gem's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:24:21 -0700 60 gem's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Davina's Kitchen Favourites: Amazing Sugar-Free, No Fuss Recipes to Enjoy Together]]> 35959957
Being a mom is a non-stop juggling act and there's always a million-and-one things to do to keep everyone safe, happy and healthy. We know that to keep our busy-bodies energized we should be watching our blood sugar and eating smart, but it's not always easy to plan ahead or spend time in the kitchen.

Davina's Sugar-Free Family Cookbook is packed with tasty refined sugar-free recipes that get great meals on the table - fast. No fuss, no tricky-to-find ingredients, just amazing, healthy food fit for busy family life.

From quick suppers to indulgent specials perfect for when the whole family get-together; guilt-free lunch box fillers to fabulous birthday cakes and tons of tips for cooking with mini-helpers, these recipes:

* are free from refined sugar so keep blood sugar in balance - no sugar cravings
* use smart carbs that help you stay healthy, look great and keep you feeling fuller longer
* include ingredients that are easy to use and are available in supermarkets

Enjoy super quick yummy food to feed the whole family in no time at all. This a collection of simple wins - and who doesn't love those!]]>
224 Davina McCall 1409175707 gem 3 A good mix of sweet and savoury recipes, along with some kitchen basics such as sauces and pestos.
My fave recipes are the sweet potato and black bean fritters and the banana cake (well, all the cakes tbh!).
It’s full of brilliant ideas for cutting down on your sugar intake and replacing refined white carbs with more fibre full spelt flour.]]>
4.11 2018 Davina's Kitchen Favourites: Amazing Sugar-Free, No Fuss Recipes to Enjoy Together
author: Davina McCall
name: gem
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2019/04/04
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves:
review:
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A good mix of sweet and savoury recipes, along with some kitchen basics such as sauces and pestos.
My fave recipes are the sweet potato and black bean fritters and the banana cake (well, all the cakes tbh!).
It’s full of brilliant ideas for cutting down on your sugar intake and replacing refined white carbs with more fibre full spelt flour.
]]>
<![CDATA[A Very Bookish Murder (An Ally McKinley Mystery Book 3)]]> 228125012 Welcome back to the tiny Highland village of Locharran, where Ally McKinley � guesthouse owner and accidental detective � is about to stumble upon another dead body� and her next case.

When Ally McKinley hears that well-known novelist Jodi Jones is going to host a writers� retreat at the hotel just down the road, she’s delighted to offer rooms at her little guesthouse for some of the attendees. Ally is thrilled to join the group for one of their first sessions � but the retreat has barely begun before she finds the famous writer strangled in the ladies� bathroom!

The cake tin and teapot come out at the little guesthouse in the Highlands as Ally begins to question her bookish guests. Accusations of plagiarism and infidelity start flying and it’s clear that more than one of the retreat attendees had a grudge against Jodi. But could any of them have resorted to murder?

When Ally discovers a diary in Jodi’s bedroom at the guesthouse with several pages ripped out of it, she thinks she’s close to cracking the case. But the plot thickens when another of the aspiring writers is found dead, only hours after she said she knew the identity of Jodi’s killer.

Not only is the murderer still in Locharran, they’re desperate to stop Ally getting to the truth. With her faithful puppy Flora by her side, can Ally unravel the clues and solve the mystery before she’s written out of the story for good?]]>
258 Dee MacDonald 1836182511 gem 0 to-read 4.33 2025 A Very Bookish Murder (An Ally McKinley Mystery Book 3)
author: Dee MacDonald
name: gem
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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What Happens in Amsterdam 217245608 Falling in love with your husband is anything but convenient in this steamy romance from the New York Times bestselling author of Business or Pleasure.

Dani Dorfman has somehow made it to her thirties without knowing what she wants to do with her life. So when an office romance ends poorly and gets her fired, she applies for a job in Amsterdam, idly dreaming of escaping the mess she’s created, but never imagining she'll actually get it.

Except she does. By the end of her first week in Amsterdam, she’s never felt more adrift or alone. Then she crashes her bike into her high school ex-boyfriend—and suddenly life is blooming with new opportunities.

Wouter van Leeuwen was a Dutch exchange student Dani’s family hosted, a forbidden love that ended in a painful breakup. Years later, there’s still sizzling chemistry between them, and okay, maybe a little animosity. More importantly, Wouter needs to be married to inherit a gorgeous family home on a canal—and when Dani's job falls apart, she needs a visa.As the marriage of convenience pushes them together in unexpected ways, Dani must decide whether her new life is yet another mistake—or if it's worth taking a risk on a second chance.]]>
384 Rachel Lynn Solomon 0593548558 gem 0 to-read 4.12 2025 What Happens in Amsterdam
author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
name: gem
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Tenant 221733722 There’s no place like home�

Blake Porter is riding high, until he's not. Fired abruptly from his job as a VP of marketing and unable to make the mortgage payments on the new brownstone that he shares with his fiancee, he's desperate to make ends meet.

Enter Whitney. Beautiful, charming, down-to-earth, and looking for a room to rent. She's exactly what Blake's looking for. Or is she?

Because something isn't quite right. The neighbors start treating Blake differently. The smell of decay permeates his home, no matter how hard he scrubs. Strange noises jar him awake in the middle of the night. And soon Blake fears someone knows his darkest secrets...

Danger lives right at home, and by the time Blake realizes it, it'll be far too late. The trap is already set.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden knocks at your door with a gripping story of revenge, privilege, and secrets turned sour�]]>
368 Freida McFadden 1464227314 gem 0 to-read 4.44 2025 The Tenant
author: Freida McFadden
name: gem
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
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What If I Never Get Over You 216522748 One Day meets a contemporary Bridgerton in this high-drama, escapist wonder of a love story, Paige Toon’s best yet.

Three days to fall in love. Six years to try to forget.

Ellie didn’t expect to fall in love while interrailing through Europe. But she also didn’t expect to meet a man like Ash. Three blistering days in Lisbon is all it takes to form an unforgettable connection—a bond deep enough for them to scrap their itineraries and plan to meet again in Spain. But Ellie arrives late, and Ash is nowhere to be found.

Six years later, Ellie has landed her dream job working as a gardener for a viscount and viscountess on their sprawling five-hundred-year-old estate in Wales. She finds peace amongst the towering topiary hedges and colorful gardens, but her idyll is shattered when Ash crashes back into her life. And when it becomes clear why he didn’t show in Madrid, her heart breaks anew—for what the truth means for her, and for his fate.

But they have never been able to resist each another, and when the sparks of their attraction fly, Ellie’s life will catch flame. She will have to make a choice.]]>
416 Paige Toon 0593718739 gem 0 to-read 3.95 2025 What If I Never Get Over You
author: Paige Toon
name: gem
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
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Let Me Go (Ashley Hope, #1) 59053975
Ashley has spent years trying to forget her past and the poverty-wracked childhood she escaped from. Her life is finally perfectly normal—and she’s worked hard to make it that way. Her new husband is wealthy and handsome. Their suburban house is a total dream. And with her master’s in criminal justice almost complete, Ashley is ready to move on with her life, confident that her secrets are buried for good.

But on a trip to her rural hometown, old tensions suddenly threaten to boil over. Her Polo-wearing husband sticks out dangerously among the hardened folk of Grundy County. And when the visit goes horribly awry, Ashley, handed shocking news, realizes the past has a stubborn way of coming back.

As Ashley’s carefully constructed life begins to splinter around her, she finds herself in a fight for her life, drawn deeper into a dangerous game of cat and mouse. This killer knows her better than anyone—and he’ll stop at nothing, murder included, to get her where he wants her.

Will her past finally claim her for good?]]>
268 Kate Bold gem 0 to-read 3.94 2021 Let Me Go (Ashley Hope, #1)
author: Kate Bold
name: gem
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Lincoln Lawyer (The Lincoln Lawyer, #1; Harry Bosch Universe, #16)]]> 26210242
A Beverly Hills playboy arrested for attacking a woman he picked up in a bar chooses Haller to defend him, and Mickey has his first high-paying client in years. It is a defense attorney's dream, what they call a franchise case. And as the evidence stacks up, Haller comes to believe this may be the easiest case of his career. Then someone close to him is murdered and Haller discovers that his search for innocence has brought him face-to-face with evil as pure as a flame. To escape without being burned, he must deploy every tactic, feint, and instinct in his arsenal - this time to save his own life.]]>
448 Michael Connelly gem 0 to-read 4.33 2005 The Lincoln Lawyer (The Lincoln Lawyer, #1; Harry Bosch Universe, #16)
author: Michael Connelly
name: gem
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2005
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[The Perfect Divorce (Perfect, #2)]]> 219240806 From the author of the multimillion-copy bestselling thriller The Perfect Marriage

Till death do us part. Yours. Not Mine.

It’s been eleven years since high-powered attorney Sarah Morgan defended her husband, Adam, against the charge of murdering his mistress. Sarah has long since moved on, starting a family with her new husband, Bob Miller, and changing careers. Her life is back to being exactly how she always wanted � or is it?

After discovering Bob engaged in a one-night stand, Sarah wastes no time filing for divorce. However, amid their ugly separation, new DNA evidence is uncovered in the case against Adam, forcing the police to reopen the investigation and putting Sarah right back in the spotlight. Everyone wants to know what really happened, most of all former deputy Marcus Hudson, who is hell-bent on finding the truth.

But when the woman Bob slept with is reported missing, he and Sarah start to fight dirty, and a high-stakes game of cat and mouse ensues. Filled with page-turning suspense and Jeneva Rose’s signature twists and turns, this book will have readers wondering: Can Bob and Sarah achieve the perfect divorce? Or will it be “’til death do us part�?]]>
288 Jeneva Rose gem 0 to-read 4.15 2025 The Perfect Divorce (Perfect, #2)
author: Jeneva Rose
name: gem
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Compass and Blade (Compass and Blade #1)]]> 178049486 This world of sea and storm runs deep with bargains and blood.

On the remote isle of Rosevear, Mira, like her mother before her, is a wrecker, one of the seven on the rope who swim out to shipwrecks to plunder them. Mira’s job is to rescue survivors, if there are any. After all, she never feels the cold of the frigid ocean waters and the waves seem to sing to her soul. But the people of Rosevear never admit the truth: that they set the beacons themselves to lure ships into the rocks.

When the Council watch lays a trap to put an end to the wrecking, they arrest Mira’s father. Desperate to save him from the noose, Mira strikes a deal with an enigmatic wreck survivor guarding layers of secrets behind his captivating eyes, and sets off to find something her mother has left her, a family secret buried deep in the sea.

With just nine days to find what she needs to rescue her father, all Mira knows for certain is this: The sea gives. The sea takes. And it’s up to her to do what she must to save the ones she loves.]]>
336 Rachel Greenlaw 133501232X gem 0 to-read 3.32 2024 Compass and Blade (Compass and Blade #1)
author: Rachel Greenlaw
name: gem
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Wicked is the Reaper (Cursed Captors, #1)]]> 205043999
My oldest friend and the greatest hunter in Aetherus is favored to win, and we've planned our entire lives together.

That is, until the Reaper, the monster who haunts the trees, arrives with the largest stag in the forest and claims me as his own.

Wicked is the Reaper is a steamy adult fantasy romance novella perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Raven Kennedy.

Please Note: This book contains explicit content and darker elements, including mature language, violence, and sex. It is not intended for anyone under 18 years of age.]]>
138 Nisha J. Tuli gem 0 to-read 3.36 2022 Wicked is the Reaper (Cursed Captors, #1)
author: Nisha J. Tuli
name: gem
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[To Wake a Kingdom (Curse of Thorne, #1)]]> 60738936 Sleeping Beauty meets A Court of Thorns and Roses in this twisted fantasy romance retelling, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Raven Kennedy.

After 100 years, I awake not to true love’s kiss, but to a blade at my throat.

Enchanted into an eternal slumber to escape an evil fae, Thorne is awakened, not by true love’s kiss, but by a man with a sword at her throat. So she does the only thing a princess can do—nails him in the balls and sticks him with a dagger.

But something has gone wrong because now her entire family isn’t waking up and Ronan, a warrior from an enemy kingdom, arrives on her doorstep seeking answers she doesn’t want to give.

Bent on revenge, the evil fae returns to claim the princess and kill everyone asleep in the castle. So Thorne strikes a bargain—thirty days to break the curse or Thorne becomes her property forever. But Thorne has no idea how to break a hundred-year-old spell that’s gone awry.

As time ticks away and she scrambles for a solution, her feelings for Ronan become entwined in her fate. Now she must find a way to protect her heart, save herself, and rescue everyone she’s ever loved.

This is a standalone fantasy romance with a happily ever after.]]>
400 Nisha J. Tuli gem 0 to-read 3.48 2022 To Wake a Kingdom (Curse of Thorne, #1)
author: Nisha J. Tuli
name: gem
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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Count My Lies 214151565 A read-in-one-night suspense thriller narrated by a compulsive liar whose little white lies allow her to enter into the life and comfort of a wealthy married couple who are harboring much darker secrets themselves. For the millions of us still chasing those gone girls, this is perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Lucy Foley, and Laura Dave.

Sloane Caraway is a liar.

Harmless lies, mostly, to make her self-proclaimed sad, little life a bit more interesting.

So when Sloane sees a young girl in tears at a park one afternoon, she can't help herself—she tells the girl's (very attractive) dad she's a nurse and helps him pull a bee stinger from the girl's foot.

With this lie, and chance encounter, Sloane becomes the nanny for the wealthy, and privileged Jay and Violet Lockhart. The perfect New York couple, with a brownstone, a daughter in private school, and summers on Block Island.

