Candace's bookshelf: all en-US Fri, 09 May 2025 09:32:51 -0700 60 Candace's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Barbarian Alien (Ice Planet Barbarians, #2)]]> 58777737 The second novel in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, the international publishing phenomenon--now in a special print edition with bonus materials and an exclusive epilogue!

Liz Cramer swears she'll find a way off of this alien planet she's stuck on--then she meets Raahosh, the surliest and stubbornest alien, who won't leave her alone, and she just might be okay with that...

Twelve humans are left stranded on a wintry alien planet. I'm one of them. Yay, me.
In order to survive, we have to take on a symbiont that wants to rewire our bodies to live in this brutal place. I like to call it a "cootie." And my cootie's a jerk, because it also thinks I'm the mate to the biggest, grumpiest alien of the group. Raahosh believes the cootie's right, so he steals me away from the group, determined to make me fall for him--or else.

He has no idea who he's up against.

And if I didn't want his insufferable self so much (thanks, cootie), I'd let him know exactly what I'm thinking. As it is, I'm doing my best to fight this instant attraction. Just because the symbiont thinks we're supposed to be together doesn't mean I have to go along with it. And if we fool around a little, it's merely biology. It doesn't mean I'm in love--or that I'm destined to be his.]]>
336 Ruby Dixon 0593546032 Candace 0 3.63 2015 Barbarian Alien (Ice Planet Barbarians, #2)
author: Ruby Dixon
name: Candace
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at: 2025/05/09
date added: 2025/05/09
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things (Sisters of Light and Shadow, #1)]]> 214269343 A young witch cursed with sacrificing memories to cast spells must decide how much she’s willing to lose to save her town in this thrilling tale of magic, love, and self-discovery—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic.

In the small town of Gold Springs, Calliope Petridi and her two sisters carefully guard the secret of their magic and the price they must pay to practice it: memories. The more powerful the magic, the greater the memory required.

Luckily, all Calliope wants to do is forget. Forget the mother who left them without a trace. Forget the cracks in her relationships with her judgmental oldest sister, Thalia, and her distant middle sister, Eurydice. Forget about the very cost of her magic. And most of all, forget the way the love of her life shattered her heart two years ago.

But when an ancient evil awakens in their town, the fragile thread that holds the sisters together breaks. As their magic slowly begins to fade, Calliope accidentally binds herself to an annoyingly handsome leader of a rival coven infamous for their ruthless pursuit of power.

Battling a sizzling chemistry to a man she can't trust, Calliope needs to confront her sisters and the painful memories of her past, dark family secrets, and ancient magic in order to keep the town and all she loves safe. But will she have anything left of herself?]]>
400 Breanne Randall 0593875001 Candace 0 currently-reading 3.51 2025 Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things (Sisters of Light and Shadow, #1)
author: Breanne Randall
name: Candace
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves: currently-reading
review:

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<![CDATA[My Vampire Plus-One (My Vampires, #2)]]> 210727719
Reginald is extremely handsome (which is not in his favour for Amelia's purposes), but he's also rude, infuriatingly arrogant, and wears a riot of clashing clothes that make him look like he got dressed in a skip - all factors in the plus column.

And the date goes well: everyone at the wedding, including Amelia, is horrified by Reginald and his actions, which include crashing the bar, starting up a breakdancing routine on the dance floor, and encouraging the kids to play frisbee with the fine china being used for dinner. (It really is a shame he's so attractive).

After the evening is over, Reginald admits to Amelia that he's a vampire, which doesn't frighten her the way he expects it will. In fact, she asks if he would be willing to accompany her to a few more events over the course of the summer to help her further her goals of getting everyone to leave her alone. But there's a fine line between love and hate, and the last thing either of them expects is there might be a growing spark between them...]]>
9 Jenna Levine Candace 0 currently-reading, audiobooks 3.60 2024 My Vampire Plus-One (My Vampires, #2)
author: Jenna Levine
name: Candace
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves: currently-reading, audiobooks
review:

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<![CDATA[Clockwork Boys (Clocktaur War, #1)]]> 36618062
If they succeed, rewards and pardons await, but that requires a long journey through enemy territory, directly into the capital. It also requires them to refrain from killing each other along the way! At turns darkly comic and touching, Clockwork Boys puts together a broken group of people trying to make the most of the rest of their lives as they drive forward on their suicide mission.]]>
230 T. Kingfisher Candace 0 to-read 4.15 2017 Clockwork Boys (Clocktaur War, #1)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Candace
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Paladin's Strength (The Saint of Steel, #2)]]> 57119466
When their paths cross at the point of a sword, Istvhan and Clara will be pitched headlong into each other’s quests, facing off against enemies both living and dead. But Clara has a secret that could jeopardize the growing trust between them, a secret that will lead them to the gladiatorial pits of a corrupt city, and beyond...]]>
445 T. Kingfisher Candace 0 audiobooks 4.20 2021 Paladin's Strength (The Saint of Steel, #2)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Candace
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2025/05/07
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves: audiobooks
review:

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<![CDATA[The Seven Rings (The Lost Bride Trilogy, #3)]]> 222377015 The #1 New York Times-bestselling author concludes her compelling Lost Bride trilogy as two women—one dead, one alive—prepare for a terrifying final showdown�

Long ago, Arthur Poole built a grand house overlooking the turbulent ocean, in a Maine village that bore his name. Today, Sonya MacTavish lives in that house—a manor that has been cursed for generations. Within its walls, she has witnessed the deaths of seven brides and the thefts of seven wedding rings. And now, to break the curse and banish a malevolent spirit once and for all, a difficult task must be completed.

After Sonya, her boyfriend, Trey, and their friends are forced to hear, see—and feel—the suffering of the house’s many ghosts as their torment is reenacted by the evil presence, their bond only strengthens and their anger is renewed. Refusing to let her spirit be broken, Sonya searches each room for clues to her ancestors� hidden story, putting the picture together, unearthing small treasures, and uncovering the moments of joy that existed among the sorrows. She’s determined to bring light to this haunted place—to fill it with people, with life and hope, once again.

But the enemy in the black dress continues to hover, to come at her in frightening forms. They may be illusions—but illusions can be powerful enough to wound and kill. She feeds on fear, and lies are her weapon. This dark-hearted witch wants to be mistress of Poole Manor, at any cost. And Sonya will need to fight a battle across two realms to finally take possession of the house on the clifftop—and of her own future…]]>
464 Nora Roberts 1250288797 Candace 0 to-read 5.00 2025 The Seven Rings (The Lost Bride Trilogy, #3)
author: Nora Roberts
name: Candace
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/05/05
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Ice Planet Barbarians (Ice Planet Barbarians, #1)]]> 58777736
And the only native inhabitant I've met? He's big, horned, blue, and really, really has a thing for me...]]>
317 Ruby Dixon 0593546024 Candace 5 3.49 2015 Ice Planet Barbarians (Ice Planet Barbarians, #1)
author: Ruby Dixon
name: Candace
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/30
date added: 2025/04/30
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Can't Get Enough 218372451 “Kennedy Ryan pours her whole soul into everything she writes, and it makes for books that are heart-searing, sensual, and life affirming.”―EMILY HENRY, #1 New York Times bestselling author Hendrix Barry lives a fabulous life. She has phenomenal friends, a loving family, and a thriving business that places her in the entertainment industry's rarefied air. Your vision board? She’s probably living it.

She’s a woman with goals, dreams, ambitions—always striving upward. And in the midst of everything, she's facing her toughest challenge caring for an aging parent.

Who has time for romance? From her experience, there's a low ROI on relationships. She hasn't met the man who can keep up with her anyway. Until...him.

Tech mogul Maverick Bell is a dilemma wrapped in an exquisitely tailored suit and knee-melting charm. From their first charged glance at the summer's hottest party, Hendrix feels like she’s met her match. Only he can’t be. Mav may be the first to make her feel this seen and desired and appreciated, but he’s the last one she can have. Forbidden fruit is the juiciest, and this man is off limits if she plans to stay the course she’s set for herself.

But when Maverick gives chase—pursuing her, spoiling her, understanding her—is it time to let herself have something more?


A deeply moving and personal novel about sacrifice, self-reliance, and finding true happiness from “one of the finest romance writers of our age.� �Entertainment Weekly]]>
448 Kennedy Ryan 1538706857 Candace 0 to-read 4.60 2025 Can't Get Enough
author: Kennedy Ryan
name: Candace
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/22
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<![CDATA[Strange Practice (Dr. Greta Helsing, #1)]]> 35540247 Meet Greta Helsing, fast-talking doctor to the undead. Keeping the supernatural community not-alive and well in London has been her family's specialty for generations.

Greta Helsing inherited the family's highly specialized, and highly peculiar, medical practice. In her consulting rooms, Dr. Helsing treats the undead for a host of ills - vocal strain in banshees, arthritis in barrow-wights, and entropy in mummies. Although barely making ends meet, this is just the quiet, supernatural-adjacent life Greta's been groomed for since childhood.

Until a sect of murderous monks emerges, killing human and undead Londoners alike. As terror takes hold of the city, Greta must use her unusual skills to stop the cult if she hopes to save her practice, and her life.]]>
353 Vivian Shaw 0356508870 Candace 0 to-read 3.74 2017 Strange Practice (Dr. Greta Helsing, #1)
author: Vivian Shaw
name: Candace
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
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The Alchemist 218129518
Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations.

Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.]]>
208 Paulo Coelho 0063442469 Candace 0 to-read 4.00 1988 The Alchemist
author: Paulo Coelho
name: Candace
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1988
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/20
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<![CDATA[Mislaid in Parts Half-Known (Wayward Children, #9)]]> 127305800 Dinosaurs and portals, and a girl who can find both in the latest book in the Hugo and Nebula Award-Winning series.

Antsy is the latest student to pass through the doors at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children.

When her fellow students realize that Antsy's talent for finding absolutely anything may extend to doors, she's forced to flee in the company of a small group of friends, looking for a way back to the Shop Where the Lost Things Go to be sure that Vineta and Hudson are keeping their promise.

Along the way, temptations are dangled, decisions are reinforced, and a departure to a world populated by dinosaurs brings untold dangers and one or two other surprises!

A story that reminds us that finding what you want doesn't always mean finding what you need.]]>
146 Seanan McGuire 1250848504 Candace 5 4.01 2024 Mislaid in Parts Half-Known (Wayward Children, #9)
author: Seanan McGuire
name: Candace
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/04/17
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<![CDATA[Paladin's Grace (The Saint of Steel, #1)]]> 57571238 Stephen’s god died on the longest day of the year�

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

From the Hugo and Nebula Award winning author of Swordheart and The Twisted Ones comes a saga of murder, magic, and love on the far side of despair.]]>
13 T. Kingfisher 1705297722 Candace 5 audiobooks 4.01 2020 Paladin's Grace (The Saint of Steel, #1)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Candace
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/16
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: audiobooks
review:

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<![CDATA[What's It Gonna Be? (Henderson Family Saga #13)]]> 59547880
Being afforded the opportunity to meet and get to know her birth mother is only part of the healing process for Synthia Coles. She is traveling through life broken, seeking validation in places that should be sacred. Her innocence was shattered a long time ago and she still doesn’t know how to handle that. Within her attempt at normalcy, she meets a man that she knows can have her sliding down the slippery slope she was desperately trying to climb, but everything about him is telling her to sexually destroy his hopes and dreams.

Marcus and Synthia seem to be damage and destruction traveling on a combustible road to total devastation. Through all the toxicity, they are drawn to one another in more ways than one. Can they get over themselves and all the issues that plague them to form a lasting relationship? Or is that way too much to expect or even ask for?]]>
203 Monica Walters Candace 5 4.52 What's It Gonna Be? (Henderson Family Saga #13)
author: Monica Walters
name: Candace
average rating: 4.52
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/13
date added: 2025/04/14
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<![CDATA[Bull Moon Rising (Royal Artifactual Guild, #1)]]> 205435930 The special first edition hardcover will include a gorgeous, shimmering jacket with effects, brilliantly illustrated four-color endpapers, striking and detailed-stained edges, and a beautiful foil-stamped case.

In a world of magical artifacts and fantastical beings, a woman determined to save her family joins forces with an unlikely partner, in this steamy romantasy by USA Today bestselling author Ruby Dixon.

As a Holder’s daughter, Aspeth Honori knows the importance of magical artifacts . . . which is why it’s a disaster that her father has gambled all theirs away. Now that her family is in danger of losing their hold—and their heads—if anyone finds out the truth, Aspeth decides to do something about it. She’ll join the Royal Artifactual Guild and the adventurers who explore ancient underground ruins to retrieve the coveted arcane items.

