miss Fleming Falls in Love (Miss Fleming #1)
author: Emma Melbourne
name: Diane
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/05
shelves: kindle-unlimited, romance-historical-european
review:

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<![CDATA[The Healing Garden: Cultivating and Handcrafting Herbal Remedies]]> 58311933
This is the ultimate reference for anyone looking to bring the beauty and therapeutic properties of plants into their garden, kitchen, and home apothecary. Both informative and accessible, it covers how to plan your garden (including container gardening for small spaces); essential information on seed propagation, soil quality, and holistic gardening practices; 30 detailed profiles of must-know plants (including growing information, medicinal properties, and how to use them); foundational principles of herbalism; step-by-step photographic tutorials for preparing botanical medicine and healing foods; and 70 recipes for teas, tinctures, oils, salves, syrups, and more. Packed with sumptuous photography, this book will appeal to home gardeners who want to branch out to culinary and medicinal herbs, home cooks and those interested in natural wellness, and novice and skillful herbalists alike.]]>
448 Juliet Blankespoor 0358313384 Diane 5 garden-herbals 4.60 The Healing Garden: Cultivating and Handcrafting Herbal Remedies
author: Juliet Blankespoor
name: Diane
average rating: 4.60
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/05/28
shelves: garden-herbals
review:

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<![CDATA[Edible Landscaping: Now You Can Have Your Gorgeous Garden and Eat It Too!]]> 7356490
Creasy鈥檚 expertise on edibles and how to incorporate them in beautifully designed outdoor environments was first showcased in the original edition of Edible Landscaping (Sierra Club Books, 1982), hailed by gardeners everywhere as a groundbreaking classic. Now this highly anticipated new edition presents the latest design and how-to information in a glorious full-color format, featuring more than 300 inspiring photographs.

Drawing on the author鈥檚 decades of research and experience, the book presents everything you need to know to create an inviting home landscape that will yield mouthwatering vegetables, fruits, nuts, and berries. The comprehensive Encyclopedia of Edibles鈥攁 book in itself鈥攑rovides horticultural information, culinary uses, sources, and recommended varieties; and appendices cover the basics of planting and maintenance, and of controlling pests and diseases using organic and environmentally friendly practices.]]>
384 Rosalind Creasy 1578051541 Diane 5 garden-herbals 4.19 2010 Edible Landscaping: Now You Can Have Your Gorgeous Garden and Eat It Too!
author: Rosalind Creasy
name: Diane
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/05/28
shelves: garden-herbals
review:

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<![CDATA[The Beautiful Edible Garden: Design A Stylish Outdoor Space Using Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs]]> 13643016 220 Leslie Bennett 1607742330 Diane 5 garden-herbals 3.64 2013 The Beautiful Edible Garden: Design A Stylish Outdoor Space Using Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs
author: Leslie Bennett
name: Diane
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/05/28
shelves: garden-herbals
review:

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Tress of the Emerald Sea 60531406 #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson expands his Cosmere universe shared by The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn with a new standalone novel for everyone who loved The Princess Bride.

The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?]]>
443 Brandon Sanderson Diane 0 fantasy-ya 4.35 2023 Tress of the Emerald Sea
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Diane
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2023/05/14
date added: 2023/05/14
shelves: fantasy-ya
review:

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<![CDATA[Gardening as a Sacred Art: Towards the Redemption of our Relationship with Nature]]> 59963445 120 Jeremy Naydler 1912230771 Diane 4 garden-herbals, non-fiction 4.00 Gardening as a Sacred Art: Towards the Redemption of our Relationship with Nature
author: Jeremy Naydler
name: Diane
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/22
date added: 2023/04/22
shelves: garden-herbals, non-fiction
review:

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Rose Daughter 8089
Twenty years ago, Robin McKinley dazzled readers with the power of her novel Beauty. Now this extraordinarily gifted novelist returns to the story of Beauty and the Beast with a fresh perspective, ingenuity, and mature insight. With Rose Daughter, she presents her finest and most deeply felt work--a compelling, richly imagined, and haunting exploration of the transformative power of love.]]>
304 Robin McKinley 0441005837 Diane 0 fantasy-adult 3.78 1997 Rose Daughter
author: Robin McKinley
name: Diane
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1997
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/17
shelves: fantasy-adult
review:

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<![CDATA[Return to Satterthwaite Court (Somerset Stories, #3)]]> 61883167 A reckless Victorian heiress sets her sights on a dashing ex-naval lieutenant, determined to win his heart as the two of them embark on a quest to solve a decades-old mystery in USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews鈥檚 sequel to her critically acclaimed novels The Work of Art and Gentleman Jim.

Lieutenant Charles Heywood has had his fill of adventure. Battle-weary and disillusioned, he returns to England, resolved to settle down to a quiet, uneventful life on an estate of his own. But arranging to purchase the property he desires is more difficult than Charles ever imagined. The place is mired in secrets, some of which may prove deadly. If 丑别鈥檚 going to unravel them, he鈥檒l need the assistance of someone as daring as he is.

At only twenty, Lady Katherine Beresford has already earned a scandalous reputation. As skilled with pistols as she is on horseback, s丑别鈥檚 never met an obstacle she can鈥檛 surmount鈥攐r a man she can鈥檛 win. That is, until she encounters the infuriatingly somber Lieutenant Heywood. But Kate refuses to be deterred by the raven-haired soldier鈥檚 strong, silent facade. After all, faint heart never won handsome gentleman.