But maybe Sloane isn't the only one lying, and all that's picture-perfect harbors a much more dangerous truth. To say anything more is to spoil the most exciting, twisty, and bitingly smart suspense novel to come out in years.

The thing about lies is that they add up, form their own truth and a twisted prison of a world. And in Count My Lies, Sophie Stava spins a breakneck, unputdownable thriller about the secrets we keep, and the terrifying dangers that lurk just under the images we spend so much time trying to maintain.

Careful what you lie for.]]>
336 Sophie Stava 1668079348 gem 0 to-read 3.73 2025 Count My Lies
author: Sophie Stava
name: gem
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Boarded Hearts (Seattle Scorpions, #1)]]> 207292648 My whole life I’ve come out on top.

One of the finest players ever to grace the NHL? Check.

Most prolific playboy with an enviable reputation between the sheets? Check.

Award for the cockiest athlete in America? Also check, and well deserved I’d say.

So why does my life feel anything but the perfect image I project?

And why won’t the one woman who came crashing into my life and knocked me on my six-foot four ass take me seriously?

She doesn’t even recognize me, let alone worship the ground I walk on.

I’m in uncharted territory, tearing up my rule book and unearthing buried demons in my pursuit of her affection.

I always get what I want in life but apparently Felicity Thompson didn’t get the memo. I want her in my bed, but all she offers me is her witty British tongue and no-nonsense attitude.

It isn’t supposed to be this way. She’s supposed to unravel for me. Yet the harder I pursue her, the more my own layers peel away.

Felicity Thompson is fast becoming not just what I want but the very woman I need in my life, and I’m terrified to admit that when it truly matters, I might not be coming out on top after all.]]>
312 Ruth Stilling gem 0 to-read 3.72 Boarded Hearts (Seattle Scorpions, #1)
author: Ruth Stilling
name: gem
average rating: 3.72
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
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Our Last Wild Days 220160259 From the author of the “irresistible� (Paula Hawkin, #1 New York Times bestselling author) Where the Truth Lies, an atmospheric novel about a young woman who searches for answers after her estranged friend is found dead in the bayou of their rural Louisiana hometown.

The Labasques aren’t like other families.

Living in a shack out in the swamps, they made do by hunting down alligators and other animals. To the good people of Jacknife, Louisiana, they are troublemakers and outcasts, the kind of people you wouldn’t want in your community.

So, when Cutter Labasque is found face down in the muddy swamp, no one seems to care, not even her two brothers. The only person who questions the official verdict of suicide is Cutter’s childhood friend, Loyal May, who has just returned home to care for her mother. When she left town at eighteen years old, she betrayed Cutter. Now with a ragtag group from the local paper where she works, Loyal goes in search of answers, uncovering a web of deceit and corruption that implicates those in town. It may be too late to apologize to Cutter, but Loyal has restitution in mind.

Weaving through the swamps and bayous of rural Louisiana, Our Last Wild Days is an atmospheric, smoldering suspense about our darker impulses—and how to set things right.]]>
352 Anna Bailey 1982157194 gem 0 to-read 4.17 2025 Our Last Wild Days
author: Anna Bailey
name: gem
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
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That'll Teach Her 209249282 A headmistress is dead. The circumstances are suspicious.
And as every parent knows, being on the school group chat can be murder...

As educators go, Claudia Stitchwell makes Miss Hannigan look like Miss Honey.
But when the reviled headteacher drops dead in the school hall, a group of sceptical parents suspect the nut allergy explanation doesn't add up - they believe someone wanted to teach Miss Stitchwell a lesson.

Only four people could have killed Stitchwell: Hattie, the adored school cook; Kiera, the hard-working teaching assistant; Clive, the loathed school bursar and Ben, the popular deputy head. All of them are liars... but only one is the murderer.

Piecing together evidence from the daily drama and drudgery of the parents' group chat, local press, police reports, school newsletters, and good, old-fashioned gossip, the determined detective parents are doing their homework to crack the case.

Will you spot the clues? Can you deduce whodunnit? And for the love of all things holy, does anyone have this week's spellings?]]>
553 Maz Evans 1035413280 gem 0 to-read 4.14 2025 That'll Teach Her
author: Maz Evans
name: gem
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
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Ottolenghi Simple 39797678 A collection of 130 easy, flavor-forward recipes from beloved chef Yotam Ottolenghi.

In Ottolenghi Simple, powerhouse author and chef Yotam Ottolenghi presents 130 streamlined recipes packed with his signature Middle Eastern-inspired flavors. Each dish can be made in 30 minutes or less, with 10 or fewer ingredients, in a single pot, using pantry staples, or prepared ahead of time for brilliantly, deliciously simple meals. Brunch gets a make-over with Braised Eggs with Leeks and Za'atar; Cauliflower, Pomegranate, and Pistachio Salad refreshes the side-dish rotation; Lamb and Feta Meatballs bring ease to the weeknight table; and every sweet tooth is sure to be satisfied by the spectacular Fig and Thyme Clafoutis. With more than 130 photographs, this is elemental Ottolenghi for everyone.]]>
320 Yotam Ottolenghi 1607749165 gem 0 to-read 4.31 2018 Ottolenghi Simple
author: Yotam Ottolenghi
name: gem
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
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Kill Her Twice 194802765 From the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl comes a YA murder mystery noir set in 1930s Los Angeles’s Chinatown.

LOS ANGELES, 1932: Lulu Wong, star of the silver screen and the pride of Chinatown, has a face known to practically everyone, especially the Chow sisters—May, Gemma, and Peony—Lulu’s former classmates and neighbors. So the girls instantly know it’s Lulu when they discover a body one morning in an out-of-the-way stable, far from the Beverly Hills home where she lived after her fame skyrocketed.

The sisters suspect Lulu’s death is the result of foul play, but the police don’t seem motivated to investigate. Even worse, there are signs that point to a cover-up, and powerful forces in the city want to frame the killing as evidence that Chinatown is a den of iniquity and crime, even more reason it should be demolished to make room for the construction of a new railway depot, Union Station.

Worried that neither the police nor the papers will treat Lulu fairly—no matter her fame and wealth—the sisters set out to solve their friend’s murder themselves, and maybe save their neighborhood in the bargain. But with Lulu’s killer still on the loose, the girls� investigation just might put them square in the crosshairs of a cold-blooded murderer.]]>
400 Stacey Lee 0593532066 gem 0 to-read 3.98 2024 Kill Her Twice
author: Stacey Lee
name: gem
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
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I Found a Body 222928951
What ensues are two duelling investigations between a seasoned detective and an ambitious influencer, one using good old-fashioned police work, and the other using sensational tactics to keep spotlight on the case - and on herself.

Nine years later, Mona is estranged from her daughter, relying on a cane to walk, and bitter towards Kylie, whilst the murder remains unsolved. When Kylie, now a sleek TV contrarian ( young, female Piers Morgan), approaches Mona with a well-paid offer to investigate the cold case, Mona has no option but to accept . . .]]>
336 Becky Brynolf gem 0 currently-reading 4.08 I Found a Body
author: Becky Brynolf
name: gem
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: currently-reading
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<![CDATA[50 Classic Gothic Works You Should Read: Dracula, Frankenstein, The Black Cat, The Picture Of Dorian Gray...]]> 36463015 The History of Caliph Vathek - William Beckford
The Mysteries of Udolpho - Ann Radcliffe
Caleb Williams - William Godwin
Wieland: or, The Transformation - Charles Brockden Brown
Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Melmoth the Wanderer (Lock and Key Version) - Charles Robert Maturin
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Washington Irving
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner - James Hogg
St. John's Eve - Nikolai Gogol
The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Victor Hugo
The Queen of Spades - Alexander Pushkin
Berenice - Edgar Allan Poe
Young Goodman Brown - Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Nose - Nikolai Gogol
The Minister's Black Veil - Nathaniel Hawthorne
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
Ligeia - E. A. Poe
The Fall of the House of Usher - E. A. Poe
The Masque of the Red Death - E. A. Poe
The Oval Portrait - E. A. Poe
The Pit and the Pendulum - E. A. Poe
The Black Cat - E. A. Poe
The Tell-Tale Heart - E. A. Poe
Rappaccini's Daughter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Double - Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë
Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë
Varney the Vampire - James Malcom Rymer
Villette - Charlotte Brontë
The House of the Seven Gables - Nathaniel Hawthorne
Bleak House - Charles Dickens
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Uncle Silas - Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
The Mystery of Edwin Drood - Charles Dickens
The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
The Damned (Là-bas) - Joris-Karl Huysmans
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
The Yellow Wallpaper - Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Trilby - George du Maurier
Dracula - Bram Stoker
The Beetle - Richard Marsh
The Turn of the Screw - Henry James
The Real Thing - Henry James
The House on the Borderland - William Hope Hodgson
The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux
The Lair of the White Worm - Bram Stoker
The Outsider - Howard Phillips Lovecraft]]>
11767 Unknown 2377933661 gem 0 currently-reading 4.11 50 Classic Gothic Works You Should Read: Dracula, Frankenstein, The Black Cat, The Picture Of Dorian Gray...
author: Unknown
name: gem
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/27
shelves: currently-reading
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<![CDATA[OMG! Is This Actually My Life? (Hattie Moore, #1)]]> 16281720
Hattie's diary of this tumultuous year is an absolutely hilarious account of the ups and downs of teenage life including a dating bogey phobia, near death from biscotti and a home-made breast-growing machine.]]>
336 Rae Earl 1406340014 gem 0 to-read 3.99 2013 OMG! Is This Actually My Life? (Hattie Moore, #1)
author: Rae Earl
name: gem
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)]]> 51901147
The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.]]>
541 Suzanne Collins gem 5 3.99 2020 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: gem
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/04
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves:
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The House Guest 197028215
They have no idea I don't plan to leave. Or that I intend to destroy their sickeningly perfect lives.

It’s time for Carmel to pay for my sister’s death. And now I’ve seen the cracks in their marriage, I know exactly how I’m going to do it.

And yet, the longer I stay, the more I worry I may have made the biggest mistake of my life.

Because there’s something strange going on in this creepy, old house.

Secrets lurk behind every door and I’m beginning to suspect Carmel and Rufus are not the people they pretend to be…]]>
333 A.J. Wills gem 0 to-read 3.93 2023 The House Guest
author: A.J. Wills
name: gem
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[The Kept Woman (Will Trent #8)]]> 28571414
But for Will—and also for Dr Sara Linton, the GBI's newest medical examiner—the case is about to get even worse. Because an unexpected discovery at the scene reveals a personal link to Will's troubled past. The consequences will wreak havoc on his life and the lives of those he loves, those he works with, and those he pursues.

But Sara's scene-of-the-crime diagnosis is that they only have a few hours to find the missing woman before she bleeds out . . .]]>
485 Karin Slaughter gem 0 to-read 4.26 2016 The Kept Woman (Will Trent #8)
author: Karin Slaughter
name: gem
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels]]> 61157639
Now, true crime author Amanda Bailey is looking to revive her career by writing a book on the case. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen; finding them will be the scoop of the year. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and also on the baby’s trail.

As Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realize that the truth about the Angels is much darker and stranger than they’d ever imagined, and in pursuit of the story they risk becoming part of it.]]>
416 Janice Hallett 1800810407 gem 0 to-read 3.91 2023 The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels
author: Janice Hallett
name: gem
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: to-read
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The Beautiful Maddening 220160377 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw comes a haunting romantic contemporary fantasy about a teen navigating her family’s love curse that blooms with their enchanted tulips every year.

Seventeen year-old Lark Goode wants only one to escape her small town of Cutwater and the history of her family name. It’s a history that began during the Dutch tulip mania of 1636, when Lark’s ancestor stole the last remaining tulip bulbs and fled to America. But when the tulips bloomed on American soil, madness sprouted from their snowy white petals.

The madness was love.

Now, generations later, the Goodes remain cursed—the unnatural flowers outside their home causing locals to fall helplessly in love with anyone carrying Goode blood in their veins. While her brother embraces the strange power, Lark wants nothing more than to be free from it.

But when she meets a boy who seems unaffected by the family curse, Lark finds herself falling headlong into a feeling she’s spent her whole life trying to avoid. Yet, all curses and magic come with a price, and the town of Cutwater soon sinks into a dangerous sickness tied to Lark and the ill-fated tulips.

To save the town, Lark will need to sacrifice everything—even true love—to break the spell. Because in the Goode family, love has a way of destroying everything.]]>
304 Shea Ernshaw 166590027X gem 0 to-read 3.67 2025 The Beautiful Maddening
author: Shea Ernshaw
name: gem
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/14
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Steel & Spellfire 220160176
Pandora Small has two ruling objectives: first, to keep the prodigious extent of her power secret, in a world where mages are feared and governed by suffocating laws. Second, to find her wealthy and noble-born patron, a shadowy figure bound to Pandora by magic, who stole her childhood and grew her power until she became a weapon rather than a girl. To that end, she’s posing as an Ingenue, a privileged and petted young woman of strictly limited abilities, who is allowed access to the royal court’s social season in order to find a husband and patron to control her magic.

But on Pandora’s arrival at court, Kit Beacon, one of the most promising members of the Royal Guard, inadvertently learns the true scope of her power. Privately sympathetic towards mages and the difficulties they face, Beacon decides to keep Pandora’s secret. But when someone or something with powers terribly like Pandora’s own begins slaughtering her fellow Ingenues, Beacon’s resolve to keep what he knows about her private is put to the test.