It’s a great plan—with one big problem. The guild won’t let her train because she’s a woman. Aspeth needs a chaperone of some kind. The best way to get around this problem? Marry someone who will let her become an apprentice. Who better than a surly guild member who requires a favor of his own? He’s a minotaur (it’s fine) who is her teacher (also fine) . . . and he’s about to go into rut (which is where it gets tricky). He also has no idea she’s a noble (oops), and he’ll want nothing to do with her if he discovers her real identity.

Now Aspeth just has to pass the guild tests, thwart a fortune hunter, and save her hold—oh, and survive a rut with her monstrous, horned husband, whom she might be falling in love with.

It’s time to dig deep. Literally.]]>
432 Ruby Dixon 0593817028 Candace 0 to-read 3.94 2024 Bull Moon Rising (Royal Artifactual Guild, #1)
author: Ruby Dixon
name: Candace
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: to-read
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Take a Hike (Lovestruck, #3) 134097236 Falling in love is an uphill battle.

Day-to-day life has grown stale for Raven Coleman, who prefers to fly by the seat of her pants than follow any set plan. So when she unexpectedly inherits an outdoor recreation and tour business in a charming small town, it’s exactly the kind of shakeup she has been asking the universe for.

Instead of selling Mountaintop Adventures right away, Raven decides to step in as the boss for the summer to determine if it’s a position she’d like to hold long-term. Unfortunately, her presence is not well received by the staff, particularly Silas Reynolds, the hardheaded archery instructor.

Silas once had big dreams, but life got in the way. Now he’s making the most of his situation. That is until the bubbly Raven thwarts his plan to buy Mountaintop Adventures. She has no industry experience or interest in the great outdoors but insists she can run the business.

The two butt heads immediately, but attraction and rapport soon soften their exchanges. Can Silas and Raven keep professional lines and their opposing goals intact? Or is love a force too strong to ignore?

This novel can be read as a standalone.]]>
234 Mimi Grace 1999108299 Candace 0 to-read 3.88 2015 Take a Hike (Lovestruck, #3)
author: Mimi Grace
name: Candace
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Struggle Bus 59231144
Rolling, rollicking rhymes take readers on a journey of perseverance, where challenges are faced and mountains are climbed.]]>
40 Julie Koon 1638940010 Candace 0 to-read 4.34 2022 The Struggle Bus
author: Julie Koon
name: Candace
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: to-read
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Somebody Else Will 230206133
Ezekiel Wheeler is focused on advancing his acting career. He’s determined to be a sought-after actor that can name his price. None of that means anything if he has no one to celebrate his accolades with. He doesn’t want the celebrity girlfriend or the women approaching him. He wants to be the aggressor. While planning a surprise party for his mother, he contacts a florist to provide the perfect setup for the festivities. The moment he hears her voice, he’s all in.

Denishia and Ezekiel have an undeniable attraction to one another, although her current situation forces her to somewhat deny it in the beginning. When things change and heartache suddenly finds her address, Ezekiel is there to help her pick up the pieces. However, will the ensuing drama force them apart, or will they tread through the moments of uncertainty together?]]>
179 Monica Walters Candace 0 to-read 4.41 Somebody Else Will
author: Monica Walters
name: Candace
average rating: 4.41
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
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Church Girl 201027714 She’s a preacher’s daughter, a runaway bride and now the (not quite) qualified nanny for a sexy tattoo artist with a beautiful daughter—and a dirty mouth.

What’s a bad boy to do with a woman like her?

·ˇ±ą±đ°ů˛âłŮłóľ±˛Ô˛µâ€�

Aaliyah Montgomery isn’t just ditching her wedding. She’s also fleeing her suffocating small town and her family’s expectations. She’s got plans—for college, for finding herself. But landing a job in Chicago that fits her schedule isn’t easy. Good thing Von Howard is desperate to find a live-in nanny. Bad thing that he’s a gritty, grumpy, gorgeous tattoo artist carrying as much baggage as he has ink.

Von’s new hire is inexperienced and a fire hazard in the kitchen. She’s also all thick curls, thicker curves, and a distracting mix of innocence and sensuality. After the upheaval of a divorce, he just needs a nanny, not a sneaky link. Meanwhile, Aaliyah is bonding with his seven-year-old and showing an unexpected flair for tattoo art. Who could resist?

Yet deep down, Aaliyah’s still running—from her feelings and her fear of losing herself to someone else’s expectations again. Even as their pasts return to haunt them, their undeniable heat says maybe it’s time to stand and fight for a love they didn’t see coming.]]>
288 Naima Simone 1335574875 Candace 4 3.95 2024 Church Girl
author: Naima Simone
name: Candace
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/03
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Flirting Lessons 216246723 The exciting new contemporary romance—and her first to feature a queer romance—by New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory

Avery Jensen is almost thirty, fresh off a breakup, and she’s tired of always being so uptight and well-behaved. She wants to get a hobby, date around (especially other women), flirt with everyone she sees, all the fun stuff normal people do in their twenties. One Avery doesn't know how to do any of that. She doesn't have a lot of dating experience, with men or women, and despite being self-assured at work, she doesn't have a lot of confidence when it comes to romance.

Enter Taylor Cameron, Napa Valley's biggest flirt and champion heartbreaker. Taylor just broke up with her most recent girlfriend, and her best friend bet her that she can't make it until Labor Day without sleeping with someone. (Two whole months? Without sex? Taylor?!?!) So, she offers to give Avery flirting lessons. It will keep her busy, stop her from texting people she shouldn't. And it might distract her from how inadequate she feels compared to her friends, who all seem much more settled and adult than Taylor.

At first, Avery is stiff and nervous, but Taylor is patient and encouraging, and soon, Avery looks forward to their weekly lessons. She tells herself it's because the lessons are fun, not because she kind of might have a little bit of a crush on Taylor. Taylor doesn't even try to deny that she's intrigued by Avery, but she's still got a bet to win. With Taylor’s help, Avery is finally doing what she wants to flirting with lots of women, making friends, having fun! But after a while, it becomes impossible for Avery and Taylor to ignore their attraction to one another, despite them both insisting to themselves and everyone else that it isn't serious. When Taylor is forced to confront her feelings for Avery, she doesn't know what to do, how to deal with it, and most importantly, if she's already ruined the best thing she's ever had.]]>
409 Jasmine Guillory 0593100921 Candace 0 to-read 3.63 2025 Flirting Lessons
author: Jasmine Guillory
name: Candace
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: to-read
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No Ordinary Love 215806431 A PR relationship between a pop superstar and a pro-athlete bad boy turns into so much more in this swoony romance from the acclaimed author of When I Think of You.

Ella Simone’s popstar life is what dreams are made of. Her eight year marriage to renowned music producer, Elliot Majors, has helped garner the hits, awards, and adoring fans to prove it. But when Ella tires of Elliot's many infidelities, she decides to fight for her independence despite the ironclad prenup that threatens her career. 

To help her case, Ella is under strict orders to stick to The no headlines, no rumors, no rocking the boat. But this strategy is thrown a curveball after an awards show wardrobe snafu and quick rescue by Miles Westbrook, MLB’s most eligible player, sends the tabloids into a frenzy. Amid tricky divorce proceedings, Ella’s magnetic connection with the charismatic pitcher might just be her downfall.

Now the pressure is on to turn a scandal into an opportunity and give their teams what they a picture-perfect performance that will shore up both Ella and Miles' reputations. But as the lines between reality and PR begin to blur, Ella will either stick to the choreographed life she knows so well, or surrender to a love that could set her free.]]>
318 Myah Ariel 0593640624 Candace 0 to-read 4.11 2025 No Ordinary Love
author: Myah Ariel
name: Candace
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/26
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What a Match (Lovestruck, #2) 60498614
Meticulous and driven Gwen Gilmore knows what she wants� especially in a man. She is newly single and doesn’t have time for lackluster chemistry or mixed signals. But the dating scene proves to be slow and unserious, and she realizes she may need some help.

Professional help.

A matchmaker, to be more specific.

Nothing will distract her from finding a man who checks all the boxes, except maybe her brother’s grumpy best friend who’s just moved into her home.

Anthony Woods has had a crush on his best friend’s sister since the day he met her, and he’s managed the unfortunate affliction by keeping his distance. However, when apartment problems have him temporarily sleeping on her couch, Gwen is suddenly closer than ever. And as much as he tries, his scowls and frowns can’t stop the sparks from flying.

As they connect and get to know each other, Gwen can’t help but notice when the perfect-on-paper boyfriend she has in mind starts to take an unexpected shape. Will she stick to the dating plan outlined by the professionals? Or admit when it comes to love, there’s no right way to fall.

Note: This novel can be read as a standalone.]]>
237 Mimi Grace 1999108280 Candace 0 3.78 2022 What a Match (Lovestruck, #2)
author: Mimi Grace
name: Candace
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
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<![CDATA[Revive Me, Part Two: The Affair (New Haven, #3)]]> 63369521 The day Christopher Johnson decided to kill me, I already knew what it was like to die. I had already experienced it once. Having the life leeched from my body, blood stolen from my veins, oxygen pulled from my lungs.

When he decided to walk back into my life, I was in the middle of my third resurrection, healing from the loss of my brother when I was still raw from losing him.

It wasn’t going well.

I guess the human heart can only stop so many times, can only take so much damage before it questions whether it’s worth it to be revived. My heart is on its last leg, but even that can’t stop me from seizing the chance to have him again.

Even if it's just for a little while.

Chris

Walking away from Mallory Kent is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

The devastation that marred her features that night still haunts me. Refusing to let me forget that the knife I plunged into her heart to protect her had pierced mine as well. Dogging my steps as I walked through my miserable life without her.

Coming back had always been a part of the plan. Even as I gave in to the forces hellbent on tearing us apart, I knew we weren’t done. I just didn’t know we’d come back together like this: under a cloud of unexpected grief with the pain of our stolen future lingering just beneath the surface.

This time together was never supposed to happen. I hadn’t accounted for it when I started working to clear a path back to her, but I’m thankful for it. For the opportunity to comfort her in a way no one else can. For the chance to hold her until the demons in my life force me to walk away again.]]>
234 J.L. Seegars Candace 0 to-read 4.36 Revive Me, Part Two: The Affair (New Haven, #3)
author: J.L. Seegars
name: Candace
average rating: 4.36
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Revive Me, Part One: The Act (New Haven, #2)]]> 62218131
The first time I kissed Christopher Johnson, I knew he would be my biggest mistake. It didn’t stop me from wanting him though, and when the ghosts from my past came barging into the present, it didn’t stop me from agreeing to let him help.

It was supposed to be a simple business arrangement, a few months of playing a role that came far too easily to the both of us, but it wasn’t long before it became more.

Love. Devotion. Heartbreak in its truest form.

Some people say life is for the living, but I say life is for the prepared. For the planners who know that controlling every piece on the board is the only way to get the result you want.

To avoid unfortunate complications like having your heart broken by a man past experiences taught you, you never should have trusted in the first place.

Christopher

There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for Mallory Kent.

I think I knew it the first time I laid eyes on her, and it’s remained one of my unspoken truths for the two years that I’ve known her. But I never thought I’d get the opportunity to do anything about it because Mallory is one of those people who doesn’t need anyone.

She’s strong, serious, and always in control of every situation around her, which is why the second I see her looking panicked and uncertain in the arms of a figure from her past, I don’t think. I just act.

I had no idea that one small decision would lead to this. A fake relationship—designed to solve her problems and mine—turned real. An earth shattering love torn apart by the very forces that led to its conception. Forces that turned me into the source of our destruction.

There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for Mallory Kent, including break her heart to save her soul.]]>
479 J.L. Seegars Candace 0 to-read 4.44 2022 Revive Me, Part One: The Act (New Haven, #2)
author: J.L. Seegars
name: Candace
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
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Restore Me (New Haven #1) 201051371
Dominic Alexander is my late husband's best friend and the last man on Earth that I should want. He's arrogant, dismissive, and up until recently has only ever used those dark eyes of his to look right through me. For the last ten years, he's taken a sick pleasure in making me feel paper thin, like my entire existence is of no consequence to him at all.

But now, things are different.

After one drunken night, and a surprisingly sexy act of heroism, he's started to be...nice. Treating me like something other than the physical embodiment of his annoyance, which would be nice if it didn't make me feel all the things I swore to never feel for another man after my husband died.

Dominic

Sloane Kent is going to be my undoing.

