Along with cheering on her soon-to-be brother-in-law, Freddie Kentfield, at The British Open in Scotland, Stella embraces the chance to connect with her distant cousins, the McEwens, at their grand estate, Glenloch Hill. But she and Lyndy don’t receive the warm welcome they expect when their arrival is marred by missing luggage, evasive hosts, and the perceived mistreatment of a young laundry maid. Adding to the tense atmosphere, Freddie's roguish father, Sir Edwin, appears at the manor uninvited, his presence casting a shadow over the events—and stirring up more unanswered questions . . .
As golf clubs swing on the green, so do Lyndy’s fists in an uncharacteristic outburst. Chaotic circumstances take a dark turn when Sir Edwin is found bludgeoned outside the laundry house—the maid waiting beside the body, no murder weapon in sight—and all eyes on Lyndy . . .
Suddenly caught in a whirlwind of kilts, elite golfers, and deadly rumors, Stella rushes to protect Lyndy's innocence and save herself from real danger. But can she both navigate the unspoken rules at Glenloch Hill and survive a cutthroat competition against a killer who will stop at nothing to win?]]>
author: Clara McKenna
name: Grace
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/14
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: ebook, historical-fiction, library-manhattan, mystery, 2025
review:
It took me forever to get through this book, and I'm not entirely sure it was the book's fault but I'm also not sure it wasn't. I just never fully clicked with the story here. [spoilers removed]
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So why is a member of Ellison's circle found shot to death in a sedan at the country club?
Did Baxter Phelps have ties to the mafia? Did they make him an offer he couldn't refuse? Is Baxter's widow Helen in danger?
As Ellison is drawn into a dangerous investigation, she can't help but think maybe this time Mother is right. She should mind her own business.]]>
author: Julie Mulhern
name: Grace
average rating: 4.54
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/13
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: 2025, ebook, library-brooklyn, mystery
review:
This series is always such a good time, despite the dead bodies. Enjoyed the mob angle in this one, and also shoutout to Julie Mulhern for referencing the FFVs. It absolutely tracks that Ellison would make that reference.
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Welcome to Knife's Edge, Alaska, where the four Osprey brothers return from military service with shadows in their eyes and secrets in their hearts. As danger looms, new romances ignite, and these rugged men must fight for love…and survival.
Brock Osprey has spent years in the rugged Alaskan wilderness, far from civilization and even farther from his past. A former Navy Seal, Brock is now the unwilling protector of Knife's Edge, a remote town with more secrets than residents. But when FBI agent Ophelia Spilazi arrives to investigate the unsolved murder of his guardian—and recent unexplained deaths in the area—Brock's carefully guarded world is thrown into chaos.
Agent Ophelia Spilazi has one last chance to save her career, and Knife's Edge is her shot. The isolated town is full of secrets, and she's certain Brock knows more than he's letting on. The town's recent string of mysterious deaths only heightens her suspicion, but the more time she spends with the brooding Alaskan, the harder it becomes to ignore the dangerous chemistry between them.
As a brutal storm traps them in the isolated wilderness, Brock and Ophelia's growing attraction ignites, even as shadows from their pasts threaten to tear them apart. But with a dangerous conspiracy and powerful enemies lurking in the shadows, their only hope is to trust each other—before the wilderness consumes them both.]]>
author: Rebecca Zanetti
name: Grace
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: 2025, ebook, library-queens, romantic-suspense
review:
I went to this because romantic suspense is a good slump buster for me, and this did seem to work. Not my favorite thing I've read by Zanetti - this apparently was first done in Kindle Vella, and I think it showed. The story didn't flow as well as it could have, and there were definitely character pieces here that were underdeveloped - her career in DC for one. But on the whole, I found this readable and the town story/the brothers intriguing enough that I will check out the next one when it's release.
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On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston: Fort Sumter.
Ìý
Master storyteller Erik Larson offers a gripping account of the chaotic months between Lincoln’s election and the Confederacy’s shelling of Sumter—a period marked by tragic errors and miscommunications, enflamed egos and craven ambitions, personal tragedies and betrayals. Lincoln himself wrote that the trials of these five months were “so great that, could I have anticipated them, I would not have believed it possible to survive them.�
Ìý
At the heart of this suspense-filled narrative are Major Robert Anderson, Sumter’s commander and a former slave owner sympathetic to the South but loyal to the Union; Edmund Ruffin, a vain and bloodthirsty radical who stirs secessionist ardor at every opportunity; and Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of a prominent planter, conflicted over both marriage and slavery and seeing parallels between both. In the middle of it all is the overwhelmed Lincoln, battling with his duplicitous Secretary of State, William Seward, as he tries desperately to avert a war that he fears is inevitable—one that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans.