From the wilds of rural Somersetshire to the glittering ballrooms of early-Victorian London, Charles and Kate embark on a cross-country quest to solve a decades鈥� old mystery. Will the greatest danger be to their hearts鈥攐r to their lives?]]>
285 Mimi Matthews 1736080237 Diane 4 romance-historical-european 4.13 2023 Return to Satterthwaite Court (Somerset Stories, #3)
author: Mimi Matthews
name: Diane
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/12
date added: 2023/04/12
shelves: romance-historical-european
review:
Delightful with the right balance of everything, as usual. Love that s丑别鈥檚 doing a next generation. Whenever I read one of Mimi Mathew鈥檚 novels I end up mentally side-eyeing seventy percent of the other authors of historical romance who don鈥檛 even manage to get it half this right half of the time.
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<![CDATA[A Song of Flight (Warrior Bards, #3)]]> 56987049 464 Juliet Marillier 0451492838 Diane 3
I feel this trilogy peaks with the second book, but I still like this better than the first. All in all the series is good if you are a fan of the author but there are better places to start if new to her.

Happily, Eirne the Debbie-Downer-fairy-queen is barely in this one, so bonus points there.

Merged review:

3.5 Stars

I feel this trilogy peaks with the second book, but I still like this better than the first. All in all the series is good if you are a fan of the author but there are better places to start if new to her.

Happily, Eirne the Debbie-Downer-fairy-queen is barely in this one, so bonus points there.]]>
4.23 2021 A Song of Flight (Warrior Bards, #3)
author: Juliet Marillier
name: Diane
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/09/30
date added: 2023/04/11
shelves:
review:
3.5 Stars

I feel this trilogy peaks with the second book, but I still like this better than the first. All in all the series is good if you are a fan of the author but there are better places to start if new to her.

Happily, Eirne the Debbie-Downer-fairy-queen is barely in this one, so bonus points there.

Merged review:

3.5 Stars

I feel this trilogy peaks with the second book, but I still like this better than the first. All in all the series is good if you are a fan of the author but there are better places to start if new to her.

Happily, Eirne the Debbie-Downer-fairy-queen is barely in this one, so bonus points there.
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<![CDATA[The Work of Art (Somerset Stories, #1)]]> 46133134 An Uncommon Beauty...
Hidden away in rural Devonshire, Phyllida Satterthwaite has always been considered more odd than beautiful. But in London, her oddity has made her a sensation. Far worse, it's caught the eye of the sinister Duke of Moreland 鈥� a notorious art collector obsessed with acquiring one-of-a-kind treasures. To escape the duke's clutches, she's going to need a little help.

An Unlikely Hero...
Captain Arthur Heywood's days of heroism are long past. Grievously injured in the Peninsular War, he can no longer walk unaided, let alone shoot a pistol. What use can he possibly be to a damsel in distress? He has nothing left to offer except his good name.

Can a marriage of convenience save Philly from the vengeful duke? Or will life with Arthur put her 鈥� and her heart 鈥� in more danger than ever?]]>
392 Mimi Matthews 1733056904 Diane 4 4.19 2019 The Work of Art (Somerset Stories, #1)
author: Mimi Matthews
name: Diane
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/04/07
shelves:
review:
Just re-read this after a few years and am bumping it up a star this time.
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<![CDATA[Raintree: Inferno (Raintree #1)]]> 189288 It's Time to Discover the Raintree Trilogy

Two hundred years after the Raintree clan defeated them, the Ansara wizards are rising again to take on their bitterest foes. As king, it's up to Dante Raintree to protect his clan, but his heart - and maybe his loyalties - may be fatally divided when Lorna Clay walks into his life. Suddenly fire, always his to control, defeats him, taking with it his livelihood. Unsure whether Lorna is to blame yet unable to walk away from her, Dante faces the fight of his lifetime, a fight even his strength and that of the Raintree clan may not be enough to win.

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280 Linda Howard 0373617623 Diane 2 paranormal 3.65 2007 Raintree: Inferno (Raintree #1)
author: Linda Howard
name: Diane
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at: 2023/04/02
date added: 2023/04/02
shelves: paranormal
review:

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The Lights of Sugarberry Cove 55077654
Sadie Way Scott has been avoiding her family and hometown of Sugarberry Cove, Alabama, since she nearly drowned in the lake just outside her mother鈥檚 B&B. Eight years later, Sadie is the host of a much-loved show about southern cooking and family, but despite her success, she wonders why she was saved. What is she supposed to do?

Sadie鈥檚 sister, Leala Clare, is still haunted by the guilt she feels over the night her sister almost died. Now, at a crossroads in her marriage, Leala has everything she ever thought she wanted鈥晄o why is she so unhappy?

When their mother suffers a minor heart attack just before Sugarberry Cove鈥檚 famous water lantern festival, the two sisters come home to run the inn while she recovers. It鈥檚 the last place either of them wants to be, but with a little help from the inn鈥檚 quirky guests, the sisters may come to terms with their strained relationships, accept the past, and rediscover a little lake magic.]]>
272 Heather Webber 1250774624 Diane 3 magical-realism 4.02 2021 The Lights of Sugarberry Cove
author: Heather Webber
name: Diane
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/31
date added: 2023/03/31
shelves: magical-realism
review:

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<![CDATA[Paramagnetism: Rediscovering Nature's Secret Force of Growth]]> 641117 144 Philip S. Callahan 0911311491 Diane 4 non-fiction 4.31 1995 Paramagnetism: Rediscovering Nature's Secret Force of Growth
author: Philip S. Callahan
name: Diane
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/26
date added: 2023/03/26
shelves: non-fiction
review:

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