Tasked with protecting all the girls in the palace, not just one, Beacon will have to decide whether Pandora is a suspect or an ally, while to win his trust, Pandora will have to let him know more of her still—the worst of who she is and what she’s done. Because only unity between them during the social whirlwind to come will enable Pan to find her patron and Beacon the killer, and ensure they both see justice meted out.]]>
368 Laura E. Weymouth 1665959754 gem 0 to-read 3.87 2025 Steel & Spellfire
author: Laura E. Weymouth
name: gem
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Shadow & Storms (The Legends of Thezmarr, #4)]]> 208301504
The time has come to make one last stand against the forces of cursed men and monsters. But Thea’s enemies are only getting stronger. With allies divided and an outnumbered army, she must race against her own fate to secure the future of the midrealms � or die trying.

A prophecy is looming, and Thea’s life is in the balance. Does she have the power to cheat death itself?

Love and loyalty will be tested. Bonds will fracture forever. But all must fight for a better world.

In the final war for survival, will Thea and Wilder emerge victorious? Or will the shadows consume them at last?

Fans of Fourth Wing, The Witcher and The Bridge Kingdom, brace yourselves for sizzling romance, found family and heart-pounding battles in Shadow & Storms, the epic finale to The Legends of Thezmarr.]]>
420 Helen Scheuerer 1922903183 gem 0 to-read 4.21 2024 Shadow & Storms (The Legends of Thezmarr, #4)
author: Helen Scheuerer
name: gem
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/14
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Wuthering Heights 35608299
Admired for its stark originality and condemned for its fiendish affront to the senses, Wuthering Heights polarized critics. For generations of readers since, its themes of gender inequality, religious hypocrisy, social climbing, and the violent extremes of romantic obsession resonate to this day.

This AmazonClassics edition of Wuthering Heights includes editorial revisions.]]>
142 Emily Brontë 1542097657 gem 0 currently-reading 3.95 1847 Wuthering Heights
author: Emily Brontë
name: gem
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1847
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: currently-reading
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<![CDATA[The Vampire Castle in the Sky (Tales from the Faraway North, #2)]]> 230464782 A sentient castle. A broken promise. A love that stands the test of time.

Thea Valentia spent her entire life following the path others decided for her until an unexpected tragedy forced her to carve her own. After she abandons her life in the Faraway North, she embarks on a perilous journey in search of the whimsical and full-of-magic castle of her childhood memories and the little vampire prince she had once called a friend. Instead she finds a lethal man with an inescapable destiny and a haunted castle that is determined to bind them together.

Hector Aventine spent his entire life loving Thea from afar, and when she left him behind, he thought he would be finally free of this torment. But as tragedy thrusts them together once again, he finds that his longing is burning greater than ever and that there is nothing he won’t do to keep her safe from the dark and dangerous world he was born into—the world he is destined to rule.

As the two of them are left with no choice but to lie their way into vampire society, they fall deep into a world of deceit, betrayal, and the worst kind of bloodlust.

The Vampire Castle in the Sky is a standalone adult romantasy about the dark path of grief and the rare love that lights the way through it.

This book can be read as a standalone or as a part of the Tales from the Faraway North series.]]>
Iris Lake gem 0 to-read 5.00 2025 The Vampire Castle in the Sky (Tales from the Faraway North, #2)
author: Iris Lake
name: gem
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: to-read
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Skyshade (Lightlark, #3) 207003676 The pulse-pounding third novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Lightlark Saga, by acclaimed author and #BookTok sensation Alex Aster

Love kills kingdoms�

Back in Grim’s castle on Nightshade, Isla is reeling in the wake of a brutal battle and the devastating truths it exposed. Her future—and the fate of the world—now hinge on a heart split in two.

Past Isla, who fell in love with the ruler of Nightshade, fights to resist feelings she considers treasonous. The Isla of the present, who has seen the ruin her powers can cause, will do anything to save Lightlark and its king.

As the line between enemy and friend is tested, Isla is more desperate than ever to understand the oracle’s final prophecy and change her heartrending fate. But a storm is coming. And with it, a long-buried evil greater than anything the realms have faced before.

With the clock ticking on her destiny and the survival of two warring kingdoms hinging on her own shattered heart, Isla Crown will either save the world—or destroy it.]]>
384 Alex Aster 141977378X gem 0 to-read 3.62 2024 Skyshade (Lightlark, #3)
author: Alex Aster
name: gem
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/07
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It Should Have Been You 215998781 Prepare to be hooked - pre-order the unputdownable new thriller from No.1 Sunday Times bestseller Andrea Mara.

Look what you started.
You press send. Your message is full of secrets about your neighbours. It’s meant for your sister, but it doesn’t reach her � it goes to the entire local community WhatsApp group instead.

Now everyone knows what you did.
As rumour spreads like wildfire through the picture-perfect neighbourhood, you convince yourself that people will move on, that this will quickly be forgotten. But then you receive the first death threat.

And someone wants you dead.
The next day, a woman has been murdered. And what’s even more chilling is that she had the same address as you � 26 Oakpark � but in a different part of town. Did the killer get the wrong house? It won’t be long before you find out…]]>
385 Andrea Mara 1529927803 gem 0 to-read 4.20 2026 It Should Have Been You
author: Andrea Mara
name: gem
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2026
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Murder by Cheesecake (Golden Girls #1)]]> 216655567 The first novel in the all-new Golden Girls Cozy Mystery Series!

When Dorothy’s obnoxious date is found dead in a hotel freezer, it not only ruins a gorgeous cheesecake but threatens the elaborate St. Olaf–themed wedding Rose is hosting.

Things are heating up, and not just because of Blanche’s hot flashes. Rose’s cousin is eloping to Miami, and Rose is playing host. If she can't balance the groom’s family’s snobbery against the traditional St. Olaf wedding week guidelines, her hometown may never accept her cousin again!

Dorothy quickly realizes she needs a date with whom she can exchange wedding-related wisecracks. Turning to a newfangled VHS dating service, she believes she’s found the ideal conversationalist. Unfortunately, what looks good on TV can actually be a total jerk in real life. It seems she’ll just have to enjoy the company of Sophia, Blanche, and whomever Blanche has targeted for a hookup.

As the Girls all pitch in, Rose is thrilled that the tea-and-fish-themed kickoff event is perfect, not a herring out of place. That is until Dorothy’s date is found dead—face-planted in an otherwise scrumptious-looking cheesecake. With every guest a suspect (especially Dorothy) and a marriage on the line, the four besties must ID the real killer, get the should-be-happy couple down the aisle, and make sure nobody from St. Olaf gets lost in the wilds of Miami. It’s up to the Golden Girls to sleuth out a way for friendship and love to win the day!]]>
292 Rachel Ekstrom Courage 1368102972 gem 0 to-read 3.72 2025 Murder by Cheesecake (Golden Girls #1)
author: Rachel Ekstrom Courage
name: gem
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
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Bad Publicity 219359500 Yesterday they were just exes.
Today they're a writer and a publicist... on tour in Europe... for a month.

When Andie lands her dream job as a senior book publicist, she's ready to take the world of New York publishing by storm.

Until her first day, when she discovers that her biggest author is Jack Carlson � the same Jack who ruined her life in university. Who she hasn't spoken to in five years. Who is not only still infuriatingly hot but incredibly successful. And whose campaign she definitely cannot mess up, if she wants to keep her job.

To make matters even worse, the central part of this career-defining campaign is a book tour. For a month, Andie will have to travel across Europe with the man who, if she were being totally honest, she'd like to hit with her car.

But she will not lose this opportunity, especially not because of him. One month on tour with Jack Carlson, visiting some of the most romantic spots in Europe. Deep breath. She can do this.]]>
384 Bianca Gillam 1526676443 gem 0 to-read 3.24 Bad Publicity
author: Bianca Gillam
name: gem
average rating: 3.24
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/06
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<![CDATA[Welcome to Camp Nightmare (Goosebumps, #9)]]> 125538 160 R.L. Stine 0439568463 gem 0 to-read 3.80 1993 Welcome to Camp Nightmare  (Goosebumps, #9)
author: R.L. Stine
name: gem
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1993
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[A Rivalry of Hearts (Fae Flings and Corset Strings, #1)]]> 177601547 One prestigious publishing contract.
A bargain of hearts and desire.

They say never bargain with the fae. They also say don’t get drunk on fae wine. Yet romance author Edwina Danforth has managed a blunder with both on her first visit to the infamous faelands. Now she's trapped in a magic-fueled bet she barely remembers with a man she’d be happier to forget. The terms? Whoever can bed the most lovers during their month-long dueling book tour wins a coveted publishing contract.

The win should be easy for Edwina. She’s known for penning scintillating tales of whirlwind romance. There’s just one problem: her imagination vastly exceeds her bedroom experience. But when failure means plummeting her career back into obscurity, losing isn’t an option.

Her handsome fae rival, William Haywood, poses an even greater challenge. Not only are his looks as aggravatingly perfect as his track record behind closed doors, but he has his own reasons for playing to win, and he won’t go down without a fight. Unless, of course, it’s a different kind of going down. In that case, he’s fair game.

Edwina and William clash in a rivalry of romance. But what happens when their objects of desire…turn out to be each other?

A Rivalry of Hearts is a spicy standalone adult fantasy romcom in the Fae Flings and Corset Strings series. Every book in this interconnected series is a complete story and ends with a HEA. If you like academic rivals, enemies to lovers, and quirky heroines, then you’ll love this sizzling tale.

The Fae Flings and Corset Strings series is set in the same world as The Fair Isle Trilogy and Entangled with Fae. Journey back to this beloved fae world or fall in love for the first time.]]>
409 Tessonja Odette gem 0 to-read 4.00 A Rivalry of Hearts (Fae Flings and Corset Strings, #1)
author: Tessonja Odette
name: gem
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
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Phantasma (Wicked Games, #1) 204593914 Welcome to Phantasma. There are only two rules to the game: Stay alive. And don’t fall in love.

When Ophelia’s sister disappears, there is only one way to save her. Ophelia must enter Phantasma, a deadly contest inside a haunted mansion, and claim its prize—a single wish.

Phantasma is a maze of twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, of demons and temptations. Ophelia will face nine challenges, each more dangerous than the last. There can only be one winner, and the other contestants will stop at nothing to eliminate their rivals.

Every day the house creates new monsters. But just as Ophelia’s fears threaten to overwhelm her, a mysterious stranger offers her a bargain.

Charming, arrogant and infuriatingly attractive, Blackwell claims he can guide her through the lethal trials ahead. All he asks in return is ten years of her life.

Ophelia knows she shouldn’t trust him. Blackwell doesn’t seem dangerous, but appearances can be deceptive. Worse still, she feels a dark and irresistible attraction drawing them closer and closer.

Her life is on the line. But in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart . . .]]>
497 Kaylie Smith 1538769255 gem 0 to-read 4.05 2024 Phantasma (Wicked Games, #1)
author: Kaylie Smith
name: gem
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
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In My Dreams I Hold a Knife 50485649 Six friends.
One college reunion.
One unsolved murder.

A college reunion turns dark and deadly in this chilling and propulsive suspense novel about six friends, one unsolved murder, and the dark secrets they’ve been hiding from each other—and themselves—for a decade.

Ten years after graduation, Jessica Miller has planned her triumphant return to southern, elite Duquette University, down to the envious whispers that are sure to follow in her wake. Everyone is going to see the girl she wants them to see—confident, beautiful, indifferent—not the girl she was when she left campus, back when Heather’s murder fractured everything, including the tight bond linking the six friends she’d been closest to since freshman year. Ten years ago, everything fell apart, including the dreams she worked for her whole life—and her relationship with the one person she wasn’t supposed to love.

But not everyone is ready to move on. Not everyone left Duquette ten years ago, and not everyone can let Heather’s murder go unsolved. Someone is determined to trap the real killer, to make the guilty pay. When the six friends are reunited, they will be forced to confront what happened that night—and the years� worth of secrets each of them would do anything to keep hidden.

Told in racing dual timelines, with a dark campus setting and a darker look at friendship, love, obsession, and ambition, In My Dreams I Hold A Knife is an addictive, propulsive read you won’t be able to put down.]]>
345 Ashley Winstead 172822988X gem 0 to-read 3.79 2021 In My Dreams I Hold a Knife
author: Ashley Winstead
name: gem
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Kill Joy (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #0.5)]]> 61235098
Pippa Fitz-Amobi is not in the mood for her friend's murder mystery party. Especially one that involves 1920's fancy dress and pretending that their town, Little Kilton, is an island called Joy. But when the game begins, Pip finds herself drawn into the make-believe world of intrigue, deception and murder. But as Pip plays detective, teasing out the identity of the killer clue-by-clue, the murder of the fictional Reginald Remy isn't the only case on her mind ... Contains mature content, for older readers.]]>
130 Holly Jackson 000858222X gem 0 to-read 3.80 2021 Kill Joy (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #0.5)
author: Holly Jackson
name: gem
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer]]> 219484513 Actress and content creator Dylan Mulvaney’s honest account of her journey through girlhood

When Dylan Mulvaney came out as a woman online, she was a viral sensation almost overnight, emerging as a trailblazing voice on social media. Dylan’s personal coming-out story blossomed into a platform for advocacy and empowerment for trans people all over the world. Through her “Days of Girlhood� series, she connected with followers by exploring what it means to be a girl, from experimenting with makeup to story times to spilling the tea about laser hair removal, while never shying away from discussing the transphobia she faced online. Nevertheless, she was determined to be a beacon of positivity.

But shortly after she celebrated day 365 of being a girl, it all came screeching to a halt when an innocuous post sparked a media firestorm and right-wing backlash she couldn’t have expected. Despite the vitriolic press and relentless paparazzi, Dylan was determined to remain loud and proud.

In Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer, Dylan pulls back the curtain of her “It Girl� lifestyle with a witty and intimate reflection of her life pre- and post-transition. She covers everything from her first big break in theater to the first time her dad recognized her as a girl to how she handled scandals, cancellations, and . . . tucking. It’s both laugh-out-loud funny and powerfully honest—and is a love letter to everyone who stands up for queer joy.]]>
266 Dylan Mulvaney 141977039X gem 0 to-read 4.12 2025 Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer
author: Dylan Mulvaney
name: gem
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
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Retreat 215217614 A beautiful con artist insinuates herself into a wealthy socialite’s life . . . with deadly consequences, in this serpentine thriller about identity and obsession, from actress, director and bestselling author Krysten Ritter.

Liz Dawson weaves through a crowd with the ease of a tropical breeze, moving seamlessly through elite circles, sparking instant connections and making every new acquaintance feel like an intimate friend. She’s clever, smooth, and confident—qualities that make her a brilliant serial con artist.

Isabelle Beresford is strikingly beautiful, obscenely wealthy, and the new owner of Casa Esmerelda, a fabulous villa on the Mexican coast—attributes that make her the perfect mark. When she offers Liz a job handling the installation of a piece of art in her otherwise vacant home, Liz can’t resist the allure of a beach retreat. She longs for a reset, a chance to finally shed the grip of her addiction to the conning game.

But when Liz, with her lush dark hair and intense green eyes, is mistaken for Isabelle herself, Liz can’t help effortlessly slipping into the socialite’s identity. The transition is so easeful, it almost feels like fate. But just who is Isabelle Beresford really, and why does she seem to have abandoned this stunning life of hers?

As Liz insinuates herself deeper into the dazzling—and deceptive—world of the Punta Mita resort community, she draws closer to the dangers surrounding the real Isabelle. Dangers that may have already ensnared Liz, too. This might not be the con of her life—but the con that ends it.]]>
272 Krysten Ritter 0063334607 gem 0 to-read 3.76 2025 Retreat
author: Krysten Ritter
name: gem
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
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<![CDATA[A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer (S.C.Y.T.H.E. Mystery, #1)]]> 205064752 Sometimes it takes working with the dead to start living.

Kathy Valence is forty-two, mid-divorce, and pregnant with her ex's baby. She's also a modern-day grim reaper employed by S.C.Y.T.H.E. (Secure Collection, Yielding, and Transportation of Human Essences), but frankly that's the easiest part of her life right now. Or at least it was, until her latest client's soul goes missing.

When she finally tracks down seventeen-year-old Conner Ortiz, he angrily denies he died of natural causes, despite what his file says. He insists that someone at S.C.Y.T.H.E. murdered him, and he demands Kathy find out who and why.

Kathy has only forty-five days to figure out what happened to Conner and help him move on before the boy's soul is doomed to roam the Earth as a ghost forever. She’s forced to rely on the help of her retired mentor, her almost ex-husband—and some sneaky moves by Conner himself. This is the wildest case of her career. . .and one wrong move could cost Kathy her job, not to mention her life.]]>
352 Maxie Dara 0593815793 gem 0 to-read 3.81 2024 A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer (S.C.Y.T.H.E. Mystery, #1)
author: Maxie Dara
name: gem
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[The Sweet Far Thing (Gemma Doyle, #3)]]> 127459
Now, as Gemma approaches her London debut, the time has come to test these bonds. The Order - the mysterious group her mother was once part of - is grappling for control of the realms, as is the Rakshana. Spence's burned East Wing is being rebuilt, but why now? Gemma and her friends see Pippa, but she is not the same. And their friendship faces its gravest trial as Gemma must decide once and for all what role she is meant for.]]>
819 Libba Bray 0385730306 gem 0 to-read 3.98 2007 The Sweet Far Thing (Gemma Doyle, #3)
author: Libba Bray
name: gem
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2007
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
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Scenes from a Tragedy 216342994 If you hurt me, I'll hurt you. Not right away of course, because where's the fun in that?

When an empty passenger plane mysteriously crashes in the Lake District, journalist Carly Atherton is determined to get to the truth of what happened - the love of her life was one of the two pilots on board.

But when she contacts the family of the other pilot, the conflicting memories of his wife and his sister draw her into a story far darker than she could possibly have imagined.

As Carly delves into the dynamics of a seemingly ordinary family, she realises that the bonds that shape us can also tear us apart - and that sometimes there are monsters living among us, hiding in plain sight...]]>
420 Carole Hailey 1805461559 gem 0 to-read 4.20 Scenes from a Tragedy
author: Carole Hailey
name: gem
average rating: 4.20
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
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Follow Me 216997496 Heathers meets The Stepford Wives in this creepy and frighteningly funny dark thriller about a woman who will do anything to find her missing sister. Even pretend to be one of them.

After her twin sister, Chiara, goes missing at a mom-fluencer weekend, Adrienne Shaw will find her no matter what it takes. They may have been on the outs, but no one comes for her sister and gets away with it.

It’s been a year, the authorities have no answers, and her brother-in-law is useless in the matter. It’s time for Adrienne to take the case into her own hands. Following in Chiara’s last footsteps, Adrienne goes undercover, infiltrating the same influencer retreat as the last thing she wants to an Instamommy.

The remote ranch in Northern California is certainly welcoming—in a cult-adjacent kind of way. A charismatic leader, communal crafts, fixed smiles—and a lot of dead eyes.

Going on gut instinct and chasing a wild theory—that Chiara came here and never left—Adrienne is determined to uncover the truth before the too-perfect-to-believe women figure out who Adrienne really a threat to be eliminated.]]>
271 Elizabeth Rose Quinn 1662524803 gem 0 to-read 3.51 2025 Follow Me
author: Elizabeth Rose Quinn
name: gem
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Sixteen Souls (Sixteen Souls, #1)]]> 60679667
To make matters worse, it seems that famous spirits are mysteriously vanishing from York's haunted streets and alleys. Charlie is determined to stay out of it, but Sam, the irritating new seer in town, expects him to track down who -- or what -- is responsible and uncover the dark purpose behind these disappearances.

But when one of Charlie's ghostly friends vanishes, he has no choice but to face the shadows -- and his growing feelings for Sam. The boys must be willing to risk it all to save York’s spirits, because this adversary will stop at nothing to complete their devastating plan. Afterlives are at stake, and Charlie is running out of time...]]>
272 Rosie Talbot 173973131X gem 0 to-read 4.08 2022 Sixteen Souls (Sixteen Souls, #1)
author: Rosie Talbot
name: gem
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
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When We Were Monsters 223854632 A simmering psychological thriller about a dead teacher at an elite boarding school, the students who had every reason to want her gone, and the tangled web of rivalry and romance concealing the truth—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places.

At an elite boarding school, 8 students are selected for an exclusive program, but only one will walk away with a lifechanging opportunity to realize their creative dreams.

Effy is piecing together a story about the tragic betrayal that led to her mother's death. Arlo hopes to publish a novel—but he's also trying to start a new chapter with Effy after he broke her heart and ghosted 3 years earlier. Everyone has a compelling reason to be there—they all want a big break—but only the most ambitious will prevail as the students are eliminated one by one.

Their mentor is the one and only Meredith Graffam, an enigmatic writer, director and actress, whose unorthodox teaching methods push them past the breaking point. Under Graffam's tutelage, the students reveal their darkest secrets, take unthinkable risks, and slowly start to turn on one another. But Graffam never expected they would turn on her . . .

"A standout dark academia thriller.� � E. Lockhart, #1 New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars and Genuine Fraud ]]>
400 Jennifer Niven 1524713023 gem 0 to-read 4.25 2025 When We Were Monsters
author: Jennifer Niven
name: gem
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Killers of a Certain Age (Killers of a Certain Age, #1)]]> 60149532 Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that's their secret weapon.

They've spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they're sixty years old, four women friends can't just retire - it's kill or be killed in this action-packed thriller.

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills.

When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they've been marked for death.

Now to get out alive they have to turn against their own organization, relying on experience and each other to get the job done, knowing that working together is the secret to their survival. They're about to teach the Board what it really means to be a woman--and a killer--of a certain age.]]>
368 Deanna Raybourn 0593200683 gem 0 to-read 3.82 2022 Killers of a Certain Age (Killers of a Certain Age, #1)
author: Deanna Raybourn
name: gem
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
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The Women 127305853 De la autora superventas de El Ruiseñor , una historia de mujeres valientes decididas a arriesgar su vida por los demás en uno de los momentos más peligrosos de la historia.

Inspiradas por el coraje. Ligadas por la amistad. Unidas por la esperanza.

«Las mujeres pueden ser heroínas». Cuando Frankie McGrath, estudiante de enfermería de veinte años, oye por primera vez estas inesperadas palabras, siente una revelación. Criada en el idílico y soleado sur de California y protegida por sus conservadores padres, siempre se ha enorgullecido de hacer lo que se espera de ella, de ser una buena chica. Pero en 1966 el mundo está cambiando y, de repente, su vida parece abrirse a nuevas posibilidades. Cuando su hermano parte para combatir en Vietnam, ella se une de manera impulsiva al Cuerpo de Enfermeras del Ejército para seguirle.

Allí, Frankie se siente igual de inmadura e inexperta que los jóvenes enviados para luchar, y se ve abrumada por el caos y la destrucción de la guerra. Además, un trauma inesperado la golpea al volver a casa, el de encontrar un país cambiado y dividido, un país que quiere olvidar. Frankie descubrirá el verdadero valor de la amistad y el dolor que puede causar un corazón roto.

***Número 1 en las listas de best sellers de The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, la Asociación de Librerías Independientes, Los Angeles Times, Publishers Weekly, Amazon, Audible y Los Angeles Daily News***

Sobre la novela han
«De nuevo, Hannah ilumina con su luz a mujeres que la historia ha ignorado».
People Magazine

«Hannah está en su mejor momento en esta novela».
The New York Times

«Conmovedora y excepcionalmente documentada».
Stephen King

«ʴǻDz».
Matt Haig, autor de La biblioteca de la medianoche

«Kristin Hannah, una de las mejores narradoras de nuestro tiempo, aborda una de las más crueles y viles guerras del último Vietnam. Las mujeres de la guerra revela la enorme contribución y los horribles sacrificios de las enfermeras militares que sirvieron en ella... Nunca una novela de guerra se ha metamorfoseado tan profundamente en una historia sobre el corazón humano».
Delia Owen, autora de La chica salvaje

«Este libro es ficción histórica en su mejor versión. Tan conmovedor, tan desgarrador, y, sin embargo, en última instancia, optimista. ¡Bravo!».
Nicholas D. Kristof, ganador del Premio Pulitzer y coautor de La mitad del cielo

«Deslumbra con su sacrificio; y eleva el ánimo con su heroísmo... Un importante y largamente esperado tributo a las valientes enfermeras que sirvieron en Vietnam».
Bonnie Garmus, autora de Lecciones de química

«Los fans de los libros históricos protagonizados por mujeres van a disfrutar esta magnética novela».
Publishers Weekly

Please This audiobook is in Spanish.]]>
471 Kristin Hannah 1250178630 gem 0 to-read 4.58 2024 The Women
author: Kristin Hannah
name: gem
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
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<![CDATA[Fable (The World of the Narrows, #1)]]> 44012880
But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him, and Fable soon finds that West isn't who he seems. Together, they will have to survive more than the treacherous storms that haunt the Narrows if they're going to stay alive.

Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men. Fable takes you on a spectacular journey filled with romance, intrigue, and adventure.

A newer edition of ISBN 9781250254368 can be found here.]]>
357 Adrienne Young gem 0 to-read 4.00 2020 Fable (The World of the Narrows, #1)
author: Adrienne Young
name: gem
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
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This Is Not a Game 214265221 Two unlikely detectives. A killer cocktail of suspects.

A Gibson martini garnished with three silverskin onions is 77-year-old Mimi’s favourite cocktail. It is best served with a crossword puzzle, not as an apéritif at Jane Ireland's extravagant auction party.

But given Mimi has been blackmailed into attending Jane's event, at a grand old mansion on Mackinac Island (Michigan’s answer to The Hamptons), there are worse drinks she could spend an evening sinking.

Thankfully for her, she's roped her granddaughter, Addie � who is escaping the heartache caused by her manipulative ex-fiancé � into accompanying her. While Addie spots celebrities and socialites in the manor's labyrinth of dark rooms and Mimi wonders how to confess the real reason for her presence at the soiree, a scream pierces the air.

Jane is dead.

And when a second body turns up, Mimi and Addie soon become the unlikeliest of sleuths in a race to narrow down the suspects.

In a house that contains as many secrets as the people within it, it’s going to take more than a Gibson to survive the night�

Praise for THIS IS NOT A

'Miss Marple meets Only Murders in the Building, this is a proper old school murder mystery brought bang up to date by Kelly. Entertaining from start to finish' Jennie Godfrey
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377 Kelly Mullen 1804951617 gem 0 to-read 4.00 2025 This Is Not a Game
author: Kelly Mullen
name: gem
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
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<![CDATA[The Ministry of Unladylike Activity]]> 54826749
Enter May Wong and her friends.

Trained up at the Ministry, they soon embark upon their first mission: masquerading as evacuees, they are sent to a wealthy manor house to spy on the owner, who is suspected of working for the enemy.

And then the murder happens....]]>
387 Robin Stevens 0241429889 gem 0 to-read 4.21 2022 The Ministry of Unladylike Activity
author: Robin Stevens
name: gem
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
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Want 207006355 What do you want, when no one is watching?
What do you want, when the lights are off?
What do you want, when you are anonymous?