What's worse: I think I'm going to enjoy being unravelled by the gold flecks in her hazel eyes and the adorable little way she scrunches her nose up when we're arguing, which we've done a lot of over the past decade. She thinks it's because I hate her, and I've always let her think that because the alternative is...untenable.

But something is changing between us, and I don't know how to stop myself from breaking every promise I've ever made to myself regarding my best friend's wife. Promises that include never telling her that there's a long list of things I feel about her, but hate isn't one of them.

___________________________________

Restore Me is an enemies to lovers romance about forbidden romance and love after loss. It is the first book in the New Haven Series—an interconnected, series of stand-alone novels.]]>
J.L. Seegars Candace 4 4.36 2022 Restore Me (New Haven #1)
author: J.L. Seegars
name: Candace
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
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Behooved 217387977 A charming slow-burn romantasy featuring a duty-bound noblewoman with a chronic illness, a prince who would rather be in a library than on a throne, and a magical ride through a world of cozy enchantment

*This beautiful paperback edition features sprayed edges.*

Bianca knows her duty comes before her heart. So when the threat of war looms, she agrees to marry the neighboring kingdom’s heir. But not all royal weddings are a fairytale, and Prince Aric, Bianca’s betrothed, is cold, aloof, and seems to hate her on sight.

To make matters worse, on their wedding night, an assassination attempt goes awry―leaving Aric magically transformed into a horse. Bianca does what any bride in this situation would do: she mounts her new husband and rides away to safety.

Sunset returns Aric to human form, but they soon discover the assassination attempt is part of a larger plot against the throne. Worse, Bianca has been framed for Aric’s murder, and she’s now saddled with a husband who is a horse by day and a frustratingly attractive man by night.

As an unexpected romance begins galloping away with their hearts, Bianca and Aric must rely on each other to unravel the curse and save the throne.]]>
352 M. Stevenson 1250375088 Candace 0 to-read 3.83 2025 Behooved
author: M. Stevenson
name: Candace
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/20
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Left of Forever 217388096 An emotional, spicy, second-chance romance from USA Today bestselling author Tarah DeWitt.

This time, they'll get it right.


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

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

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

Brimming with big feelings and packed with steam, Left of Forever is bestseller Tarah DeWitt at the top of her game.]]>
336 Tarah DeWitt 1250329442 Candace 0 to-read 4.57 2025 Left of Forever
author: Tarah DeWitt
name: Candace
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/20
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Time Loops & Meet Cutes 220161319 The “masterful, inspiring, and full of heart� (Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author) Jackie Lau returns with a thoroughly unique love story about a woman reliving the same Friday over and over again—and the intriguing man who can’t quite remember her.

Noelle Tom really shouldn’t have eaten those dumplings at the night market. But the old lady at the stall said they’d give her what she needed most, and what Noelle desperately needed after another long workweek was food.

Except now she’s reliving the same Friday over and over. Every morning her alarm goes off at 6:45 no matter what, the Wordle answer is always “happy,� and she watches a silly squirrel video go viral day after day. And no matter how much she works on the same proposal, it’s always erased when she wakes up. It seems Monday will never come in this workaholic’s worst nightmare.

Noelle has no idea how being trapped in a time loop is the “thing she needed most,� especially now that everything seems meaningless. Sure, three fancy meals in a row is a fun treat, but it’s getting repetitive. Noelle’s not sure what lesson the old lady was trying to impart. Even a trip to the dumpling stall doesn’t help…because there’s no sign of it.

But then she meets a young woman who also ate the dumplings, and good-looking Cam, who appears in multiple places on her Friday. While he seems to have no memory of their encounters, there are signs he might be the key to getting un-stuck. But Noelle will have to put work aside and live a little in order to make him notice her. As their flirtation progresses, Noelle begins to worry that if she ever gets to turn the calendar page, Cam won’t know who she is and her life may never return to what it was before that fateful Friday…]]>
352 Jackie Lau 1668030799 Candace 0 to-read 3.97 2025 Time Loops & Meet Cutes
author: Jackie Lau
name: Candace
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/20
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A Gardin Wedding 217453555 One of the Gardin women must navigate a season rich with unexpected challenges in the follow-up to The Gardins of Edin, a heartwarming story about love, forgiveness, new beginnings, and what it takes to get there.

Martha Gardin is a mess. And everyone in the Gardin family knows it. A successful physician, Martha is usually the source of the Gardin family drama, but her heart is in the right place� sometimes. So, the Gardins are pleasantly surprised when Martha mellows out after she begins dating Oji Greenwald, one of the most eligible bachelors in town.

As Martha’s relationship with Oji deepens, she thinks she’s finally about to have the life she’s always wanted. But when Martha attempts to intervene in a health crisis in Oji’s family, she draws the ire of Oji’s mother, Eve Greenwald, which jeopardizes everything. Suddenly, Martha finds herself on a journey full of challenges that force her to deal with her previous mistakes, reconcile her past, and forge a path forward.

Will she be able to look beyond the superficial to find what she’s really needed all along?]]>
304 Rosey Lee 0593445511 Candace 0 to-read 3.85 A Gardin Wedding
author: Rosey Lee
name: Candace
average rating: 3.85
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Love and Other Paradoxes 213291405
Cambridge University, 2005: Student Joe Greene scribbles verses in the margins of his notebook, dreaming of a future where his words will echo through the ages, all while doubting it could ever happen.

Then, the future quite literally finds him—in the form of Esi. She’s part of a time-traveling tour, a trip for people in the future to witness history’s greatest moments firsthand. The star of this tour? Joe Greene. In Esi’s era, Joe is as renowned as Shakespeare. And he’s about to meet Diana, a fellow student and aspiring actress, who will become his muse and the subject of his famous love poems.

But Esi is harboring a secret. She’s not here because she idolizes Joe—actually, she thinks his poetry is overrated. Something will happen at Cambridge this year that will wreck Esi’s life, and she’s hell-bent on changing it. When Esi goes rogue from her tour, she bumps into Joe and sends his destiny into a tailspin. To save both their futures, Esi becomes Joe’s dating coach, helping him win over Diana. But when Joe’s romantic endeavors go off-script—and worse, he starts falling for Esi instead—they both face a crucial question: Is the future set in stone, or can we pen our own fates?]]>
320 Catriona Silvey 0063206447 Candace 0 to-read 3.68 2025 Love and Other Paradoxes
author: Catriona Silvey
name: Candace
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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Gold Coast Dilemma 214152442 From USA TODAY bestselling author Nana Malone, a romance about a Ghanaian American heiress faced with with the dilemma of choosing between culture and a love connection.

During an opulent publishing party, Ofosua Addo crosses paths with Cole Drake for the first time. Their flirtatiously witty exchange culminates in a kiss that etches a permanent mark on both their hearts.

But Ofosua’s identity as a Ghanaian heiress comes before Cole. She loves the vibrant traditions of Ghana’s Gold Coast, and her hand is already promised to a man that even her overbearing mother loves. Yet, when her big Ghanaian wedding transforms from a fairy tale into a spectacle, she’s thrust into a whirlwind of heartbreak and self-discovery.

In the midst of it all, Cole enters her life once again, under circumstances far different from their magical first encounter. Can Ofosua and Cole’s rediscovered spark overcome the weight of tradition?]]>
384 Nana Malone 166806118X Candace 0 to-read 4.18 2025 Gold Coast Dilemma
author: Nana Malone
name: Candace
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/20
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<![CDATA[Filled to the Brim: A St. Patrick's Day Hot Holiday Hookup (Hot Holiday Hookup Novella)]]> 229143931 96 Danielle Allen Candace 5 4.56 Filled to the Brim: A St. Patrick's Day Hot Holiday Hookup (Hot Holiday Hookup Novella)
author: Danielle Allen
name: Candace
average rating: 4.56
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/18
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<![CDATA[I Think We've Been Here Before]]> 198190462
In the same week, Marlen and Hilda’s family receives two significant pieces of news: One, Marlen has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Two, a cosmic blast is set to render humanity extinct within a matter of months. It seems the coming Christmas on their Saskatchewan farm could be everyone’s last.

Preparing for the inevitable, they navigate the time they have left together. Marlen and Hilda channel their energy into improbably prophetic works of art. Hilda’s elderly father receives a longed-for visitor from his past. Hilda’s preteen nephew goes missing, and his mother refuses to believe the world is ending. All the while, Hilda’s daughter struggles to find her way home from Berlin with the help of an oddly familiar stranger. For everyone, there’s an unsettling feeling that this unprecedented reality is somehow something they all remember.

As the planet holds its collective breath to see what happens next, the family—amid chaos, denial, acceptance, and hope—determines to live every moment as if it is their last. Because, well, it just might be.]]>
310 Suzy Krause 166251753X Candace 0 to-read 4.03 2024 I Think We've Been Here Before
author: Suzy Krause
name: Candace
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/17
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<![CDATA[I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com (Cosmic Chaos, #1)]]> 213618276 A hilarious and sexy romance about a woman who gets dropped on a strange planet only to fall for not one, but two, aliens, from the author of I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf.

Dorothy Valentine is close to getting her PhD in wildlife biology when she’s attacked by a lion. On the bright side, she’s saved! On the not-so-bright side, it’s because they’re abducted by aliens. In her scramble to escape, Dory and the lion commandeer an escape pod and crash-land on an alien planet that has...dinosaurs?

Dory and her new lion bestie, Toto, are saved in the nick of time by a mysterious and sexy alien, Sol. On their new adventure, they team up with the equally hot, equally dangerous Lok, who may or may not be a war criminal. Whether it be trauma, fate, or intrigue, Dory can’t resist the attraction that’s developing in their trio....

As this ragtag group of misfits explore their new planet, Dory learns more about how and why they’ve all ended up together, battles more prehistoric creatures than she imagined (she imagined...zero), and questions if she even wants to go back home to Earth in this hilarious and steamy alien romance adventure comedy romp.]]>
287 Kimberly Lemming 0593818636 Candace 5 3.65 2025 I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com (Cosmic Chaos, #1)
author: Kimberly Lemming
name: Candace
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/12
date added: 2025/03/12
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<![CDATA[Sweet Berries (Cambric Creek, #2)]]> 62835649
When one ill-advised night at the bar leads to her giving an exhibitionistic show to an unknown presence outside her bedroom window, she thinks she's hit a new low. When her voyeur turns out to be a nebbishly charming mothman, Grace needs to decide if she can trust her body—and her heart—with this garnet-eyed stranger before he flies out of her life for good.

Contains mature themes.]]>
6 C.M. Nascosta Candace 5 3.45 2022 Sweet Berries (Cambric Creek, #2)
author: C.M. Nascosta
name: Candace
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/09
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The Merry Matchmaker 204169192 The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie

Inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma, this joyful Christmas romp tells the story of a woman who can’t stop trying to help everyone around her find their happily-ever-after—even when her help leads to disaster.

Frankie Lane knows what’s best for just about everyone but herself. Her divorced sister, Stef, who is too young to give up on love; her shy employee, Elinor; and her daughter, Natalie, who works in Frankie’s shop, Holiday Happiness, and really needs to start her own business selling the delectable chocolates she makes at home; even her best friend, Viola, who is trying to renovate her old Victorian. Frankie knows she could help all of them, if they’d just let her—and if all of her help didn’t end in utter disaster.

Then there’s Mitch Howard, the owner of the local hardware store. They’ve been friends ever since Frankie opened her store, nine years earlier. He got her through the nightmare when she lost her husband in a freak accident, and he’s her favorite shoulder to cry on. He’s been divorced for years, and it’s such a waste of man! Mitch is the fittest, finest man Frankie knows. He’s easygoing, wise and kindhearted. Mitch needs someone. And she’s determined to help him find that someone—whether he likes it or not.
]]>
336 Sheila Roberts 0778369609 Candace 0 to-read 3.31 The Merry Matchmaker
author: Sheila Roberts
name: Candace
average rating: 3.31
book published:
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[All's Fair in Love and Christmas]]> 182096878 250 Sarah Monzon 0764242601 Candace 0 to-read 3.40 2023 All's Fair in Love and Christmas
author: Sarah Monzon
name: Candace
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/09
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<![CDATA[Show Me You Still Want It (Behind Closed Doors #3)]]> 110374547
Finally in a good place in life, Omari Watson knows what he wants� what he needs. Ashahve Glasper is at the top of that list. While they had an extremely difficult breakup, he accepts responsibility for it and wants to make amends. He feels that he can now be the man she needs now that he’s gotten his anger issues in check. Therapy has also taught him how to emotionally express himself as well. He knows he can be a great man to her, but will she give him a second chance?