Ìý
Drawing on diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, Larson gives us a political horror story that captures the forces that led America to the brink—a dark reminder that we often don’t see a cataclysm coming until it’s too late.]]>
author: Erik Larson
name: Grace
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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It starts with a class in an old movie theater.
Folklore 517: Local Legends and Urban Myths, taught by a woman called the Professor. Most students believe the Professor’s stories are just fiction, but Holland St. James has always been convinced that magic is real. When she tracks down a local legend named the Watch Man, who can supposedly tell you when you’ll die, the world finally makes sense. Except that the Watch Man tells her she will die at midnight tomorrow unless she finds an ancient object called the Alchemical Heart.
With the clock ticking, Holland is pulled deeper into this magical world in the heart of Los Angeles—and into the path of a magnetic stranger. Everything about him feels like a bad idea, but he promises Holland that her sister sent him to protect her. As they chase clues and stories that take them closer to the Alchemical Heart, Holland realizes everyone in this intoxicating new world is lying to her, even this stranger. And if she can’t figure out whom to trust, not even the Alchemical Heart will save her.]]>
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Grace
average rating: 4.69
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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In “one of the most important athlete memoirs of its generation� (Kate Fagan, #1 New York Times bestselling author), Olympian Kara Goucher reveals her experience of living through and speaking out about one of the biggest scandals in running.
Kara Goucher grew up with Olympic dreams. She excelled at running from a young age and was offered a Nike sponsorship deal when she graduated from college. Then in 2004, she was invited to join a secretive, lavishly funded new team, dubbed the Nike Oregon Project. Coached by distance running legend Alberto Salazar, it seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime.
Kara was soon winning a World Championship medal, going to the Olympics, and standing on the podium at the New York and Boston marathons, just like her coach had done. But behind the scenes, Salazar was hiding dark secrets. He pushed the limits of anti-doping rules and created what Kara experienced as a culture of abuse, the extent of which she reveals in her book for the first time. Meanwhile, Nike stood by Alberto for years and proved itself capable of shockingly misogynistic corporate practices.
The Longest Race is an unforgettable story that is “as interesting as it is important� (Molly Huddle, two-time Olympian) and also a crucial call to action. Kara became a crusader for female athletes and a key witness helping to get Salazar banned from coaching at the Olympic level. The Longest Race will leave you “motivated, empowered, and ready to take on the world� (Allyson Felix, Olympic gold medalist) as it reveals how Kara broke through the fear of losing everything, bucked powerful forces to take control of her life and career, and reclaimed her love of running.]]>
author: Kara Goucher
name: Grace
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: currently-reading, ebook, memoirs
review:
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* Winner of the William HillÌýSports Book Of The Year Award
* A Financial Times Best Sports Book of 2023
Fueled by her years as an elite runner and advocate for women in sports, Lauren Fleshman offers her inspiring personal story and a rallying cry for reform of a sports landscape that is failing young female athletes
“Women’s sports have needed a manifesto for a very long time, and with Lauren Fleshman’s Good for a Girl we finally have one.� —Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers and David and Goliath
One of the most decorated collegiate athletes of all time and a national champion as a pro, Lauren Fleshman has grown up in the world of running. But every step of the way, she has seen how our sports systems—originally designed for men and boys—fail women and girls. Girls drop out of sports at alarming rates once they hit puberty, and female collegiate athletes routinely fall victim to injury, eating disorders, or mental health struggles as they try to force their way past a natural dip in performance for women of their age.
Written with heart and verve,ÌýGood for a GirlÌýis Fleshman’s story of falling in love with running, being pushed to her limits and succumbing to injuries, and fighting for a better way for female athletes. Drawing on not only her own story but also emerging research on the physiology and psychology of young athletes of any gender, Fleshman gives voice to the often-silent experience of the female athlete and argues that the time has come to rebuild competitive sports with women at their center.]]>
author: Lauren Fleshman
name: Grace
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: ebook, memoirs, 2025
review:
I came to this as a runner and a fan of pro running, but one who found the sport after Fleshman retired so I wasn't particularly familiar with her career. I enjoyed getting to know her, and hearing the important things she had to say about the prevalence of disordered eating among athletes, especially women. I'm glad the sport has advocates like her (and others) now.
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Alexandra Prince is clever, outspoken, and, yes, perhaps a bit impulsive. Yet she’s always been overshadowed by her siblings. While they are off on adventurous expeditions, she’s the one left to keep the family’s antique shop going while she works on a book about lady pirates—and longs for an adventure of her own. When she overhears a group of suspicious customers whispering about a plan to steal the Crown Jewels, she knows it’s her opportunity to shine. But she needs a little help.