When we talk about sex, we talk about womanhood and motherhood, infidelity and exploitation, consent and respect, fairness and egalitarianism, love and hate, pleasure and pain. And yet for many reasons � some complicated, some not � so many of us don't talk about it. Our deepest, most intimate fears and fantasies remain locked away inside of us, until someone comes along with the key. Here's the key. In this generation-defining book, Gillian Anderson collects and introduces the anonymous letters of hundreds of women from around the world (along with her own anonymous letter). Want reveals how women feel about sex when they have the freedom to be totally anonymous.]]>
372 Gillian Anderson 1419777297 gem 0 to-read 3.43 2024 Want
author: Gillian Anderson
name: gem
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/28
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<![CDATA[The Slimming Foodie: Everyday meals made healthy, hearty and delicious � 100+ recipes under 600 calories]]> 57887167
The Slimming Foodie philosophy is simple. First and foremost, the recipes have to taste great! But also important is that they use fresh, healthy ingredients that are easily available and can be prepared by anyone.

This is food that people want to eat day-to-day, that are nourishing, budget conscious and approachable without being too time consuming. Ingredients that make the dishes higher in calories have been cut out, reduced or swapped without forgoing flavour.

When trying to slim down, you often feel the need to cook a separate meal for yourself than the rest of your household. However, making healthy choices shouldn't stop you from sharing a delicious meal with your loved ones. Each of these 100 family-friendly recipes can be enjoyed by anyone as part of a healthy diet, including children.

With a few simple adjustments, you can make all of your favourite meals more balanced without losing any of that great taste, creating a plate of food that is truly tempting and yet allows all the good stuff to shine through!

With The Slimming Foodie, dinnertime can now include:
Easy midweek meals like Nutty chicken satay fried rice
One-pot wonders like Chilli mac 'n' cheese
Savoury traybakes like Garlicky meatball pasta bake
Family favourites like Sausage and mash pie
... and Friday-night specials like the slow-cooked Tick-tock tikka masala]]>
364 Pip Payne gem 0 currently-reading 4.28 The Slimming Foodie: Everyday meals made healthy, hearty and delicious – 100+ recipes under 600 calories
author: Pip Payne
name: gem
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

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Between Us 62397519 International bestseller Mhairi McFarlane delivers a witty, clever, emotional new novel about a woman whose life unravels spectacularly after her screenwriter boyfriend uses their relationship as inspiration for his new television show.

When Roisin and Joe join their friends for a weekend at a country house, it's a triple celebration--a birthday, an engagement, and the launch of Joe's shiny new TV show. But as the weekend unfolds, tensions come to light in the group and Roisin begins to question her own relationship. And as they watch the first episode of Joe's drama, she realizes that the private things she told him--which should have stayed between them--are right there on the screen.

With her friend group in chaos and her messy love life on display for the whole world to see, Roisin returns home to avoid the unwanted attention and help run her family's pub. But drama still follows, in the form of her dysfunctional family and the looming question: what other parts of her now-ex's show are inspired by real events? Lies? Infidelity? Every week, as a new episode airs, she wonders what other secrets will be revealed.

Yet the most unexpected twist of all is an old friend, who is suddenly there for Roisin in ways she never knew she needed...]]>
448 Mhairi McFarlane 0008412499 gem 0 to-read 3.73 2023 Between Us
author: Mhairi McFarlane
name: gem
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: to-read
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And Then There Were None 16299
"Ten little boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine. Nine little boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight. Eight little boys traveling in Devon; One said he'd stay there then there were seven. Seven little boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in half and then there were six. Six little boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five. Five little boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were four. Four little boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three. Three little boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two. Two little boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one. One little boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none."

When they realize that murders are occurring as described in the rhyme, terror mounts. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. Who has choreographed this dastardly scheme? And who will be left to tell the tale? Only the dead are above suspicion.]]>
264 Agatha Christie 0312330871 gem 0 to-read 4.28 1939 And Then There Were None
author: Agatha Christie
name: gem
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1939
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
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The Change 59030015
After Nessa James’s husband dies and her twin daughters leave for college, she’s left all alone in a trim white house not far from the ocean. In the quiet of her late forties, the former nurse begins to hear voices. It doesn’t take long for Nessa to realize that the voices calling out to her belong to the dead—a gift she’s inherited from her grandmother, which comes with special responsibilities.

On the cusp of 50, suave advertising director Harriett Osborne has just witnessed the implosion of her lucrative career and her marriage. She hasn’t left her house in months, and from the outside, it appears as if she and her garden have both gone to seed. But Harriett’s life is far from over—in fact, she’s undergone a stunning and very welcome metamorphosis.

Ambitious former executive Jo Levison has spent thirty long years at war with her body. The free-floating rage and hot flashes that arrive with the beginning of menopause feel like the very last straw—until she realizes she has the ability to channel them, and finally comes into her power.

Guided by voices only Nessa can hear, the trio of women discover a teenage girl whose body was abandoned beside a remote beach. The police have written the victim off as a drug-addicted sex worker, but the women refuse to buy into the official narrative. Their investigation into the girl’s murder leads to more bodies, and to the town’s most exclusive and isolated enclave, a world of stupendous wealth where the rules don’t apply. With their newfound powers, Jo, Nessa, and Harriett will take matters into their own hands…]]>
470 Kirsten Miller 0063144042 gem 0 to-read 4.06 2022 The Change
author: Kirsten Miller
name: gem
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
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<![CDATA[Empire of the Vampire (Empire of the Vampire, #1)]]> 56269205 From holy cup comes holy light;
The faithful hand sets world aright.
And in the Seven Martyrs� sight,
Mere man shall end this endless night.

It has been twenty-seven long years since the last sunrise. For nearly three decades, vampires have waged war against humanity; building their eternal empire even as they tear down our own. Now, only a few tiny sparks of light endure in a sea of darkness.

Gabriel de León is a silversaint: a member of a holy brotherhood dedicated to defending realm and church from the creatures of the night. But even the Silver Order could not stem the tide once daylight failed us, and now, only Gabriel remains.

Imprisoned by the very monsters he vowed to destroy, the last silversaint is forced to tell his story. A story of legendary battles and forbidden love, of faith lost and friendships won, of the Wars of the Blood and the Forever King and the quest for humanity’s last remaining hope:

The Holy Grail.

From author Jay Kristoff comes Empire of the Vampire, the first illustrated volume of an astonishing new dark fantasy saga.]]>
739 Jay Kristoff 1250245281 gem 0 to-read 4.29 2021 Empire of the Vampire (Empire of the Vampire, #1)
author: Jay Kristoff
name: gem
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Book of Night (Book of Night, #1)]]> 58293924 Book of Night, a modern dark fantasy of shadowy thieves and secret societies.

In Charlie Hall’s world, shadows can be altered, for entertainment and cosmetic preferences—but also to increase power and influence. You can alter someone’s feelings—and memories—but manipulating shadows has a cost, with the potential to take hours or days from your life. Your shadow holds all the parts of you that you want to keep hidden—a second self, standing just to your left, walking behind you into lit rooms. And sometimes, it has a life of its own.

Charlie is a low-level con artist, working as a bartender while trying to distance herself from the powerful and dangerous underground world of shadow trading. She gets by doing odd jobs for her patrons and the naive new money in her town at the edge of the Berkshires. But when a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie’s present life is thrown into chaos, and her future seems at best, unclear—and at worst, non-existent. Determined to survive, Charlie throws herself into a maelstrom of secrets and murder, setting her against a cast of doppelgängers, mercurial billionaires, shadow thieves, and her own sister—all desperate to control the magic of the shadows.]]>
304 Holly Black 1250812194 gem 0 to-read 3.51 2022 Book of Night (Book of Night, #1)
author: Holly Black
name: gem
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
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Vile Lady Villains 221577707 PRE-ORDER THE WORLD-BURNING HORROMANTASY, BRINGING TOGETHER LITERATURE'S MOST FAMOUS LADY VILLAINS, LADY MACBETH AND KLYTEMNESTRA . . .

For fans of A Dowry of Blood, Clytemnestra, and Piranesi, Vile Lady Villains is an unforgettable ride into the realm of stories

--

With the consequences of her murderous actions closing in, Lady Macbeth turns to the three witches for help. She’s given a brew that transports her to an unknown realm. Desperately lost, she opens a door and comes face to face with a beautiful woman drenched in blood.

Klytemnestra, Queen of Mycenae, is exacting bloody vengeance on her husband. Yet as she revels in her triumph, an otherworldly door appears and a strange woman steps in. Thinking this stranger a spirit, she chases Lady Macbeth into the realm of stories.

Hunted by screaming wraiths into worlds that are hell bent on their demise, this murderous pair are forced to form an alliance or perish. Yet the realm’s goddess, The Mistress of the House of Books, claims to hold the key to saving them. But can they trust this ancient goddess?

As every threat brings our vile lady villains closer, turning ill intentions into fiery attraction that no author dare write, they have a remain within the confines of their original tales � Or burn down the world to pen a new story together . . .]]>
Danai Christopoulou 1405978872 gem 0 to-read 5.00 2026 Vile Lady Villains
author: Danai Christopoulou
name: gem
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2026
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
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The Final Girl Support Group 57296558 Winner of the ŷ Choice Award, and from the author of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, comes a New York Times bestselling horror novel that follows a group of heroines to die for.

In horror movies, the final girl is the one who's left standing when the credits roll. The one who fought back, defeated the killer, and avenged her friends. The one who emerges bloodied but victorious. But after the sirens fade and the audience moves on, what happens to her?

Lynnette Tarkington survived a massacre twenty-two years ago, and it has defined every day of her life since. And she's not alone. For more than a decade she's been meeting with five other final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, putting their lives back together, piece by piece. That is until one of the women misses a meeting and Lynnette's worst fears are realized—someone knows about the group and is determined to take their lives apart again, piece by piece.

But the thing about these final girls is that they have each other now, and no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up.]]>
379 Grady Hendrix 1789096073 gem 0 currently-reading 3.57 2021 The Final Girl Support Group
author: Grady Hendrix
name: gem
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: currently-reading
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<![CDATA[Everyone in the Group Chat Dies]]> 213893472 Kirby Cornell needs a break from everything:
- Her crumbling flat in the sleepy town of Crowhurst (famous for its award-winning sausage rolls and a second-rate serial killer from the 90s).
- Her dead-end job.
- Her sleazy landlord
- Her slobbish housemates.
- And, most of all, the terrible thing they all did.

Luckily, that hasn't caught up with her just yet. Until a new message on their old group chat pops

Everyone in the group chat will die.

It's the first text her ex-flatmate and social-media sleuth Esme has sent for ages, but that's not the really weird thing.

The really weird thing is, Esme died twelve months ago�

Don't miss the new laugh-out-loud thriller from L.M. Chilton, Everyone in the Group Chat Dies � a murder mystery that fuses the flatmate comedy of Friends with the serial-killer thrills of I Know What You Did Last Summer.

]]>
343 L.M. Chilton 1837930279 gem 3 3.58 Everyone in the Group Chat Dies
author: L.M. Chilton
name: gem
average rating: 3.58
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves:
review:
3 stars. Would make a decent three part tv show.
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The Death of Us 216562803 “A page-turner par excellence, written with unobtrusive brilliance, [and] full of sharply observed lines�. The Death of Us lives up to the hype.�
—Stephen King

The Death of Us is astonishingly good—Abigail Dean’s the real thing.�
—Mick Herron, bestselling author of Slow Horses

A CrimeReads and Brit + Co Most Anticipated Book of 2025

It’s the night we never talk about.
It’s the story the world wants to hear.
But this isn’t the story of that night. This is the story of us.

Together, Edward and Isabel move to London. They are young and in love, occupied by friends, work and fun. But late on a spring evening when they are thirty years old, their home is invaded by a serial killer. In the wake of this violation, each tries to come to terms with a night that changed everything -- and their marriage begins to crumble.

Twenty-five years later, their tormentor is caught, and Edward and Isabel reunite for his sentencing. Isabel has waited years for the man who nearly ended her life to be brought to justice. Edward has tried to think about anything else. As they prepare to deliver impact statements in the public eye, it is time to revisit their love story. Will they finally be able to confront the secrets, longings and lies that tore them apart?

Or will the horror of that night be the death of them?

A captivating portrait of a marriage and its implosion, The Death of Us digs into the stories we tell ourselves about love -- and everything love can bear.]]>
336 Abigail Dean 0593831144 gem 0 to-read 4.05 2025 The Death of Us
author: Abigail Dean
name: gem
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: to-read
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Lying in the Deep 199927828
After being jilted by her ex-boyfriend and best friend, Jade couldn't be more ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime�11 countries in 4 months, all from the luxurious Campus on Board ship—and to wedge an entire globe between her and the people who broke her heart.

But when Jade discovers the backstabbing couple are also setting sail, her obsession with them grows and festers, leading to a shocking murder. And as their friends begin to drop like flies, Jade and her new crush must race to clear her name and find the killer they’re trapped at sea with�.before anyone else winds up in body bags.

Perfect for readers of Natalie D. Richards, E. Lockhart, and Karen McManus!]]>
400 Diana Urban 0593527623 gem 0 to-read 3.70 2023 Lying in the Deep
author: Diana Urban
name: gem
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/22
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Under One Sky 224132513 Please note this novel was originally published with the title The Distance

From bestseller Zoë Folbigg comes this beautiful, romantic tale of finding love in the most unexpected places. Under the midnight sun of Arctic Norway, Cecilie goes online looking for friends, and stumbles across Hector Herrera. They start chatting and soon realise that they might have just fallen in love. But there’s a Hector lives thousands of miles away in Mexico. And he's running from a tragic past.