Elijah Coleman just wants to know when life will treat him like his is worth living. From one issue to the next, he struggles to get past them. However, his tenacity won’t allow him to give up and wallow in regret. With his career and reputation on the line, Elijah does his best to get through the ordeal. While all of these problems stem from his involvement with his student, Ashahve Glasper, he still wants to be in her life, especially since he knows she could possibly be having his baby.

These three lives once again intertwine. A pregnancy could connect two of them forever, but which two? Ashahve is a nervous wreck, begging God to let one of them in particular be the father. They all know of the possibilities and they are prepared to deal with the outcomes, but can they hold it together until those results are bestowed upon them? Will the results be favorable for all parties involved?
]]>
169 Monica Walters Candace 5 4.73 Show Me You Still Want It (Behind Closed Doors #3)
author: Monica Walters
name: Candace
average rating: 4.73
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/09
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<![CDATA[You Just Might Get It (Behind Closed Doors #2)]]> 108517710
Struggling his entire life to cope with traumatic events, Omari has yet to see so many things go wrong at once. Before he can fully recover from one thing, he’s hit with the next. Revealing his true emotions has always been a problem for him, so he does what he knows to do regarding them. It doesn’t help that he still doesn’t know how to handle past disappointments. When new issues arise, they only compound on top of old ones, threatening to make a lethal combination.

Finding peace and learning from past decisions has Elijah living a renewed life. He’s been able to come to grips with his choices and their consequences. There’s only one problem; he still loves the woman he was forced to leave in the past. Despite the advice of others and trying to move on with someone new, he can’t seem to leave her where she belongs. Unfortunately, she doesn’t make this decision easy for him to make. While his attachment to this woman nearly caused his ruin once before, he’s willing to take that risk once again.

Three totally different personalities find themselves weaved into an ugly web, that they never fully made it out of, one of them barely escaping by the skin of their teeth. Unable to control their desires, they find themselves in compromising situations that threaten to take them captive. Who will overcome and come out on top this time?]]>
191 Monica Walters Candace 5 4.69 You Just Might Get It (Behind Closed Doors #2)
author: Monica Walters
name: Candace
average rating: 4.69
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/08
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<![CDATA[Be Careful What You Wish For (Behind Closed Doors #1)]]> 107489500
Love doesn’t have an age, as long as she’s legal. That’s Elijah Coleman’s standpoint. After having a tumultuous engagement to a woman that he thought was the one, he’s given up on love. That is until Ashahve graces his classroom. Although it had been years since his engagement, he’d never had the desire to move on. Ashahve does something to him, though. Just her aura captures him. Starting a relationship with his student would be against the code of conduct for the university and that is the only thing that is holding him back. Will that be enough to keep his emotions tamed?

Life is hard already, but some circumstances can make it harder. After getting a medical discharge from the military, Omari “Rich� Watson decides to go to school to make something more of his life. He has a daughter to take care of and help raise. After he’s left reeling from the death of his mother, his life seems to be at a standstill and he shuts everyone off from his love, including the mother of his daughter. The only one that can reach his heart is his little angel until he notices Ashahve. A chance encounter at school, gives him an opportunity to shoot his shot and he has no intentions of missing.

So many decisions to be made. This triangle is going to leave someone hurt, but who will it be? Or, will all of them lose?]]>
201 Monica Walters Candace 5 4.64 Be Careful What You Wish For (Behind Closed Doors #1)
author: Monica Walters
name: Candace
average rating: 4.64
book published:
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/03/08
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<![CDATA[The Last Raven (The Ravens, #1)]]> 209831392 I’ll be forced to take the crown, simply because of who my parents are. Never mind that my skin, my eyes, the way I move, everything will give me away for what I am.

Human.

In a world ruled by vampires.

As sole heir to the House of Raven, there is nothing Emelia can’t have. The only problem is, she doesn’t want it.

But when a new guard enters her closed-off existence, she sees a way out. As rebellion and dark forces swirl around her, Emelia has a choice to make � leave everyone she loves behind, or stay and accept her destiny…]]>
384 Helen Glynn Jones 0008695407 Candace 0 2.88 2024 The Last Raven (The Ravens, #1)
author: Helen Glynn Jones
name: Candace
average rating: 2.88
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/07
date added: 2025/03/07
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<![CDATA[The Last Hour Between Worlds (The Echo Archives, #1)]]> 182761345
Kembral Thorne is spending a few hours away from her newborn, and she's determined to enjoy herself at this party no matter what. But when the guests start dropping dead, Kem has no choice but to get to work. She is a Hound, after all, and she can't help picking up the scent of trouble. 

She’s not the only one. Her professional and personal nemesis, notorious burglar Rika Nonesuch, is on the prowl. They quickly identify what’s causing the a mysterious grandfather clock that sends them down an Echo every time it chimes. In each strange new layer of reality, time resets and a sinister figure appears to perform a blood-soaked ritual. 

As Kem and Rika fall into increasingly macabre versions of their city, they’ll need to rely on their wits—and each other—to unravel the secret of the clock and save their home. ]]>
432 Melissa Caruso 031630347X Candace 0 to-read 3.78 2024 The Last Hour Between Worlds (The Echo Archives, #1)
author: Melissa Caruso
name: Candace
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/06
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The Seven Year Slip 62926938 An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it.

And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again.

Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future.

Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed.

After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.]]>
336 Ashley Poston Candace 0 not-finished-but-not-reading 4.17 2023 The Seven Year Slip
author: Ashley Poston
name: Candace
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: not-finished-but-not-reading
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The Kindred 57803147 To save a galactic kingdom from revolution, Kindred mind-pairings were created to ensure each and every person would be seen and heard, no matter how rich or poor�

Joy Abara knows her place. A commoner from the lowly planet Hali, she lives a simple life—apart from the notoriety that being Kindred to the nobility’s most infamous playboy brings.

Duke Felix Hamdi has a plan. He will exasperate his noble family to the point that they agree to let him choose his own future and finally meet his Kindred face-to-face.

Then the royal family is assassinated, putting Felix next in line for the throne…and accused of the murders. Someone will stop at nothing until he’s dead, which means they’ll target Joy, too. Meeting in person for the first time as they steal a spacecraft and flee amid chaos might not be ideal…and neither is crash-landing on the strange backward planet called Earth. But hiding might just be the perfect way to discover the true strength of the Kindred bond and expose a scandal—and a love—that may decide the future of a galaxy.]]>
400 Alechia Dow 133541861X Candace 3 3.65 2022 The Kindred
author: Alechia Dow
name: Candace
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/27
date added: 2025/02/27
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Slow Dance 198530925
They were just friends. Best friends. Allies. They spent entire summers sitting on Shiloh’s porch steps, dreaming about the future. They were both going to get out of north Omaha—Shiloh would go to college and become an actress, and Cary would join the Navy. They promised each other that their friendship would never change.

Well, Shiloh did go to college, and Cary did join the Navy. And yet, somehow, everything changed.

Now Shiloh’s thirty-three, and it’s been fourteen years since she talked to Cary. She’s been married and divorced. She has two kids. And she’s back living in the same house she grew up in. Her life is nothing like she planned.

When she’s invited to an old friend’s wedding, all Shiloh can think about is whether Cary will be there—and whether she hopes he will be. Would Cary even want to talk to her? After everything?

The answer is yes. And yes. And yes.

Slow Dance is the story of two kids who fell in love before they knew enough about love to recognize it. Two friends who lost everything. Two adults who just feel lost.

It’s the story of Shiloh and Cary, who everyone thought would end up together, trying to find their way back to the start.]]>
400 Rainbow Rowell 0063380196 Candace 0 to-read 3.63 2024 Slow Dance
author: Rainbow Rowell
name: Candace
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/27
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<![CDATA[ADHD 2.0: New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction—From Childhood Through Adulthood]]> 53231680 A revolutionary new approach to ADD/ADHD featuring cutting-edge research and strategies to help readers thrive, by the bestselling authors of the seminal books Driven to Distraction and Delivered from Distraction

"An inspired road map for living with a distractible brain . . . If you or your child suffer from ADHD, this book should be on your shelf. It will give you courage and hope."--Michael Thompson, Ph.D., New York Times bestselling co-author of Raising Cain

World-renowned authors Dr. Edward M. Hallowell and Dr. John J. Ratey literally "wrote the book" on ADD/ADHD more than two decades ago. Their bestseller, Driven to Distraction, largely introduced this diagnosis to the public and sold more than a million copies along the way.

Now, most people have heard of ADHD and know someone who may have it. But lost in the discussion of both childhood and adult diagnosis of ADHD is the potential upside: Many hugely successful entrepreneurs and highly creative people attribute their achievements to ADHD. Also unknown to most are the recent research developments, including innovations that give a clearer understanding of the ADHD brain in action. In ADHD 2.0, Drs. Hallowell and Ratey, both of whom have this "variable attention trait," draw on the latest science to provide both parents and adults with ADHD a plan for minimizing the downside and maximizing the benefits of ADHD at any age. They offer an arsenal of new strategies and lifestyle hacks for thriving with ADHD, including

- Find the right kind of difficult. Use these behavior assessments to discover the work, activity, or creative outlet best suited to an individual's unique strengths.
- Reimagine environment. What specific elements to look for--at home, at school, or in the workplace--to enhance the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit inherent in the ADHD mind.
- Embrace innate neurological tendencies. Take advantage of new findings about the brain's default mode network and cerebellum, which confer major benefits for people with ADHD.
- Tap into the healing power of connection. Tips for establishing and maintaining positive connection "the other Vitamind C" and the best antidote to the negativity that plagues so many people with ADHD.
- Consider medication. Gets the facts about the underlying chemistry, side effects, and proven benefits of all the pharmaceutical options.

As inspiring as it is practical, 'ADHD 2.0' will help you tap into the power of this mercurial condition and find the key that unlocks potential.




RUNNING TIME => 7hrs.

©2021 Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey (P)2021 Random House Audio]]>
208 Edward M. Hallowell 0399178732 Candace 0 to-read 4.05 2021 ADHD 2.0: New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction—From Childhood Through Adulthood
author: Edward M. Hallowell
name: Candace
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/27
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<![CDATA[A Thousand Ways to Pay Attention: Discovering the Beauty of My ADHD Mind―A Memoir]]> 58328363
It should have been Rebecca Schiller’s dream come true: moving her young family to the English countryside to raise goats and coax their own fruit and vegetables from the land. But, as she writes: The summer of striding out toward a life of open fields and sacks of corn, I brought a confused black hole of something pernicious but not yet acknowledged along for the ride.

Rebecca’s health begins to crumble, with bewildering symptoms: frequent falls, uncontrollable rages, and mysterious lapses in memory. As she fights to be seen by a succession of specialists, her fledgling homestead—and her family—hang by increasingly tenuous threads. And when her diagnosis finally comes, it is utterly unexpected: severe ADHD.

In her scramble for answers, Rebecca’s consciousness alternately sears with pinpoint focus and spirals with connections. Childhood memories resurface with new meaning, and her daily life entwines with the history of intrepid women who tended this land before her. Her family weathers their growing pains where generations of acorns have fallen to rise again as trees, where ancient wolves and lynx once stalked the shadows.

Written in unsparing, luminous prose, this is an all-absorbing memoir of one woman’s newfound neurodivergence—and a clarion call to overturn the narrative that says minds are either normal and good or different and broken.]]>
304 Rebecca Schiller 1615198806 Candace 0 to-read 3.52 2021 A Thousand Ways to Pay Attention: Discovering the Beauty of My ADHD Mind―A Memoir
author: Rebecca Schiller
name: Candace
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/27
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How It Changes Everything]]> 195888789 A deep exploration of the neuroscience behind manifestation, with a six-part plan for realizing your dreams.

For decades the practice of manifestation has been widely dismissed as self-involved, materialistic pseudoscience. But as neuroscientist and recognized compassion leader Dr. James Doty reveals, manifestation introduces us to different possibilities, and it lays the groundwork for a kinder, better world.

Doty grounds us in the practices that change our brain attention, meditation, visualization, and compassion. This mind magic allows us to move through the world in ways that help us see clearly—reclaiming our agency, realizing our dreams, and reaching out to help others along the path.