Cecilie's whole life has been anchored by sticking to what she knows and her job at the cafe in the town in which she grew up. Can she really make a leap of faith for someone she's never met? And will Hector break free to change the path he's on?

An unforgettable story about two people, living two very different lives under the same sky, and whether they can cross oceans, seas and fjords to give their love a chance.]]>
352 Zoë Folbigg 1836787669 gem 0 to-read 3.00 2018 Under One Sky
author: Zoë Folbigg
name: gem
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[The Haunting of Sunshine House (Ghosts of Los Angeles #1)]]> 42378534 Is the evil lurking in Sunshine House human or something much worse?


Once an exclusive Hollywood hotel catering to the likes of Rudolf Valentino and other great stars of the Silent Film Era, the Bockerman Hotel now is the Sunshine House, an assisted living home for seniors.

And its residents are dying…in droves.


Sara Caine, paranormal investigator, couldn’t believe she got an invitation to hunt for ghosts in the most haunted building in all of Los Angeles, The Sunshine House. Her excitement turns to horror as the mysteries of Sunshine House reveal themselves to be more terrifying then she could have ever imagined.


The Haunting of Sunshine House is the first book in a creepy new Supernatural Suspense series that will have your spine tingling. If you like Darcy Coates, Amy Cross or Bill Thompson, then you’ll love The Haunting of Sunshine House by Dominika Best.


Buy yourself a copy, grab a hot cocoa and turn down the lights. You’re in for a thrilling ride with Sara Caine in The Haunting of Sunshine House.


Once you start, you won’t be able to put it down.

]]>
308 Dominika Best gem 0 to-read 3.68 2018 The Haunting of Sunshine House (Ghosts of Los Angeles #1)
author: Dominika Best
name: gem
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: to-read
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Forget Me Not 217387937 A pulse-pounding new Southern thriller from the author of the runaway bestseller A Flicker in the Dark.

Twenty-two years ago, Claire Campbell’s older sister, Natalie, disappeared shortly after her eighteenth birthday. Days later, her blood was found in a car, a man was arrested, and the case was swiftly closed. In the decades since, Claire has attempted to forget her traumatic past by moving to the city and climbing the ranks as an investigative journalist... until an unexpected call from her father forces her to come back home and face it all anew.

With the entire summer now looming ahead—a summer spent with nothing to do in her childhood home, with her estranged mother—Claire decides on a whim to accept a seasonal job at Galloway Farm, a muscadine vineyard in coastal South Carolina less than an hour away from where she grew up. At first glance, Galloway is an idyllic escape for Claire. A scenic retreat full of slow-paced nostalgia, as well as a place where her sister seemed truly happy in that last summer before she vanished, it feels like the perfect plan to pass the time. However, as soon as Claire starts to settle in, she stumbles across an old diary written by one of the vineyard's owners, and what at first seems like a story of young rebellion and love turns into something much more sinister as it begins to describe details of various unsolved crimes. As the days stretch on, Claire finds herself becoming more and more secluded as she starts to obsess over the diary's contents� as well as the lingering feeling that her own sister's disappearance may be somehow tied to it all.

Galloway was supposed to be a place to help her move forward, but instead, Claire quickly finds herself immersed in her own dark and dangerous past.]]>
336 Stacy Willingham 1250887976 gem 0 to-read 4.22 2025 Forget Me Not
author: Stacy Willingham
name: gem
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[The Secret Life of a Lady (The Queen's Deadly Damsels #1)]]> 208666034
Lady Hannah Simmons is a quintessential wallflower, unassuming, dowdy yet ignored by most. But underneath her plain exterior, Hannah is hiding a thrilling secret! Unbeknownst to the rest of the ton, she is Queen Victoria’s leading femme fatale, slipping unnoticed through the streets of London and listening to scandalous whispers from lords and ladies. But with daggers in her stockings and pistols in her pockets, Hannah's mission is to apprehend a deadly killer.

Private Investigator to the Prime Minister, damaged, yet devastatingly handsome ex-war hero Duke Robert Killian always puts duty first. However, when he finds himself competing with the intriguing Lady Hannah on the same daring task, his blood boils with frustration - and desire! Is it possible to seduce this vexing woman whose not afraid to put herself in danger and achieve the upper hand?

Hannah enjoys Killian's attempts to distract and tempt her, but she has never faced an adversary she couldn’t overthrow. And Killian has never met a challenge he couldn’t conquer...until now. The gauntlet has been thrown, can they finish their jobs and resist the temptation?

Keep your friends close…and your enemies even closer!]]>
282 Darcy McGuire 1836035349 gem 0 to-read 3.89 The Secret Life of a Lady (The Queen's Deadly Damsels #1)
author: Darcy McGuire
name: gem
average rating: 3.89
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/19
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<![CDATA[The Strawberry Patch Pancake House (Dream Harbor, #4)]]> 213186396 Fall in love with the brand new spring romance set in Dream Harbor, from the bestselling author of The Pumpkin Spice Café.

As a renowned chef, single-dad Archer never planned on moving to a small town, let alone running a pancake restaurant. But Dream Harbor needs a new chef, and Archer needs a community to help raise his daughter, Olive.

Iris has never managed to hold down a job for more than a few months. So when Mayor Kelly suggests Archer is looking for a nanny, and Iris might be available, she shudders at the thought. But in need of money she reluctantly agrees.

As Archer and Iris get used to their new roles, is it possible that they might have more in common than they first thought, or is Olive just determined to play match-maker�

Tropes:

� single dad
� forced proximity
� slow burn
� found family
� one bed]]>
361 Laurie Gilmore 0008713340 gem 0 to-read 3.91 2025 The Strawberry Patch Pancake House (Dream Harbor, #4)
author: Laurie Gilmore
name: gem
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/19
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<![CDATA[The Gingerbread Bakery (Dream Harbor, #5)]]> 220255008 From the international bestselling author of The Pumpkin Spice Café and The Cinnamon Bun Book Store, comes the highly anticipated Dream Harbor romance for 2025!

A wedding in Dream Harbor can only mean one thing, everyone wants to get involved!

With Jeanie and Logan set to tie the knot, and Kira desperate to hire out her newly renovated barn at the Christmas tree farm, everything seems to be going well. Annie has agreed to bake the cake, and Mac is responsible for, well� just being Mac. And as the whole of Dream Harbor comes together to celebrate the wedding of the year with the snow falling around them, can Annie and Mac put aside their dislike for each just long enough for the ‘I Do’s� or is that one request too far�

The Gingerbread Bakery is a cozy romantic novel with an enemies to lovers dynamic, small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed!

Tropes:

� enemies to lovers
� found family
� small town
� forced proximity]]>
384 Laurie Gilmore 0008728097 gem 0 to-read 3.91 2025 The Gingerbread Bakery (Dream Harbor, #5)
author: Laurie Gilmore
name: gem
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/19
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Not in My Book 214364183 The Hating Game meets Book Lovers in this sexy and hilarious enemies-to-lovers romance!

'The ultimate sexy, slow burn romance' —Hannah Grace, #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Icebreaker

'This is an author who understands the power of a happily-ever-after!' —Alicia Thompson, bestselling author of Love in the Time of Serial Killers

Rosie Maxwell has a move to New York, get her creative writing degree from NYU, become a bestselling romance writer. But that plan is derailed when she ends up in class with her archnemesis and ex-crush, Aiden Huntington, an obnoxious, surly, unreasonably gorgeous literary fiction writer who has no patience for romance � or for Rosie.

Exhausted by Rosie and Aiden’s constant verbal sparring, their professor gives them an leave her class, or cowrite a novel that blends their respective genres.

As Rosie and Aiden collaborate on their (accidentally steamy) novel, they try to put their differences aside. Could their manuscript-in-progress be just the outlet they need to confess their feelings � and explore their mutual attraction?

But a potentially career-changing opportunity soon reignites the flames of their old rivalry. Rosie and Aiden’s once-in-a-lifetime love story is once again at risk of being shelved � unless they can find a way to end the book on their own terms . . .

'An absolutely sparkling debut! Not in My Book is an absorbing, hilarious love letter to romance fans everywhere' —Christina Lauren, internationally bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners

'This is romcom perfection' —Lana Ferguson, bestselling author of The Nanny

'Blushing, swooning, and kicking my feet. An incredible meta-layered romance about writing romance, and all the feelings that emerge in between. Not in My Book swells with heart and I could not put it down.' —Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights

'Not in My Book will remind you why you’ve always loved romance novels in the first place. This book captured my heart from start to finish. It absolutely needs to be on your shelf!' —Clare Gilmore, author of Love Interest

Readers can't get enough of Rosie and Aiden's love story!
'An enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn love affair. I laughed and cried and felt a hundred other emotions' Reader review
'Not in My Book is every romance reader’s dream!' Reader review
'The tension was off the charts!' Reader review]]>
324 Katie Holt 1529948150 gem 0 to-read 3.83 2024 Not in My Book
author: Katie Holt
name: gem
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/19
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Mate 228481608 A Human hybrid and an Alpha Were claw against the bonds of fate in the highly anticipated companion novel to the New York Times bestselling Bride.

Serena Paris is orphaned, pack-less, and one of a kind. Coming forward as the first Human-Were hybrid was supposed to heal a centuries-long rift between species. Instead, it made her a target, prey to the ruthless political machinations between Weres, Vampyres, and Humans. With her enemies closing in on her, she has only one option left—if he’ll have her.

As Alpha of the Northwest pack, Koen Alexander commands obedience. His authority is so absolute, only a fool would threaten his mate. It doesn’t matter if Serena doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, nothing will stop him from keeping her safe.

But power-hungry Vampyres and Weres are not the only threats chasing Serena. Sooner or later, her past is bound to catch up with her—and Koen might be the only thing standing between her and total annihilation…]]>
432 Ali Hazelwood 0593952588 gem 0 to-read 5.00 2025 Mate
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: gem
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/19
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The Heartbreak Hotel 213015262 A bed-and-breakfast for the brokenhearted might hold the key to another chance at love in this achingly hopeful debut romance.

Louisa Walsh emerged from a tumultuous childhood with a degree in counseling, a wealthy boyfriend, and her sunny outlook on life mostly intact. But that optimism is tested when she’s dumped and left unable to afford rent on their gorgeous house in the mountains of Colorado. Even with her life in disarray, Lou knows losing the one stable place she’s ever called home is not an option.

Her plan: ask her reclusive landlord, Henry Rhodes, to let her stay for free in exchange for renting out the house’s many rooms as a bed-and-breakfast. She’s shocked when he agrees to her terms, and even more surprised to discover Henry is a handsome thirtysomething veterinarian with silver at his temples and sadness in his eyes. One who does not take it well when Lou starts marketing her B and B as a retreat for the recently heartbroken.

But as the Comeback Inn opens its doors to its weary, hopeful guests, Lou and Henry find themselves dancing around both their undeniable connection and the closely held secrets that threaten to topple this fragile new start. A chance at love, here, could be too close to home…or it could be exactly where their hearts finally heal.]]>
Ellen O'Clover gem 0 to-read 4.51 2025 The Heartbreak Hotel
author: Ellen O'Clover
name: gem
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[We Solve Murders (We Solve Murders, #1)]]> 203956647 A brand new series. An iconic new detective duo. And a puzzling new murder to solve...

Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.

Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn’t stay still long enough for habits or routines. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job...

Then a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a lethal enemy?

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 059365322X.]]>
400 Richard Osman gem 0 to-read 4.06 2024 We Solve Murders (We Solve Murders, #1)
author: Richard Osman
name: gem
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: to-read
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I'll Be Waiting 203578924 From New York Times Bestselling author Kelley Armstrong comes a spellbinding new tale of supernatural horror involving a haunted-house, seances, lost loved ones, and a sinister spirit out for blood...

Nicola Laughton never expected to see adulthood, being diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a child. Then medical advances let her live into her thirties and she met Anton, who taught her to dream of a future� together. Months after they married, Anton died in a horrible car, but lived long enough to utter five words to her, “I’ll be waiting for you.�

That final private moment became public when someone from the crash scene took it to the press—the terminally ill woman holding her dying husband as he promised to wait for her on the other side. Worse, that person claimed it wasn’t Anton who said the words but his ghost, hovering over his body.

Since their story went public, Nicola has been hounded by spiritualists promising closure. In the hopes of stopping her downward spiral, friends and family find a reputable medium—a professor of parapsychology. For the séance, they rent the Lake Erie beach house that Anton’s family once owned.

The medium barely has time to begin his work before things start happening. Locked doors mysteriously open. Clouds of insects engulf the house. Nicola hears footsteps and voices and the creak of an old dumbwaiter…in an empty shaft. Throughout it all she’s haunted by nightmares of her past. Because, unbeknownst to the others, this isn’t her first time contacting the dead. And Nicola isn’t her real name.

That’s when she finds the first body....

In this atmospheric, thrilling new ghost story, Kelley Armstrong's full talents are on display to thrill, chill and leave the reader guessing how Nicola escapes with her life--if she can.]]>
325 Kelley Armstrong 125028421X gem 0 to-read 3.69 2024 I'll Be Waiting
author: Kelley Armstrong
name: gem
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/19
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The Eyes Are the Best Part 195703882 Crying in H-Mart meets My Sister, the Serial Killer in this feminist psychological horror about the making of a female serial killer from a Korean-American perspective.

Ji-won’s life tumbles into disarray in the wake of her appa’s extramarital affair and subsequent departure. Her mother, distraught. Her younger sister, hurt and confused. Her college freshman grades, failing. Her dreams, horrifying� yet enticing.