Where previous works about manifestation have focused narrowly on outward success and individual benefit, Mind Magic delivers an openhearted call to make manifestation part of a deeper contribution to healing the problems we face today.]]>
304 James R. Doty 0593541146 Candace 0 to-read 3.88 2024 Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How It Changes Everything
author: James R. Doty
name: Candace
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[An Overdue Match (Checking Out Love, #1)]]> 214974640
Tattoo artist Tai Davis is used to people judging him with a single glance, so it doesn't surprise him when the town's quirky new librarian does the same thing and believes his bad-boy reputation without giving him a chance. He can't help being intrigued by her, though, so when he discovers Evangeline's secret matchmaking scheme, he's not above striking a bargain with her. She just has to agree to one date with him for every time she uses his hometown knowledge to set up library patrons on a romantic rendezvous. The deal is made, but in the process, they both might learn you can't judge a book—or each other—by the cover.]]>
320 Sarah Monzon 0764243748 Candace 0 to-read 3.88 2025 An Overdue Match (Checking Out Love, #1)
author: Sarah Monzon
name: Candace
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[The Love Script (Love in the Spotlight, #1)]]> 62611306
Lamont Booker's bold faith has gained him a platform, and the authenticity of his faith is well known . . . until the tabloids cause the world to question everything he claims to be. With his reputation on the line, he finds himself hearing out his agent's push for a fake relationship--something he never thought he'd consider in a million years.

With their careers at risk, Nevaeh and Lamont have to convince the world that their scripted romance is more than just an act. But when fake seems to turn into something real, can Nevaeh trust her heart in a world where nothing is ever as it seems?

Toni Shiloh dazzles in this irresistible red-carpet romance with spotlight-stealing laughter, faith, and a happily ever after.]]>
384 Toni Shiloh 0764241508 Candace 0 to-read 4.02 2023 The Love Script (Love in the Spotlight, #1)
author: Toni Shiloh
name: Candace
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/25
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<![CDATA[A Run at Love (Love in the Spotlight, #2)]]> 200589594
In an effort to win Piper’s heart, Tucker formulates a plan to train Piper’s horse to victory, hoping to prove himself to her, her parents, and his own self-doubts. Then a shocking scandal hits the media, implicating both Piper and her parents, and she and Tucker will have to survive the onslaught to find their way to the winner’s circle–and each other.

Award-winning author Toni Shiloh makes a run for the roses with this heartwarming novel that reminds us that sometimes the greatest victories are found within our own hearts.]]>
352 Toni Shiloh 0764241516 Candace 0 to-read 4.12 2024 A Run at Love (Love in the Spotlight, #2)
author: Toni Shiloh
name: Candace
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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<![CDATA[The Nature of Love (Love in the Spotlight, #3)]]> 214974501
Dr. Erykah Kennedy, a renowned orthopedic surgeon, finds herself at a crossroads in life. At forty-one, she's achieved remarkable success in her career, yet when it comes to her love life, she feels hopeless. But when she meets Christian Gamble, a passionate wildlife conservationist, an unexpected bond forms between them despite their contrasting worlds.

A wildlife enthusiast ready for more

Chris has yet to find someone to share his adventures with, but as his friendship with Erykah starts to blossom, he begins falling for her in every way. When tragedy strikes and Erykah suddenly becomes guardian to her nieces, Chris helps her pick up the pieces.

Two hearts destined by nature

With their lives turned upside down, finding their way to a lasting love while putting their faith in God may be the biggest challenge they've ever faced.

The Nature of Love is a clean, African American contemporary romance with themes of friends to lovers and the healing power of love. This heartfelt happily-ever-after tale is the series finale of Shiloh's beloved Love in the Spotlight novels.]]>
368 Toni Shiloh 0764241524 Candace 0 to-read 4.33 2025 The Nature of Love (Love in the Spotlight, #3)
author: Toni Shiloh
name: Candace
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/25
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<![CDATA[Morning Glory Milking Farm (Cambric Creek, #1)]]> 61714203
Morning Glory Milking Farm offers full-time hours, full benefits, and generous pay with no experience needed . . . there’s only one catch. The clientele is Grade A certified prime beef, with the manly, meaty endowments to match. Milking minotaurs isn’t something Violet ever considered as a career option, but she’s determined to turn the opportunity into a reversal of fortune.

When a stern, deep-voiced client begins to specially request her for his milking sessions, maintaining her professionalism and keeping him out of her dreams is easier said than done. Violet is resolved to make a dent in her student loans and afford name-brand orange juice, and a one-sided crush on an out-of-her-league minotaur is not a part of her plan—unless her feelings aren’t so one-sided after all.

Morning Glory Milking Farm is a short human/monster romance novel, featuring a high heat slow burn with a lot of heart, and a guaranteed HEA. CWs include: cock milking, non-human anatomy, size difference, and a lot of fluid. It is the first book in the Cambric Creek monster romance series, and can be read as a standalone.]]>
7 C.M. Nascosta Candace 5 3.59 2021 Morning Glory Milking Farm (Cambric Creek, #1)
author: C.M. Nascosta
name: Candace
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/24
date added: 2025/02/24
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The Love Simulation 214289343 AN AMAZON BEST ROMANCE BOOK OF THE MONTH!

A passionate vice principal and a guarded science teacher compete for a grand prize, only to realize their budding relationship might be the real jackpot.

Brianna Rogers has been told a time (or six) she needs to stop jumping into things head first. But when the principal rescinds his approval for a library upgrade, deciding to spend the money on a football field instead, she sees red. Literally. Brianna throws her hat in the ring and joins a team of teachers who will spend their summer in a Mars simulation. As the sister of an astronaut, this should be easy, right? What she didn’t count on was the last-minute addition to the team—Roman science teacher, son of the principal, and too handsome for his own good.


Roman and Brianna have been hot and cold all year, and living in close quarters intensifies their animosity and attraction. Brianna is sure he’s been sent by his father to sabotage them, foiling their chance at prize money that will cover all of the school’s actual needs. But each day, Roman proves himself to be a dedicated teammate—and Brianna finds herself falling harder and harder. While it’s clear the feeling is mutual, she can’t shake the sense that he’s hiding something. As the simulation nears its end, Brianna realizes she may have to make an impossible choice, between the school she’s dedicated herself to, and the man who has won his way into her heart.]]>
315 Etta Easton 059364025X Candace 0 to-read 3.67 2025 The Love Simulation
author: Etta Easton
name: Candace
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/21
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Witchcraft for Wayward Girls 207677173 There’s power in a book�

They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.

Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. Under the watchful eye of the stern Miss Wellwood, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. There’s Rose, a hippie who insists she’s going to find a way to keep her baby and escape to a commune. And Zinnia, a budding musician who knows she’s going to go home and marry her baby’s father. And Holly, a wisp of a girl, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who.

Everything the girls eat, every moment of their waking day, and everything they’re allowed to talk about is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid…and it’s usually paid in blood.

In Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, the author of How to Sell a Haunted House and The Final Girl Support Group delivers another searing, completely original novel and further cements his status as a “horror master� (NPR).]]>
624 Grady Hendrix 0593947029 Candace 5 3.94 2025 Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
author: Grady Hendrix
name: Candace
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/16
date added: 2025/02/16
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Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3) 223806512
Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.]]>
Rebecca Yarros Candace 5 4.01 2025 Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Candace
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/02/15
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<![CDATA[A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping]]> 182484370
Sera Swan was once one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her magic, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her magical Guild. Now she ( slightly reluctantly and just a bit grumpily) helps Aunt Jasmine run an inn in Lancashire, where she deals with her quirky guests' shenanigans, tries to keep the talking fox in check, and longs for the magical future she lost.

When she learns about an old spellbook that holds the secret to restoring her power, she turns to Luke Larsen, a gorgeous historian who might just be able to help her unlock the book’s mysteries. Luke, who has his own reasons for staying at the inn, never planned on getting involved in the madcap goings-on around him and certainly had no intention of letting certain grumpy innkeepers past his icy walls, so no one is more surprised than he is when he not only agrees to help, but also finds himself thawing .

Running an inn, reclaiming lost magic, and staying one step ahead of the watchful Guild is a lot for anyone, but Sera is about to discover that she doesn’t have to do it alone... and that the weird, wonderful family she’s made might be the best magic of all.]]>
352 Sangu Mandanna 0593439376 Candace 0 to-read 4.61 2025 A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping
author: Sangu Mandanna
name: Candace
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/15
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<![CDATA[The Partner Plot (The Greene Sisters, #2)]]> 165938562
To Violet Greene, fashion is everything. As a successful celebrity stylist, she travels all over the world, living out her dreams. Professionally, she’s thriving, but her personal life is in shambles. After surviving a very public breakup with her ex-fiancé six months ago, Violet is now determined to focus on her career. But life hands her something—or rather, someone—that might derail everything�

Xavier Wright did not expect to run into his high school girlfriend Violet—the girl he once thought he’d marry—on a birthday trip to Vegas. As a high school teacher and basketball coach, he rarely leaves his New Jersey hometown, so what were the chances? But when the initial shock wears off, they decide to celebrate together. They feel young and reckless as they party the night away—and reckless they clearly were when the following morning, they wake up beside each other with rings on their fingers.

Their impulsive nuptials might be a blessing in disguise, though, when they realize that both of their careers could benefit from the marriage. So they play the part of a blissfully wedded couple. Yet when their passion comes hurling back, they realize their feelings are just as real as they were back when they were teens. But are their lives too different to stick it through or will they finally get a happy ending?]]>
416 Kristina Forest 0593546458 Candace 0 to-read 3.76 2024 The Partner Plot (The Greene Sisters, #2)
author: Kristina Forest
name: Candace
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/13
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Can't Get Enough 218372325 “Kennedy Ryan pours her whole soul into everything she writes, and it makes for books that are heart-searing, sensual, and life affirming.”―EMILY HENRY, #1 New York Times bestselling author Hendrix Barry lives a fabulous life. She has phenomenal friends, a loving family, and a thriving business that places her in the entertainment industry's rarefied air. Your vision board? She’s probably living it.

She’s a woman with goals, dreams, ambitions—always striving upward. And in the midst of everything, she's facing her toughest challenge caring for an aging parent.

Who has time for romance? From her experience, there's a low ROI on relationships. She hasn't met the man who can keep up with her anyway. Until...him.

Tech mogul Maverick Bell is a dilemma wrapped in an exquisitely tailored suit and knee-melting charm. From their first charged glance at the summer's hottest party, Hendrix feels like she’s met her match. Only he can’t be. Mav may be the first to make her feel this seen and desired and appreciated, but he’s the last one she can have. Forbidden fruit is the juiciest, and this man is off limits if she plans to stay the course she’s set for herself.

But when Maverick gives chase—pursuing her, spoiling her, understanding her—is it time to let herself have something more?


A deeply moving and personal novel about sacrifice, self-reliance, and finding true happiness from “one of the finest romance writers of our age.� �Entertainment Weekly]]>
448 Kennedy Ryan 1538772809 Candace 0 to-read 4.49 2025 Can't Get Enough
author: Kennedy Ryan
name: Candace
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/13
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Flirting Lessons 216247471 The exciting new contemporary romance—and her first to feature a queer romance—by New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory

Avery Jensen is almost thirty, fresh off a breakup, and she’s tired of always being so uptight and well-behaved. She wants to get a hobby, date around (especially other women), flirt with everyone she sees, all the fun stuff normal people do in their twenties. One Avery doesn't know how to do any of that. She doesn't have a lot of dating experience, with men or women, and despite being self-assured at work, she doesn't have a lot of confidence when it comes to romance.

Enter Taylor Cameron, Napa Valley's biggest flirt and champion heartbreaker. Taylor just broke up with her most recent girlfriend, and her best friend bet her that she can't make it until Labor Day without sleeping with someone. (Two whole months? Without sex? Taylor?!?!) So, she offers to give Avery flirting lessons. It will keep her busy, stop her from texting people she shouldn't. And it might distract her from how inadequate she feels compared to her friends, who all seem much more settled and adult than Taylor.

At first, Avery is stiff and nervous, but Taylor is patient and encouraging, and soon, Avery looks forward to their weekly lessons. She tells herself it's because the lessons are fun, not because she kind of might have a little bit of a crush on Taylor. Taylor doesn't even try to deny that she's intrigued by Avery, but she's still got a bet to win. With Taylor’s help, Avery is finally doing what she wants to flirting with lots of women, making friends, having fun! But after a while, it becomes impossible for Avery and Taylor to ignore their attraction to one another, despite them both insisting to themselves and everyone else that it isn't serious. When Taylor is forced to confront her feelings for Avery, she doesn't know what to do, how to deal with it, and most importantly, if she's already ruined the best thing she's ever had.]]>
416 Jasmine Guillory 0593100913 Candace 0 to-read 3.45 2025 Flirting Lessons
author: Jasmine Guillory
name: Candace
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/13
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The Love Simulation 214268995 A passionate vice principal and a guarded science teacher compete for a grand prize, only to realize their budding relationship might be the real jackpot.

Brianna Rogers has been told a time (or six) she needs to stop jumping into things head first. But when the principal rescinds his approval for a library upgrade, deciding to spend the money on a football field instead, she sees red. Literally. Brianna throws her hat in the ring and joins a team of teachers who will spend their summer in a Mars simulation. As the sister of an astronaut, this should be easy, right? What she didn’t count on was the last-minute addition to the team—Roman: science teacher, son of the principal, and too handsome for his own good.


Roman and Brianna have been hot and cold all year, and living in close quarters intensifies their animosity and attraction. Brianna is sure he’s been sent by his father to sabotage them, foiling their chance at prize money that will cover all of the school’s actual needs. But each day, Roman proves himself to be a dedicated teammate—and Brianna finds herself falling harder and harder. While it’s clear the feeling is mutual, she can’t shake the sense that he’s hiding something. As the simulation nears its end, Brianna realizes she may have to make an impossible choice, between the school she’s dedicated herself to, and the man who has won his way into her heart.]]>
320 Etta Easton 0593640241 Candace 0 to-read 3.42 2025 The Love Simulation
author: Etta Easton
name: Candace
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/13
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Yours, Eventually 216522680 A mesmerizing debut novel set in a tightly knit Pakistani American community where a young doctor gets an unexpected second chance with the first love she never got over when he becomes one of the most eligible bachelors in town.

The Ibrahim family is facing a crucial moment: Their patriarch just lost his fortune as the result of a Ponzi scheme, and the family is picking up the pieces. At the family’s core is Asma—successful doctor and the long-suffering middle daughter who stepped into the family center after the death of her beloved mother years ago. Despite what the prying aunties think, Asma is living the life she has always wanted, fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a doctor . . . or so she thinks.

In walks Farooq Waheed, Asma’s college sweetheart whose proposal was cruelly rejected by Asma’s aunt and father. Now, eight years later, Farooq has made his fortune by selling his Silicon Valley startup and is widely considered one of the most eligible bachelors in California. As he enters Asma’s social orbit, she finds herself navigating a tricky landscape—her pushy sisters, gossiping aunties, and her father’s expectations—on her path to reconciling the past and winning Farooq back in the present. If there is still time.

Yours, Eventually is a story about a young woman finding the courage to follow her heart and coming to the realization that living your life according to what other people think is no life at all.]]>
400 Nura Maznavi 059347581X Candace 0 to-read 3.55 2025 Yours, Eventually
author: Nura Maznavi
name: Candace
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/13
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<![CDATA[The Love Lyric (The Greene Sisters, #3)]]> 212806677 An R&B singer and a corporate executive find love that hits the right notes in this romance by Kristina Forest, USA Today bestselling author of The Partner Plot.

Iris Greene used to be a woman with a plan. But all of that changed after she met the love of her life at twenty-four, got pregnant and married…and then became a widow and a single mother all within the span of a year and a half. Now, after years of hustling, Iris is the director of partnerships at a beauty company and raising spunky six-year-old Calla by herself. Despite her busy life, she still can’t help but feel lonely. She just needs to catch her breath—and one night, at her sister’s wedding, when she steps outside to do just that, she sees a certain singer who takes her breath away. . . .

By all accounts, pop R&B singer Angel Harrison has it made. He’s a successful musician and has just scored a brand ambassador deal with an emerging beauty company. But he’s still not fulfilled; he’s not producing songs he’s passionate about, and there’s a gaping hole in his love life. When he visits the Save Face Beauty office to kickstart his campaign, he’s delighted to see Iris, his stylist’s sister—the beautiful woman he’s secretly had a crush on for years.

Despite their obvious attraction to each other, they must stay professional throughout the campaign tour—which doesn’t quite pan out. But when it becomes clear their lives aren’t in sync, can they fall back in step to the same rhythm and beat?]]>
400 Kristina Forest 0593817109 Candace 0 to-read 3.99 2025 The Love Lyric (The Greene Sisters, #3)
author: Kristina Forest
name: Candace
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/13
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<![CDATA[A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping]]> 123029113 A whimsical and heartwarming novel about a witch who has a second chance to get her magical powers—and her life—back on track, from the national bestselling author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.

Sera Swan used to be one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her magic, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her Guild. Now she (slightly reluctantly and just a bit grumpily) helps her aunt run an enchanted inn in Lancashire, where she deals with her quirky guests' shenanigans, tries to keep said talking fox in check, and longs for the future that seems lost to her. But then she finds out about an old spell that could hold the key to restoring her power�

Enter Luke Larsen, handsome and icy magical historian, who arrives on a dark winter evening and might just know how to unlock the spell’s secrets. Luke has absolutely no interest in getting involved in the madcap goings-on of the inn and is definitely not about to let a certain bewitching innkeeper past his walls, so no one is more surprised than he is when he agrees to help Sera with her spell. Worse, he might actually be thawing.

Running an inn, reclaiming lost magic, and staying one step ahead of the watchful Guild is a lot for anyone, but Sera Swan is about to discover that she doesn’t have to do it alone...and that the weird, wonderful family she’s made might be the best magic of all.]]>
336 Sangu Mandanna Candace 0 to-read 4.37 2025 A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping
author: Sangu Mandanna
name: Candace
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: to-read
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Out On a Limb 182095008 406 Hannah Bonam-Young 1778027792 Candace 0 to-read 4.23 2023 Out On a Limb
author: Hannah Bonam-Young
name: Candace
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/13
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<![CDATA[Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, #1)]]> 217536270
In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn't much a girl wouldn't do for a glass of water.

Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen's reservoirs for as long as she can remember.

But a secret is like a knot. Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone.

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

The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist's magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him . . . or her.

Death has a name. It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate. His past is murky. His attitude stinks. And he's the only way Saeris is going to make it home.]]>
624 Callie Hart 1538774194 Candace 0 to-read 4.28 2024 Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, #1)
author: Callie Hart
name: Candace
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde, #1)]]> 60657589
Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world's first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party--or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, and the Fair Folk.

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

But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones--the most elusive of all faeries--lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all--her own heart.]]>
336 Heather Fawcett 059350013X Candace 0 to-read 3.98 2023 Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde, #1)
author: Heather Fawcett
name: Candace
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Brigands & Breadknives (Legends & Lattes, #2)]]> 222376572 Return to the cozy fantasy world of the #1 New York Times bestselling Legends & Lattes series with a new adventure featuring fan-favorite, foul-mouthed bookseller, Fern.

Fern has weathered the stillness and storms of a bookseller’s life for decades, but now, in the face of crippling ennui, transplants herself to the city of Thune to hang out her shingle beside a long-absent friend’s coffee shop. What could be a better pairing? Surely a charming renovation montage will cure what ails her!

If only things were so simple�

It turns out that fixing your life isn’t a one-time prospect, nor as easy as a change of scenery and a lick of paint.

A drunken and desperate night sees the rattkin waking far from home in the company of a legendary warrior surviving on inertia, an imprisoned chaos-goblin with a fondness for silverware, and an absolutely thumping hangover.

As together they fend off a rogue’s gallery of ne’er-do-wells trying to claim the bounty the goblin represents, Fern may finally reconnect with the person she actually is when there isn’t a job to get in the way.]]>
336 Travis Baldree 1250334888 Candace 0 to-read 4.12 2025 Brigands & Breadknives (Legends & Lattes, #2)
author: Travis Baldree
name: Candace
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes, #1)]]> 61219635 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781250886088.

A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes.

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.

The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success—not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

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

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.]]>
304 Travis Baldree Candace 5 4.17 2022 Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes, #1)
author: Travis Baldree
name: Candace
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/03
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves:
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Make a Scene (Lovestruck, #1) 54698575
Retta Majors is having a bad day. But that’s to be expected when your ex gets engaged to your cousin. Instead of (totally) freaking out, Retta decides to attend the wedding with her amazing, faithful, and handsome boyfriend.

One problem.

He doesn’t exist.

Duncan Gilmore is living his dream. His boxing gym is open for business, and he’s focused on success. The last thing on his mind is a relationship. That is until the beautiful baker next door makes him an offer so bizarre he can’t refuse. One weekend of pretending to be Retta’s boyfriend should be easy.

However, shared kisses and some flirting start to blur the lines in their fake relationship. When their performance draws to a close, will they go their separate ways or return for an encore?

Note: This novel can be read as a standalone.]]>
230 Mimi Grace 1999108256 Candace 4 3.80 2020 Make a Scene (Lovestruck, #1)
author: Mimi Grace
name: Candace
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/02/03
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The Wedding People 222348800 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN 9781250899576 can be found here.

A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.

It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.]]>
367 Alison Espach 1250899575 Candace 4 4.13 2024 The Wedding People
author: Alison Espach
name: Candace
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/26
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The Bones Beneath My Skin 211004023 A spine-tingling thriller by New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune, about a 10-year-old girl with an impossible power, her father, and an unlikely stranger, who come together to confront the dangerous forces that want her at all costs. A strange story of family, love, comets, and bacon. Perfect for fans of Stranger Things.

In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his older brother wants nothing to do with him, and he's been fired from his job as a journalist in Washington DC. With nothing left to lose, he returns to his family's summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon to try and find some sense of direction. The cabin should be empty. It's not. Inside is a man named Alex. And with him is an extraordinary little girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. Artemis, who isn't exactly as she appears.

Soon it becomes clear that Nate must make a choice: let himself drown in the memories of his past, or fight for a future he never thought possible. Because the girl is special. And forces are descending upon them who want nothing more than to control her.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]>
416 T.J. Klune 1250890438 Candace 0 to-read 4.10 2018 The Bones Beneath My Skin
author: T.J. Klune
name: Candace
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/21
shelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[The Society of Unknowable Objects]]> 221452815 From the author of the internationally bestselling The Book of Doors, another fantastical, stand-alone novel in which a trio of seemingly everyday people are members of a secret society tasked with finding and protecting hidden magical objects—ordinary items with extraordinary properties. 

The world of unknowable objects—magical items that most people have no idea possess powers—has been quiet for decades, but the three current members of a secret society have remained watchful, meeting every six months in the basement of a bookshop in London. They are pledged to protect their archive of magical items hidden away, safe from the outside world—and the world safe from them. But when Frank Simpson, the longest-standing member of the Society of Unknowable Objects, hears of a new artifact coming to light in Hong Kong, he sends Magda Sparks—author by day and newest member—to investigate.

Within hours of arriving in Hong Kong, Magda is facing death and danger, confronted by a professional killer who seems to know all about unknowable objects, specifically one that was stolen from him a decade before. Magda is forced to flee, using an artifact that not even the rest of the Society knows about.

Returning to London, Magda learns hers is not the only secret being kept from the other two members. And that the most pernicious secret is about the nature of the Society’s mission. Her discoveries will lead her on a perilous journey, across the Atlantic to the deep south of the United States, now in pursuit of not an unknowable object, but an unknowable the professional killer she first faced in Hong Kong. In doing so, Magda begins to understand that there are even more in the world who are chasing these magical items, and that her own family’s legacy is tied up in keeping all these secrets under wraps.

Magic has always been too powerful to reveal to the world. But Magda will learn there might be something even more

The truth.]]>
352 Gareth Brown 0063324032 Candace 0 to-read 4.28 2025 The Society of Unknowable Objects
author: Gareth Brown
name: Candace
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/21
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<![CDATA[The Mirror (The Lost Bride Trilogy, #2)]]> 209630980
#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts continues the hauntingly spectacular Lost Bride Trilogy with book two, The Mirror.

When Sonya MacTavish inherits the huge Victorian mansion on the coast of Maine, she has no idea that the house is haunted. The footsteps she hears at night, the doors slamming, the music playing, are not figments of her imagination. In her dreams she sees glimpses of the past. In the present she finds portraits of brides. And when she has visions of an antique mirror, she is drawn to it, sensing it holds dark family secrets.