In them, Ji-won walks through bloody rooms full of eyes. Succulent blue eyes. Salivatingly blue eyes. Eyes the same shape and shade as George’s, who is Umma’s obnoxious new boyfriend. George has already overstayed his welcome in her family’s claustrophobic apartment. He brags about his puffed-up consulting job, ogles Asian waitresses while dining out, and acts condescending toward Ji-won and her sister as if he deserves all of Umma’s fawning adoration. No, George doesn’t deserve anything from her family. Ji-won will make sure of that.

For no matter how many victims accumulate around her campus or how many people she must deceive and manipulate, Ji-won’s hunger and her rage deserve to be sated.

A brilliantly inventive, subversive novel about a young woman unraveling, Monika Kim’s The Eyes Are the Best Part is a story of a family falling apart and trying to find their way back to each other, marking a bold new voice in horror that will leave readers mesmerized and craving more.]]>
278 Monika Kim 1645661237 gem 0 to-read 3.81 2024 The Eyes Are the Best Part
author: Monika Kim
name: gem
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/19
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<![CDATA[Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)]]> 214331246 When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

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

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

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]>
387 Suzanne Collins 1546171460 gem 5 It’s brutal and heartbreaking in equal measure, & I love Haymitch even more now.
What a novel, I cannot wait for the film.]]>
4.61 2025 Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: gem
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves:
review:
Wow, Suzanne Collins did not pull any punches with this. It’s a blistering indictment of governmental control & power, how things can be skewed to drive a certain narrative & how it takes people to stand up and fight for what they believe in, lest evil will succeed.
It’s brutal and heartbreaking in equal measure, & I love Haymitch even more now.
What a novel, I cannot wait for the film.
]]>
<![CDATA[It Happened One Summer (Bellinger Sisters, #1)]]> 55659629
Piper hasn’t even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won’t last a week outside of Beverly Hills. So what if Piper can’t do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. How bad could it really be? She’s determined to show her stepfather—and the hot, grumpy local—that she’s more than a pretty face.

Except it’s a small town and everywhere she turns, she bumps into Brendan. The fun-loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there’s an undeniable attraction simmering between them. Piper doesn’t want any distractions, especially feelings for a man who sails off into the sunset for weeks at a time. Yet as she reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in Westport, Piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants. LA is calling her name, but Brendan—and this town full of memories—may have already caught her heart.

Tessa Bailey is back with a Schitt’s Creek-inspired rom-com about a Hollywood “It Girl� who is cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town... where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn’t belong.]]>
397 Tessa Bailey 0063045656 gem 0 to-read 3.91 2021 It Happened One Summer (Bellinger Sisters, #1)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: gem
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: to-read
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Someone is Lying 217498058 Claire Douglas
'Just brilliant!' Lucy Clarke
'Perks, as ever, cannily wrongfoots the reader.' Financial Times
_________________________________________________

How do you find your daughter when no one believes she is missing?


Single mother Jess and her daughter Issie have always shared an unbreakable bond. For the last seven years, it's been just the two of them.

That is, until Issie meets Dylan.

When the pair announce their plans to go travelling, Jess is devastated - Issie is only seventeen after all, and Jess doesn’t trust her daughter’s new boyfriend.

And when she stops hearing from her altogether, she's terrified.

With Dylan refusing to talk, and the police unwilling to help, Jess is faced with a mother's worst nightmare.

Can she find her daughter before it's too late?

_________________________________________________

Praise for Someone is Lying:

'Unexpected twists galore' Alice Clark Platts

'Pulse-racing. Clever. Aims at your deepest fears' Jane Corry

'Perks, as ever, knows how to cannily wrongfoot the reader. A winner' Crime Time

‘This pulse quickening read is impossible to put down� Woman Magazine

'Some sly twists, sharp observations about class and an awareness of the subjective nature of truth lifts this above the common run.' The Times

'This emotionally charged story explores the darker side of domestic relationships and bodes the question 'would you lie to save a loved one?' Candis

_________________________________________________

Praise for Heidi


'A fun, compelling thriller - perfect to read beside the pool, or at home, dreaming of warmer times to come' The Observer

'Heidi Perks has a gift for ratcheting up tension and suspense in her books, leaving this reader gasping for breath with the lights on in the middle of the night. Bravo!' Liz Nugent

'The Other Guest is a fantastic sun-soaked thriller with a gripping mystery at its heart. It's the perfect read to take on holiday - but just keep one eye on those other guests!' Lucy Clarke

'A twisty hot summer read in a location to die for. Literally!' Jane Corry

'I raced through this in a weekend. A taut, clever whodunnit, masterfully structured, beautifully written, with an intriguing cast and some heart-wrenching moral dilemmas. Brilliant.' Gilly Macmillan

'Pure, thrilling escapism. Whip-smart twists make this summer sizzler impossible to put down. The Other Guest is unforgettable' Chris Whitaker

'An outstanding novel.]]>
371 Heidi Perks 1804946478 gem 0 to-read 4.14 Someone is Lying
author: Heidi Perks
name: gem
average rating: 4.14
book published:
rating: 0
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Tell Me What You Did 209823382
Poe Webb, host of a popular true crime podcast, invites people to anonymously confess crimes they've committed to her audience. She can't guarantee the police won't come after her "guests," but her show grants simultaneous anonymity and instant fame—a potent combination that's proven difficult to resist. After an episode recording, Poe usually erases both criminal and crime from her mind.

But when a strange and oddly familiar man appears on her show, Poe is forced to take a second look. Not only because he claims to be her mother's murderer from years ago, but because Poe knows something no one else does. Her mother's murderer is dead.

Poe killed him.

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Dead Girl in 2A and The New Neighbor comes a chilling new thriller that forces the question: are murderers always the bad guys?]]>
420 Carter Wilson 1464226229 gem 0 to-read 3.76 2025 Tell Me What You Did
author: Carter Wilson
name: gem
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/19
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Cover Story 218545692
Bel’s joined the Manchester office of a big national paper from her award-winning podcast. There’s only three of them � Bel, her relentlessly ambitious colleague Aaron, and the new intern. And when the intern turns out to be a thirty-something man called Connor, she gets off on totally the wrong foot. She’s patronising, he’s hostile. It’s a terrible start.

Then Bel gets a sniff at a really big story, Connor gets caught in the crossfire, and before they know it, they have to convince people they’re a couple � and a couple in love at that. If they mess up, Bel’s cover is blown and the biggest story she’ll ever land will disappear, along with justice for its sources

But as time goes on, who’s double crossing whom � and which feelings are real? It’s Mr & Mrs Smith meets The Hating Game � and sparks will fly …]]>
416 Mhairi McFarlane 0008562059 gem 0 to-read 4.08 2025 Cover Story
author: Mhairi McFarlane
name: gem
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/19
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Let's Make a Scene 220161377 The companion novel to Laura Wood’s Under Your Spell follows Theo Eliott’s best friend Cynthie Taylor as she’s pulled back into a fake PR relationship with Jack Turner-Jones, the one costar she swore she’d never work with again.

When Cynthie Taylor gets her first real acting job, starring in a small British movie, she is over the moon. There is only one problem…Cynthie’s arrogant and annoyingly handsome costar Jack hates her, and the feeling is definitely mutual. While they may be at war behind the scenes, their on-screen chemistry is palpable, and the studio sees an opportunity—have the two young stars fake a romance that will charm fans and draw crowds.

Thirteen years later, Cynthie and Jack have successfully kept their promise to stay far away from one another, until a surprising offer comes to make a sequel to the cult classic that launched their careers. But there’s a catch: they must also rekindle their pretend relationship…and this time there’s a documentary crew following their every move.

Cynthie and Jack both desperately need this film to work, but can two ex-rivals ever really trust each other? And what happens when the roles they’re playing start to feel all too real?]]>
352 Laura Wood 1668051974 gem 0 to-read 4.24 2025 Let's Make a Scene
author: Laura Wood
name: gem
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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We Live Here Now 209203198
But these things happen only when Emily is alone, so are they happening at all? She is still medically fragile. Her post-sepsis condition can cause hallucinatory side effects, which means she cannot fully trust her senses. Freddie does not notice anything odd and is happy with their chance at a fresh start. She, however, starts to believe the house is haunted by someone who had been murdered in it even though she can find no evidence of a wrongful death. As bizarre events pile up and her marriage starts to crumble, Emily becomes obsessed with discovering the truth about Larkin Lodge. But just as the house has secrets so do Emily and her husband.]]>
Sarah Pinborough gem 0 to-read 4.25 2025 We Live Here Now
author: Sarah Pinborough
name: gem
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/19
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Nowhere Burning 217387837 Set in the unforgiving maw of the Rocky Mountains, Nowhere Burning is the latest harrowing novel from bestselling author Catriona Ward, perfect for fans of Riley Sager and the hit series Yellowjackets.

A refuge for lost children may also be their prison.

In the middle of the night, Riley pulls her younger brother Oliver out of bed, and the two run away from home. Riley is intent on joining a group of teenagers squatting in the abandoned ruins of an infamous movie star’s ranch, Nowhere. For actor Leaf Winham, Nowhere was a place to hide from his fame, and to hide his crimes―until a fire ravaged his home and exposed him as a murderer.

It is rumored that the ranch nestled in the peaks of the Rocky Mountains is now home to group of feral children, a place where adults cannot enter, and Riley hopes to find a new family there. But the Nowhere Kids are fierce in defending their turf and their clan, and Riley quickly realizes that while she and Oliver may have left the devil they knew, this group is a new type of diabolical.

For something dark lives in the burned shell of Nowhere, something which asks a terrible price for sanctuary...]]>
304 Catriona Ward 1250860059 gem 0 to-read 5.00 2025 Nowhere Burning
author: Catriona Ward
name: gem
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/19
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<![CDATA[Recipes for a Better Menopause: A life-changing, positive approach to nutrition for pre, peri and post menopause]]> 123413295
'Federica is a brilliant scientist and a joy to work with. She is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about nutrition research and communicating evidence-based science in a clear and practical way'- Professor Tim Spector

Misinformation around what to eat during the menopause is commonplace, despite being something that every woman will face at some point in their lives. So how can women tailor their diets to minimize symptoms and improve their health? There are plenty of anecdotal guides and helpful medical perspectives on the causes and symptoms of the menopause, but there is currently no evidence-based, practical cookbook with delicious recipes to help women harness the power of food to transform their long-term wellbeing.

Dr Federica Amati's knowledge of the cutting-edge scientific research around menopause and nutrition, and Jane Baxter's 35-year career as an award-winning chef with personal experience of cooking for the menopause - make them uniquely placed to give women the tools they need to optimize diet for the menopause and beyond.]]>
208 Federica Amati 1804191434 gem 4 3.90 Recipes for a Better Menopause: A life-changing, positive approach to nutrition for pre, peri and post menopause
author: Federica Amati
name: gem
average rating: 3.90
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves:
review:
I think the introduction and general info is probably more valuable to me than the actual recipes, but it’s a good reference.
]]>
The Murder Hypothesis 211032088
Grace and her dad have just moved to a tiny, sleepy Devon village, desperate to put tragic events from their old life in London behind them. But their fresh start is derailed when the second-hand Echo in their new house comes alive at midnight, and tells I'm going to murder you.

Grace works out it’s an old recorded message, and the Echo has previously been used by four people in their village � all of whom are now dead. And Grace’s passion for science and statistics comes alive. She knows within these accidental deaths, there must lie a murder � and she’s going to work it out, using the methodology of a chemistry experiment. Observation; hypothesis; experimentation; results.

No one believes her � except for her best friend, Maddy, who’s desperate for Grace to face up to an agonising truth. And soon it’s clear that whoever the murderer is, they’ve noticed Grace, and will do anything to keep her quiet…]]>
464 Sarah Wishart 0008641994 gem 0 to-read 3.59 2024 The Murder Hypothesis
author: Sarah Wishart
name: gem
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
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Tampa 17938349
Within weeks of her first term at a new school, Celeste has lured the charmingly modest Jack Patrick into her web - car rides after dark, rendezvous at Jack's house while his single father works the late shift, and body-slamming encounters in Celeste's empty classroom between periods. It is bliss.

Celeste must constantly confront the forces threatening their affair - the perpetual risk of exposure, Jack's father's own attraction to her, and the ticking clock as Jack leaves innocent boyhood behind. But the insatiable Celeste is remorseless. She deceives everyone, is close to no one and cares little for anything but her pleasure.

With crackling, stampeding, rampantly sexualized prose, Tampa is a grand, satirical, serio-comic examination of desire and a scorching literary debut.]]>
256 Alissa Nutting gem 0 to-read 3.46 2013 Tampa
author: Alissa Nutting
name: gem
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
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The Island of Lost Girls 62645212 Sun-drenched glamour and obscene wealth hide evil secrets in this ripped-from-the-headlines thriller about money, corruption, power and lost innocence from “one of crime fiction's brightest stars� (Megan Abbott), the Edgar and Macavity Award-winning author of The Wicked Girls and The Killer Next Door.

It's paradise for the super-rich, but hell for the girls whose lives they've stolen.

1985

To twelve-year-old Mercedes, La Kastellana is home, an island with deep-rooted traditions untouched by the modern world. But this secluded paradise is upended with the arrival of multimillionaire Matthew Meade and his pampered young daughter, Tatiana. While the Meades lavishly spread unimaginable wealth around La Kastellana, the price Mercedes and the rest of the islanders will pay is more than they could ever have imagined.

2016

Robin has been desperately searching for her seventeen-year-old daughter Gemma, who’s been missing for more than a year. Finding herself on La Kastellana, an island playground for the international jet set, Robin quickly realizes she’s out of her depth. No one is willing to help and Robin fears she’s running out of time to find her child.