Then one night the mirror appears and Sonya glides through this looking glass, into the past—and sees a bride murdered on her wedding day, the circle of gold torn from her finger. It is a scene that will play out again and again—a centuries-old curse that must be broken—and a puzzle she must solve if there is any hope of breaking the curse.]]>
Nora Roberts Candace 5 3.89 2024 The Mirror (The Lost Bride Trilogy, #2)
author: Nora Roberts
name: Candace
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/15
date added: 2025/01/15
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<![CDATA[The Seven Rings (The Lost Bride Trilogy, #3)]]> 222361665 The #1 New York Times-bestselling author concludes her compelling Lost Bride trilogy as two women—one dead, one alive—prepare for a terrifying final showdown�

Long ago, Arthur Poole built a grand house overlooking the turbulent ocean, in a Maine village that bore his name. Today, Sonya MacTavish lives in that house—a manor that has been cursed for generations. Within its walls, she has witnessed the deaths of seven brides and the thefts of seven wedding rings. And now, to break the curse and banish a malevolent spirit once and for all, a difficult task must be completed.

After Sonya, her boyfriend, Trey, and their friends are forced to hear, see—and feel—the suffering of the house’s many ghosts as their torment is reenacted by the evil presence, their bond only strengthens and their anger is renewed. Refusing to let her spirit be broken, Sonya searches each room for clues to her ancestors� hidden story, putting the picture together, unearthing small treasures, and uncovering the moments of joy that existed among the sorrows. She’s determined to bring light to this haunted place—to fill it with people, with life and hope, once again.

But the enemy in the black dress continues to hover, to come at her in frightening forms. They may be illusions—but illusions can be powerful enough to wound and kill. She feeds on fear, and lies are her weapon. This dark-hearted witch wants to be mistress of Poole Manor, at any cost. And Sonya will need to fight a battle across two realms to finally take possession of the house on the clifftop—and of her own future…]]>
448 Nora Roberts 1250288800 Candace 0 to-read 4.29 2025 The Seven Rings (The Lost Bride Trilogy, #3)
author: Nora Roberts
name: Candace
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/15
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1-2-3 Peas 18668444
Meet the peas—the 1-2-3 Peas! Come along as they count from one to one hundred in this pea-filled picture book that’s packed with bright, bold numbers and playful number-themed scenes. These tiny green mathematicians will have young readers everywhere calling for more peas, please!]]>
36 Keith Baker 1442499281 Candace 0 robert-s-books 4.31 2012 1-2-3 Peas
author: Keith Baker
name: Candace
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves: robert-s-books
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Pugs and Kisses 221179246 The New York Times bestselling author of Almost There delivers a second chance romance between two dog lovers, perfect for readers of Abby Jimenez and Jasmine Guillory. 
From the outside, veterinarian Evie Williams appears to have the perfect but boring life. She is desperate to figure out a way to shake it up, but gets more than she bargained for when she finds her fiancé in bed with another woman. Suddenly, Evie is without a fiancé or a job, and isn’t sure what her next steps should be. That is, until her college crush, Bryson Mitchell, returns to town.  

Now, a nationally recognized veterinary surgeon, Bryson is stunned when he encounters Evie Williams for the first time in half a decade. When they learn the animal shelter where they used to volunteer is in danger of closing, the two must work together to save it. It has Bryson wondering, can he and Evie also save the friendship they once shared and finally bring it to the next level?  ]]>
352 Farrah Rochon 153873916X Candace 0 to-read 4.17 Pugs and Kisses
author: Farrah Rochon
name: Candace
average rating: 4.17
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: to-read
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Second Tide's the Charm 199454284
At first glance, Hope Evans just landed the perfect spending the summer on a shark research boat. Except as every marine biologist knows, it’s what’s going on beneath the surface that counts, and Hope’s new position comes with a big catch—the boat belongs to her ex-boyfriend, Adrian Hollis-Parker. For three years Hope’s been treading water, staying away from anything that reminds her of their past. It’s time to dive back into a job that could springboard her career—and maybe offer much-needed closure.

Since their split, Adrian has risen to internet fame as a shark expert with the launch of his YouTube channel to dispel myths and educate viewers about sharks. But success rings hollow without Hope. Embracing this new career trajectory was a risk, but working in cramped quarters with the woman he never stopped loving? That has the potential to backfire in heartbreaking ways.

Side by side, weathering storms of every kind, they’ll have to navigate the murky waters of past hurts…and hope it’s not too late to chart a new course…]]>
336 Chandra Blumberg 1335476997 Candace 0 not-finished-but-not-reading 3.47 2024 Second Tide's the Charm
author: Chandra Blumberg
name: Candace
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: not-finished-but-not-reading
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Don't Tell Me No 103432876
Taking care of his family is the reason Hiram Stevens does everything in life. Pursuing a career in rap and creating a different persona named Yolo, he begins the hustle of making his name big. Coming from a broken family leaves all the responsibilities on him. Having an incarcerated father and an alcoholic for a mother also leaves him responsible for his twin siblings. Yolo learns to keep his emotions hidden and maintain this gritty persona that would get him higher on the hip-hop charts. His air of mystery keeps people speculating about him, and along with his music, keeps him relevant. That plan seems to be going well until that one night he would never forget.

When Tangela and Yolo meet, there’s an immediate attraction that can’t be denied. Passion ensues and consumes them for that one unforgettable night. Can they resume their everyday lives and consider it a summer fling as suggested? Or will their bodies overtake their stubborn minds and go for what they both want?]]>
86 Monica Walters Candace 0 4.73 Don't Tell Me No
author: Monica Walters
name: Candace
average rating: 4.73
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/06
date added: 2025/01/06
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A Novel Christmas 204294849 256 Charity Shane 195795051X Candace 5 3.46 2024 A Novel Christmas
author: Charity Shane
name: Candace
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/02
date added: 2025/01/02
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<![CDATA[A Short Walk Through a Wide World]]> 180777067 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue meets Life of Pi in this dazzlingly epic debut that charts the incredible, adventurous life of one woman as she journeys the globe trying to outrun a mysterious curse that will destroy her if she stops moving.

Paris, 1885: Aubry Tourvel, a spoiled and stubborn nine-year-old girl, comes across a wooden puzzle ball on her walk home from school. She tosses it over the fence, only to find it in her backpack that evening. Days later, at the family dinner table, she starts to bleed to death.

When medical treatment only makes her worse, she flees to the outskirts of the city, where she realizes that it is this very act of movement that keeps her alive. So begins her lifelong journey on the run from her condition, which won’t allow her to stay anywhere for longer than a few days nor return to a place where she’s already been.

From the scorched dunes of the Calashino Sand Sea to the snow-packed peaks of the Himalayas; from a bottomless well in a Parisian courtyard, to the shelves of an infinite underground library, we follow Aubry as she learns what it takes to survive and ultimately, to truly live. But the longer Aubry wanders and the more desperate she is to share her life with others, the clearer it becomes that the world she travels through may not be quite the same as everyone else’s...

Fiercely independent and hopeful, yet full of longing, Aubry Tourvel is an unforgettable character fighting her way through a world of wonders to find a place she can call home. A spellbinding and inspiring story about discovering meaning in a life that seems otherwise impossible, A Short Walk Through a Wide World reminds us that it’s not the destination, but rather the journey—no matter how long it lasts—that makes us who we are.]]>
Douglas Westerbeke 1797172026 Candace 4 audiobooks 3.41 2024 A Short Walk Through a Wide World
author: Douglas Westerbeke
name: Candace
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/19
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: audiobooks
review:

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<![CDATA[My Dear Friend Janet (Southern Belle Insults, #1)]]> 59535729 Poor Janet and fifty shades of beige. At least her inner voice, the sensational Lady Miss Jacqueline, is coming out in an outrageously finny short story about magic, courage, and - oh honey - the wigs!

Janet Williams is practically invisible. If only she had the pluck to speak up at work, flirt with the handsome barista she sees every day, and realize how special she is. When a magical wig offers Janet a chance to shake things up, will she dare to try a bold new style? The voice in her head - flashy and fierce, with an unbridled southern drawl - tells her to go for it. And once she does, there's no turning back.

'MY DEAR FRIEND JANET' by Keke Palmer with Jasmine Guillory is part of Southern Belle Insults, a fiercely finny series of short stories set in the fully realized world of Keke's viral phenomenon. Take Lady Miss Jacqueline's read or listen to them at once, without stopping, the whole way through. You're welcome.]]>
25 Keke Palmer 1542034337 Candace 0 3.74 2021 My Dear Friend Janet (Southern Belle Insults, #1)
author: Keke Palmer
name: Candace
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2024/12/29
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<![CDATA[The Cleaners (Faraway Collection)]]> 55817043
Gui is a professional cleaner at A Fresh Start, scrubbing away the unpleasant layers of memory that build up on the personal objects of his customers. Memory-blind himself, he can’t feel those wounds. Clara can, and she prefers them irretrievable. Until her sister, Beatrice, ultrasensitive to memory, raises one that could change Clara’s mind. For Gui, the past is gone. For Clara and Beatrice, deciding what to remember reaches to the heart of their shared history.]]>
33 Ken Liu 154202515X Candace 0 3.45 2020 The Cleaners (Faraway Collection)
author: Ken Liu
name: Candace
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2024/12/29
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<![CDATA[Hazel and Gray (Faraway Collection)]]> 55817030
It’s bad enough that Hazel and Gray have defied the demands of Hazel’s foul stepfather. The Monster has forbidden their romance. Now they’ve awakened in the forest, phones dead, hours past curfew. But not far away is a grand estate in the middle of nowhere. The door is open. In this short story about choosing your own path, the fury of the Monster that awaits them back home may be nothing compared to what lies ahead.]]>
34 Nic Stone 154200943X Candace 0 3.45 2020 Hazel and Gray (Faraway Collection)
author: Nic Stone
name: Candace
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/28
date added: 2024/12/28
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<![CDATA[Hot for Teacher (Richardson Sibling Trilogy, #1)]]> 157286114
Publication set for October 2023.]]>
235 Monique Fisher Candace 0 to-read 4.01 Hot for Teacher (Richardson Sibling Trilogy, #1)
author: Monique Fisher
name: Candace
average rating: 4.01
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
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Resting Scrooge Face 63077284 From USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling author Meghan Quinn comes a festive short romance about old flames and mistaken identities.

After a bad breakup, Nola wants nothing to do with Christmas, especially in her quaint hometown of Bright Harbor, Maine. Infuriatingly charming and cheery, Nola’s surroundings only worsen her sour mood.

To make matters worse, Caleb, the boy who broke her heart years ago, is all grown up and still living in town. While doing her best to avoid him, Nola bumps into the local mailman, who gives her a mysterious letter. And when she finds that the writer is a fellow Scrooge, she can’t help but feel her spirit lifting.

Nola writes back to her new pen pal—who, unbeknownst to Nola, is none other than Caleb. When Caleb gets a response hand delivered by the mailman, he’s intrigued by the mystery sender. A friendly correspondence develops—and quickly turns flirtatious.

Although Nola and Caleb claim they can’t stand each other, they can’t deny the simmering attraction that brought them together in the first place.

Can these nameless pen pals write their own love story—or will they be too caught up with the ghosts of their Christmases past to find a future together?]]>
80 Meghan Quinn 166251042X Candace 0 3.60 2022 Resting Scrooge Face
author: Meghan Quinn
name: Candace
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/28
date added: 2024/12/28
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I'll Be Gone for Christmas 205655474
Bee Tyler needs a break. In the bustling San Francisco tech community, no one ever seems to stand still—especially her perfect sister and business partner, Beth. So when her best friend suggests a getaway on the wildly popular house-swap app, Vacate, Bee decides a countryside retreat might be exactly what she needs.

Clover Mills has had a year. Between losing her mother and making the complicated decision to leave her fiancé, sticking around the idyllic Christmas obsessed town of Salem, Ohio, just doesn’t feel right. So when she hears about Vacate, she jumps at the chance to spend the holidays in the unfamiliar city of San Francisco.

Soon enough, Bee is living in Clover’s cozy Salem cottage, and Clover is living in Bee’s sleek San Francisco apartment. As Clover can’t seem to stop running into Bee’s frustratingly gorgeous sister, Beth, and Bee finds herself spending more and more time with Clover’s ultra charming ex-fiancé, Knox, the two women realize that this Christmas they may find just what they were looking for and more…]]>
284 Georgia K. Boone 0063244039 Candace 0 3.71 2024 I'll Be Gone for Christmas
author: Georgia K. Boone
name: Candace
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/26
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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 Candace 4 3.81 2024 A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer (S.C.Y.T.H.E. Mystery, #1)
author: Maxie Dara
name: Candace
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/17
date added: 2024/12/17
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Expiration Dates 176501337
Being single is like playing the lottery. There’s always the chance that with one piece of paper you could win it all. From the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years and One Italian Summer comes the romance that will define a generation.

Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. The papers told her she’d spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake.

But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction, and wrestling with what it means to be both committed and truthful. Because Daphne knows things Jake doesn’t, information that—if he found out—would break his heart.

Told with her signature warmth and insight into matters of the heart, Rebecca Serle has finally set her sights on romantic love. The result is a gripping, emotional, passionate, and (yes) heartbreaking novel about what it means to be single, what it means to find love, and ultimately how we define each of them for ourselves. Expiration Dates is the one fans have been waiting for.]]>
7 Rebecca Serle 1797168665 Candace 4 3.58 2024 Expiration Dates
author: Rebecca Serle
name: Candace
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/17
date added: 2024/12/17
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<![CDATA[Only Santas in the Building (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #5)]]> 220389090
All Evie Cruz wants for Christmas is a nap. And maybe some ornaments for her naked Christmas tree. And while she’s making a list, she wouldn’t mind unwrapping her sexy upstairs neighbor like a present. Luckily, the building’s Santa-themed party and a surprise sprig of mistletoe give her just the opening she needs to make all her wishes come true.

Alexis Daria’s Only Santas in the Building is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]>
65 Alexis Daria 1662529376 Candace 0 3.36 2024 Only Santas in the Building (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #5)
author: Alexis Daria
name: Candace
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/13
date added: 2024/12/17
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<![CDATA[Gangsta (The Berotte Family Book 15)]]> 208985055 Gangsta is a state of mind and a state of being� Everything I do is gangsta.

Joel Knight, although the righthand of a kingpin, is a boss in his own right. Being raised by his father, who was a part of a kingpin’s inner circle, afforded him knowledge of the streets. His name is feared simply because he has followed in his father’s footsteps. He’s never known his mother and has no desire to even know who she is. Recently leaving the game behind and traveling the world, he’s determined to find out what his next steps should be. While in Puerto Rico, he takes part in what he believes is an island rendezvous. However, when he sees her two years later in Houston, she smooths out his rough demeanor and has him questioning life as it is.

I need a gangsta to always be down for me� handling me like I’m the only woman that matters.

Losing her father at a young age, Keondra Mott has learned to make things happen on her own. Observing the code of the streets from the small amount of time she had with him proves to serve her well. She’s a no-nonsense type of woman and feels like if a man can do it, so can she, especially regarding her love life. While she’s looking for love, she’s far from being desperate. She’s about her money and about experiencing the pleasures life has to offer. All that comes to a screeching halt when she reconnects with a fling from a vacation two years prior. While hiding her true emotions to guard her heart, being around him makes her weak.

Gangsta loving at its best� that’s what’s required.

Fighting the feeling is the type of time Joel is on, and Keondra doesn’t mind following suit. He doesn’t know how to accept his emotions for what they are, because he’s always had to be hard and unapproachable. Keondra doesn’t want just another notch on her studded belt, but she refuses to accept his potential to be better and refuses to wait for him to fulfill it. Joel has a decision to make, but will he have the ability to make the right one?]]>
227 Monica Walters Candace 0 to-read 4.75 Gangsta (The Berotte Family Book 15)
author: Monica Walters
name: Candace
average rating: 4.75
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/11
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<![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)]]> 58613380
Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come.]]>
320 J.K. Rowling 0590353403 Candace 0 not-finished-but-not-reading 4.64 1997 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Candace
average rating: 4.64
book published: 1997
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/11
shelves: not-finished-but-not-reading
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A Pumpkin and a Patch 61361968 Reece the Rogue Pirate girl, instead of Josie Peterson. Why couldn’t I be known for all the cute children’s stories I’ve written about my family’s pumpkin patch?

Tragically, the torrid story I wrote as a teen was based on a real person, Reece Cavanaugh. And guess what? He grew up to be a pirate—okay, lawyer. Same thing. To make matters worse, the man is representing my ex-fiancé who wants to steal my treasure, aka engagement ring. If that wasn’t the icing on the cake, Reece has an adorable daughter who happens to be my new student. That’s right, I must now have actual conversations with him after avoiding him for half my life, even by hiding behind banana displays when needed. But the more I get to know Reece—the real version, not the imaginary one who ravishes me on sandy beaches—I can’t help but wish we could roll around in the sand together. There’s a problem though, the school I work for frowns upon relationships between parents and teachers. And it’s pumpkin season, which means all my free time is spent on the family farm. But when he kisses me, I can’t help wanting to break all the rules and get tangled up in the barn. The burning question is, am I brave enough to make my story a reality or will it be another bad ending?

From USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Peel comes a curl your toes and cuddle up with your favorite blanket and cocoa romantic comedy.]]>
307 Jennifer Peel Candace 0 to-read 3.90 2022 A Pumpkin and a Patch
author: Jennifer Peel
name: Candace
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/11
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The Most Wonderful Time 199793442 Such a Fun Age and The Holiday—an irresistible Christmastime novel about heartbreak, hope, love, and the joy that comes from rediscovering oneself.

With Christmas around the corner, Ramona Tucker is desperate to get away. She has been lying to her family about her engagement to Malik, her (ex) fiancé. But breakups are fickle, and Ramona is convinced that she can make her pretend wedding real again—but only if she can avoid everyone discovering her secret at her mother’s over-the-top Christmas Eve party.

Two-thousand miles away in sunny Malibu, Chelsea Flint needs money to hold on to the beloved beachside cottage she shared with her late parents. The taxes are expensive, and her art isn’t paying the bills. Once an irresistible star of the Los Angeles art scene, Chelsea seems to have lost that spark that vaulted her to the top. If she doesn’t rediscover that magic—and sell a painting—soon, it will be her family’s home she’s selling instead.

The two women swap homes, just in time, thanks to some careful planning by Ramona’s best friend and a sturdy nudge from Chelsea’s gallerist godmother. Ramona’s Malibu dreams of sun and surf are interrupted as her first night brings an unwelcome stranger to her door, making her question who she can trust—the meddling neighbor Joan, or Jay, the handsome beachside fitness instructor with a secret of his own. Chelsea, desperate for Ramona to stay, hides what she knows—even if that means jeopardizing her budding connection with charming Carlos, whose dreams for his future could be the very key to unlocking Chelsea from the weight of her past.

Combining escapist fun and sizzling romance, a dose of poignant self-reflection, and a little holiday magic, The Most Wonderful Time is a warm and relatable novel that will delight at Christmas and throughout the year.]]>
352 Jayne Allen 0063137968 Candace 4 3.36 2024 The Most Wonderful Time
author: Jayne Allen
name: Candace
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/10
date added: 2024/12/10
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<![CDATA[All by My Elf (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #3)]]> 220389455
Nina and William are underpaid adjunct professors at the same university, where winter break is no break at all: ’tis the season to make extra money. When their holiday side hustle has them stranded by a blinding blizzard in the middle of nowhere, there’s nothing to do but cuddle up for warmth and play a game of Never Have I Ever to pass the time. But in the game of love, secrets never stay secret for long�

Olivia Dade’s All by My Elf is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]>
55 Olivia Dade 166252823X Candace 5 2.58 2024 All by My Elf (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #3)
author: Olivia Dade
name: Candace
average rating: 2.58
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/09
date added: 2024/12/09
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<![CDATA[Merriment and Mayhem (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #4)]]> 220389457
When Everleigh Dangerfield’s baking disaster necessitates a call to 911, firefighter Griffin Brantley douses the flames in the kitchen, but the ones he stokes in Everleigh are an entirely different story. Unfortunately, Everleigh’s only visiting and doesn’t do casual hookups, no matter how smoldering the temptation. But Everleigh’s holiday mishaps have just begun. And Griffin is seemingly always on call. If Everleigh is game for a change of plans, he can give her the merriest Christmas of her life.

Alexandria Bellefleur’s Merriment and Mayhem is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]>
58 Alexandria Bellefleur 1662529341 Candace 0 3.28 2024 Merriment and Mayhem (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #4)
author: Alexandria Bellefleur
name: Candace
average rating: 3.28
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/09
date added: 2024/12/09
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<![CDATA[Merry Ever After (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #2)]]> 220389465 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey.

Evie Crowe is starting over in a strange town with her newborn, and men are the furthest thing from her mind. If only the quiet, hulking farmer, Luke Ward, would stop coming into the thrift shop and piquing her reluctant interest. Evie wants to stay single all the way—she can’t trust anything more than friends-with-holiday-benefits. But Luke is in it for the long haul. He’s fixed on making this a Christmas Evie will remember forever. If she gives him a chance.

Tessa Bailey’s Merry Ever After is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]>
59 Tessa Bailey 1662528736 Candace 5 2.79 2024 Merry Ever After (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #2)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: Candace
average rating: 2.79
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/05
date added: 2024/12/05
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<![CDATA[Cruel Winter with You (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #1)]]> 220389458 New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood.

All newly minted pediatrician Jamie Malek wants is to borrow a roasting pan for Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, that requires her to interact with Marc—her best friend’s troublemaking brother, who’s now a tech billionaire. He’s the one who got away. She’s the one who broke his heart. Outside, a howling blizzard. Inside, a crackling fire. Suddenly, being snowbound with the man she never expected to see again might not be such a bad way to spend a winter’s night.

Ali Hazelwood’s Cruel Winter with You is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]>
73 Ali Hazelwood 1662528396 Candace 0 3.68 2024 Cruel Winter with You (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #1)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Candace
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/04
date added: 2024/12/04
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The Christmas Book Hunt 220506847
A Christmas mission�

Mirren’s beloved great-aunt Violet is seriously ill. Her one Christmas wish is to be reunited with a long-lost hand-illustrated book from her childhood, a challenge Mirren gladly accepts to give Violet some much-needed festive cheer.

An enchanting journey�

With no sign of the cherished volume online, Mirren falls into the fascinating world of rare books. From London to snowy Hay-on-Wye and Edinburgh’s cobbled streets, she chases leads from bookshop to bookshop—and bumps into mysterious, charming Theo, who, unbeknownst to her, is searching for the same book for reasons of his own�

The start of a new chapter?

As the two join forces to track the book down before time runs out for Violet, will Mirren find her Christmas miracle—and maybe even a kiss under the mistletoe� ?

For fans of Josie Silver, Jill Mansell and the Queen of Christmas herself, a snow-swept love story to warm even the coldest winter’s day.]]>
127 Jenny Colgan 1662522576 Candace 5 3.73 2024 The Christmas Book Hunt
author: Jenny Colgan
name: Candace
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/04
date added: 2024/12/04
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The Spare Room 201564651 Two unexpected flatmates. One shared space. Will they cross the line into love?

Rosie had the perfect evening lined up: she'd come home early, slip into a sexy dress and surprise her boyfriend with date night. What she was not expecting was to find his bags packed and herself unceremoniously dumped.

But she can't even think about her heartbreak when she faces the more pressing matter of making rent this month. And in desperate times, she agrees to let her spare room out to her elusive upstairs neighbour.

Aled needs somewhere to stay while his place is being renovated, and she gets to keep her home. It's a win-win situation... At least in theory.

For Rosie has sworn off men indefinitely, and never saw herself living with one so soon after her breakup. But being in Aled's company day in, day out has this annoying habit of playing havoc with her heart...

On paper they're just flatmates, but could there be room for more between them?

The ultimate forced proximity, slow-burn romcom to get your hands on, perfect for fans of Beth O'Leary, Portia MacIntosh and Mhairi McFarlane. ]]>
336 Laura Starkey 1471414930 Candace 0 to-read 3.58 The Spare Room
author: Laura Starkey
name: Candace
average rating: 3.58
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/03
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Holiday Hideaway 219754771 From New York Times bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews comes a charming holiday romance about a newly single thirtysomething whose unauthorized vacation rental turns into a hilarious game of hide-and-seek when the new owner unexpectedly shows up.

Tilly Farriday isn’t feeling very jolly this season. Recently divorced and broke, she’s squatting in one of her rental agency’s properties until her new home is ready. The sprinkles on top of the burnt Christmas cookie that is her life? The new owner shows up early, forcing Tilly to hide in the attic to save her job…and what remains of her dignity.

George Holloway is here to sell his granduncle’s house—and to reconsider whether he and his fiancée are right for each other. Amid home repairs, George notices strange noises and missing food, but as much as he gets his rental agent on the phone, Tilly dodges every invitation to meet. He’s sure that someone’s here with him, and it’s certainly not the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, or Future.

As Tilly and George circle each other, they both wonder where their lives are headed and if, maybe, meeting each other is just the Christmas miracle they need.]]>
72 Mary Kay Andrews 1662527004 Candace 4 3.62 2024 Holiday Hideaway
author: Mary Kay Andrews
name: Candace
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/02
date added: 2024/12/02
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