But someone has been watching, silently waiting for the moment to expose the dark truth of what really happens on the island of lost girls.]]>
480 Alex Marwood 0063282232 gem 0 to-read 3.37 2022 The Island of Lost Girls
author: Alex Marwood
name: gem
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Wicked Girls 11940384
Twenty-five years later, journalist Kirsty Lindsay is reporting on a series of attacks on young female tourists in a seaside town when her investigation leads her to interview funfair cleaner Amber Gordon. For Kirsty and Amber, it's the first time they've seen each other since that dark day when they were just children. But with new lives � and families � to protect, will they really be able to keep their secret hidden?]]>
378 Alex Marwood 1847445209 gem 0 to-read 3.44 2008 The Wicked Girls
author: Alex Marwood
name: gem
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA['Til Heist Do Us Part (Simi Chopra #2)]]> 202468458 "The perfect blend of romance, mystery and thrills."�US Weekly

Diamond necklaces, billionaires, Mafia bosses, and student loans—it’s all in a day’s work for Simi Chopra and her ragtag heist crew in the next romantic-comedy caper from Sara Desai.

It’s been a year since Simi Chopra’s motley crew pulled off a high-wire diamond necklace heist with the help of sexy rogue Jack Danger. After living it up on the reward money, they're back where they started, struggling to pay their bills. So when a Chicago Mafia boss demands they return the jewels—plus interest, or else—they need to get the team back together…and fast.

Unfortunately, Simi soon discovers that the necklace is in the hands of Jack's nemesis, a highly-skilled and supremely vengeful master thief who is not above a little blackmail to get even. (Did Jack really have to piss her off?) Now, the crew is forced into her working her con in order to get the necklace back.

As if Simi needed any more complications while trying to rob a billionaire’s mansion, she and Jack are on the rocks, someone else is after her score, and a gorgeous detective is hot on her tail. Simi better be careful or she’ll end up in the less fun kind of handcuffs.]]>
368 Sara Desai 0593641310 gem 0 to-read 3.53 2024 'Til Heist Do Us Part (Simi Chopra #2)
author: Sara Desai
name: gem
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: to-read
review:

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Girl Friends 60730951 "Men see women in two separate categories. There are the women they sleep with, and the women they fall in love with. And they will treat you differently based on that."

From the day they first meet as teenagers Fern and Jessica are best friends. Despite their differences, they are there for each other throughout everything, navigating the difficulties of growing up and fitting in. That is until Jessica crosses a line that Fern can't forgive.

But now, more than ten years later, Jessica has unexpectedly reappeared in Fern's life.

A lot has changed for them both - but can their relationship be different now they are older? Is it possible for either of them to rewrite the role that they have been cast in? Or will their shared history ultimately be doomed to repeat itself again?

Set between the present day and the past, GIRL FRIENDS is a blisteringly funny and devastating novel: both a joyful celebration of female friendship and a razor-sharp look at the damage we can all cause to those we claim to love the most.]]>
448 Holly Bourne 1529301572 gem 5 Rtc but I loved it! 4.06 2022 Girl Friends
author: Holly Bourne
name: gem
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/10/07
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves:
review:
Rtc but I loved it!
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Dead Fall (Cassie Raven #4) 200217361
Talented yet troubled, singer-songwriter Bronte was hailed as the next big thing - until she threw herself off her tenth-floor balcony. Hyper-intuitive mortuary technician Cassie Raven is shocked to see Bronte turn up on her autopsy table. The two of them were classmates until an incident that prompted Bronte's sudden exit from school, which has haunted Cassie for years. Bronte was battling personal demons and paparazzi alike, but she was on the brink of international stardom. Why would she kill herself? Amid frenzied speculation by the tabloids and online 'detectives', Cassie finds herself drawn dangerously deep into Bronte's personal life - her warring parents, her druggie boyfriend, and the sharks that cruise the music biz.

To make amends now and avoid Bronte's fate, Cassie must work out who to trust - and who to fear...]]>
339 A.K. Turner 1804181609 gem 0 currently-reading 4.24 2024 Dead Fall (Cassie Raven #4)
author: A.K. Turner
name: gem
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: currently-reading
review:

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<![CDATA[Case Sensitive (Cassie Raven, #3)]]> 63070040
Goth-girl mortuary technician Cassie Raven has seen thousands of dead bodies but when a drowned man knocks against the hull of her canalboat, it's a bit too close to home.

Cassie is grappling with the loss of her 'gift' - her conviction that she could sense the last thoughts of the dead - and at first the mystery man with the golden-green eyes isn't sharing his secrets.

But the case gets under her skin and when Cassie joins forces with Detective Phyllida Flyte, together they start to dredge up secrets from the past . . .

Yet someone is watching, someone who's ready to kill to stop those secrets coming to the surface.]]>
335 A.K. Turner 1804180602 gem 5 I’m just mad at myself for taking so long to read it given I bought the physical book, the audio book & kindle when they were released! ]]> 4.18 2023 Case Sensitive (Cassie Raven, #3)
author: A.K. Turner
name: gem
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/01
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves:
review:
My favourite so far! I love’d seeing Cassie & Flyte’s characters develop as we see more strength & vulnerable abilities from them both. I think this was the strongest plot so far (& I love the other ones!) & I could fully picture everything that was happening.
I’m just mad at myself for taking so long to read it given I bought the physical book, the audio book & kindle when they were released!
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Overgrowth 217387964 Annihilation meets Day of the Triffids in this full-on body horror/alien invasion apocalypse.

This is just a story. It can't hurt you anymore.

Since she was three years old, Anastasia Miller has been telling anyone who would listen that she's an alien disguised as a human being, and that the armada that left her on Earth is coming for her. Since she was three years old, no one has been willing to listen.

Now, with an alien signal from the stars being broadcast around the world, humanity is finally starting to realize that it's already been warned, and it may be too late. The invasion is coming, Stasia's biological family is on the way to bring her home, and very few family reunions are willing to cross the gulf of space for just one misplaced child.

What happens when you know what’s coming, and just refuse to listen?]]>
480 Mira Grant 1250768233 gem 0 to-read 4.10 2025 Overgrowth
author: Mira Grant
name: gem
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Fiancé Dilemma (The Long Game, #2)]]> 213700483
Matthew Flanagan is the mud, literally. Not only has he been fired from his job, but also the tires of his car are stuck in the muck after taking a wrong turn as he enters Green Oak, North Carolina. So, he grabs a duffel with his essentials and goes in search of a place to crash until he gets his life back on track. But instead, he finds his best friend’s sister, Josie, greeting him as her fiancé.

What starts as a big messy misunderstanding quickly turns into an arrangement with Matthew playing a new role as doting fiancé. A fifth engagement––and a stunt, at that––makes Josie’s stomach turn, but every dilemma requires a choice between equally undesirable alternatives, and Matthew doesn’t seem to mind becoming one more number in a colourful list of grooms-that-never-were. Despite the ring on her finger, Josie knows this is only temporary, even if the rest of the small town believes that the fifth time’s the charm.]]>
432 Elena Armas 1398522244 gem 0 to-read 3.77 2024 The Fiancé Dilemma (The Long Game, #2)
author: Elena Armas
name: gem
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Book of Life (All Souls, #3)]]> 16054217 The #1 New York Times bestselling series finale and sequel to A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night

Bringing the magic and suspense of the All Souls Trilogy to a deeply satisfying conclusion, this highly anticipated finale went straight to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. In The Book of Life, Diana and Matthew time-travel back from Elizabethan London to make a dramatic return to the present—facing new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home, Sept-Tours, they reunite with the beloved cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency.]]>
561 Deborah Harkness 0670025593 gem 5 It's difficult to explain how excellent this book is without giving anything away, as everything is so intricately linked...
Anyone who has read the first two books will be utterly enthralled by this last instalment, I felt like it answered all the questions I'd waned answered throughout the series and it did so in a way that felt right for the characters and satisfying as a reader.
Argh, really the only thing I can say is READ THIS NOW!

I'm lucky enough to run events for Waterstones Birmingham High St and we have Deborah Harkness doing a Q&A in sept, I simply cannot wait to meet her!]]>
4.15 2014 The Book of Life (All Souls, #3)
author: Deborah Harkness
name: gem
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves:
review:
Wow, just wow!
It's difficult to explain how excellent this book is without giving anything away, as everything is so intricately linked...
Anyone who has read the first two books will be utterly enthralled by this last instalment, I felt like it answered all the questions I'd waned answered throughout the series and it did so in a way that felt right for the characters and satisfying as a reader.
Argh, really the only thing I can say is READ THIS NOW!

I'm lucky enough to run events for Waterstones Birmingham High St and we have Deborah Harkness doing a Q&A in sept, I simply cannot wait to meet her!
]]>
Witch You Weren't Here 128093572 Sparks are bound to fly...

Kay knows three things to be a witch who cannot control their powers is dangerous, she needs to make it home for her brother's wedding, and Harry Ashworth is the last person she ever wants to see...

But after visiting the witching community's equivalent of IT support to try to fix her misbehaving magic, a hurricane hits and her flight home is cancelled!

Not only is Kay stranded, but she's stranded with Harry - her infuriatingly handsome and charming childhood friend, who broke her heart when they were teenagers.

Except Harry is a frustratingly powerful witch so working together might be their only way to get back home. And the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to ignore what is simmering under the surface.

Soon it becomes clear that Kay's magic isn't the only thing she doesn't have control of...]]>
342 Emma Jackson 1398717967 gem 0 to-read 3.62 Witch You Weren't Here
author: Emma Jackson
name: gem
average rating: 3.62
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-read
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Careful What You Witch For 205072752 Sometimes you need to be careful what you witch for...
Becca Ashworth's family is in trouble and with their magical legacy under threat, it puts their small village of Biddicote at risk too. So going against the witching tenets to summon an ancestor for help seems like a small price to pay to fix the problem...at first.
Connor Lynch is the Witches Council's secret weapon and he's just been deployed to find out exactly what the Ashworths are up to. But how he ends up posing as Becca's fake husband at a magical inn in Cornwall as they hunt down a magical artefact is just as perplexing as the cheerful witch herself.
When their attraction for each other grows, Becca and Connor question everything they have been taught - and soon the missing artefact isn't the only thing they are searching for. As love collides with duty, it's clear that sometimes you need to be careful what you witch for...]]>
Emma Jackson 1398717975 gem 0 to-read 4.16 Careful What You Witch For
author: Emma Jackson
name: gem
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-read
review:

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In Case You Missed It 53059764 Hilarious, relatable and heartwarming: the brand new romantic comedy from Lindsey Kelk.

When Ros steps off a plane after four years away she’s in need of a job, a flat and a phone that actually works. And, possibly, her old life back. Because everyone at home has moved on, her parents have reignited their sex life, she’s sleeping in a converted shed and she’s got a bad case of nostalgia for the way things were.

Then her new phone begins to ping with messages from people she thought were deleted for good. Including one number she knows off by heart: her ex’s.

Sometimes we’d all like the chance to see what we’ve been missing…]]>
400 Lindsey Kelk 0008384657 gem 2 3.57 2020 In Case You Missed It
author: Lindsey Kelk
name: gem
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/24
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves:
review:
2.5 wasn’t hugely impressed with this one, it felt a bit nothingy when I compare it to her more recent books.
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<![CDATA[The Charlie Method (Campus Diaries, #3)]]> 212688557 The third in the steamy, hilarious Campus Diaries series by New York Times bestselling author Elle Kennedy, set in the same world as Off Campus and Briar U.

College senior Charlotte Kingston is living two lives―and she's nailing both of them. By day, she's the perfect sorority girl, a STEM student in biomedical engineering, and the adopted daughter of an overachiever family. At night, she's Charlie: a risk-taking daredevil looking for fun who finds herself chatting on a dating app with two anonymous hotties.

Will Larsen may seem like the breezy boy next door, but his congressman father is a constant thorn in his side. After a scandal hits another Division 1 hockey program, Will's dad is determined to distance his son from it, hiring a journalist to prove how squeaky-clean Will and his team are. Which means the last thing Will wants is for anyone to find out he and his best friend Beckett Dunne―a laidback Aussie shielding secret heartache―sometimes share girls in the bedroom.

When Charlie finally meets them in person and realizes she's been chatting with two gorgeous Briar U hockey players, things get steamy―fast. But all their messy secrets are piling up, and real life soon threatens to shatter the fantasy. With Charlie, Will, and Beckett all coming to terms with what they want and what others want for them, difficult decisions will need to be made.

Especially when lust starts to look a lot like love.]]>
528 Elle Kennedy 1464219354 gem 0 to-read 3.47 2025 The Charlie Method (Campus Diaries, #3)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: gem
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Rose Bargain 211742041 The Cruel Prince meets The Selection in this captivating duology opener brimming with heart-pounding romance, vicious competition, and beautiful, cruel fae, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Haven, Sasha Peyton Smith.

Every citizen of England is granted one bargain from their immortal fae queen.

High society girls are expected to bargain for qualities that will win them suitors: a rare talent for piano in exchange for one’s happiest childhood memory. A perfect smile for one’s ability to taste.

But Ivy Benton’s debut season arrives with a shocking twist: a competition to secure the heart of the Queen’s fae son, Prince Bram. A prize that could save Ivy’s family from ruin� and free her sister from the bargain that destroyed her.

Yet every glittering fae deal has a rotting heart—and at the center of this contest is a dark plot that could destroy everything Ivy knows.

Sweepingly romantic and deceptively enchanting, this alternate history romantasy will enthrall readers of Holly Black, Stephanie Garber, and Adalyn Grace.]]>
400 Sasha Peyton Smith 0063372525 gem 0 to-read 3.97 2025 The Rose Bargain
author: Sasha Peyton Smith
name: gem
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-read
review:

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