Detective Inspector Benedict Drake takes his duties at Scotland Yard seriously. In fact, he takes almost everything seriously. Except for the breathless beauty who crashes into his office to tell him about a ludicrous scheme to steal the Crown Jewels. Despite his turning her away, she keeps popping up wherever he goes, and he’s not sure whether she’s determined to cause a scandal or is trying to drive him to distraction. Just when he thinks he’s rid of her, an event compels him to believe her account, and he begrudgingly enlists her aid to thwart the theft of the century.
But while thieves seek the Crown Jewels, the troublesome bluestocking he can’t seem to keep away from might just steal his heart…]]>
author: Christy Carlyle
name: Grace
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is hiding a huge secret. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything Auburn loves most, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it—but can she do it?]]>
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Grace
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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“A cleverly plotted puzzle� (Ashley Weaver) in the vein of Opium and Absinthe, this is perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Sujata Massey.
Saffron Everleigh returns to Ellington Manor after her grandfather suffers a heart attack. Back in her childhood home for the first time in years, Saffron faces tense family relationships made worse by the presence of the enigmatic Bill Wyatt, hired on as a doctor to the ailing Lord Easting. But the man is no doctor—in reality, he is a mysterious figure involved in the trafficking of dangerous government secrets, and his presence at Ellington can only mean trouble.
When their neighbors, the Hales, invite a spiritual medium into the village who starts angling for Saffron’s mother’s attention, Saffron realizes that there is more afoot in her hometown than she originally thought. Not to mention inviting Alexander to Ellington has put their budding relationship under her family’s microscope.
As tensions rise at Ellington, Bill demands that Saffron hand over old research documents belonging to her late father. With her relatives under his power as their ‘doctor,� Saffron fears she may be forced to surrender the files along with her hopes of ever understanding her father’s obscure legacy. Nothing and no one is as they seem at Ellington. It’s through the perfumed haze of the séance’s smoke that Saffron must search for the truth before it’s too late]]>
author: Kate Khavari
name: Grace
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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The marriage pact they made in their senior yearbook was the closest he ever came. Years passed and Emme forgot about their promise. Ryan never did, especially not on his thirtieth birthday.
Emme can’t catch a break. Always unlucky in love, her cheating ex is a groomsman in her best friend’s wedding—and there’s no way she’s showing up alone.
Ryan offers her the one thing better than a wedding a revenge husband. And he’s not just any fake husband but the NFL’s brightest star…and in need of serious reputation rehab.
Playing the part of the happy couple comes easy and soon enough, the lines between real and fake blur. They disappear altogether when there’s just one bed.
All Ryan has to do is save Emme from her ex, find her step-sister an internship, and get his wife to fall in love with him—or fumble the one thing he’s ever her heart. ]]>
author: Kate Canterbary
name: Grace
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/17
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: contemporary-romance, ebook, 2025
review:
I liked this! I admit to thinking this was a little on the long side, but I didn't really mind because most of it made sense. [spoilers removed]
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A wallflower by choice, wealthy Lucy Penhallow would rather sit out the dancing all season than listen to false flattery from the fortune hunters who pursue her. But when she and her best friend’s brother witness a crime in progress, they’ll need to put every skill Lucy’s learned from reading detective stories to the test in their hunt for a missing woman. And if Viscount Gilford happens to be handsome as sin and clever to boot? Well, that's no hardship forÌýher.
ÌýÌý ÌýViscount GilfordÌýneeds a wife to save him from financial ruin, and there’s only one heiress who’s off limits. So when he and Lucy find themselves inextricably linked in the tabloids, it’s a disaster. As their investigation progresses, their once unwelcome alliance becomes something more—a love match neither will give up. But there’s a killer watching their romance from the wings who’s only too happy to keep these meddlesome sleuths together . . . in the afterlife.]]>
author: Manda Collins
name: Grace
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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Evelyn Maltravers understands exactly how little she’s worth on the marriage mart. As an incurable bluestocking from a family tumbling swiftly toward ruin, she knows she’ll never make a match in a ballroom. Her only hope is to distinguish herself by making the biggest splash in the one sphere she on horseback. In haute couture. But to truly capture London’s attention she’ll need a habit-maker who’s not afraid to take risks with his designs—and with his heart.
Half-Indian tailor Ahmad Malik has always had a talent for making women beautiful, inching his way toward recognition by designing riding habits for Rotten Row’s infamous Pretty Horsebreakers—but no one compares to Evelyn. Her unbridled spirit enchants him, awakening a depth of feeling he never thought possible.
But pushing boundaries comes at a cost and not everyone is pleased to welcome Evelyn and Ahmad into fashionable society. With obstacles spanning between them, the indomitable pair must decide which hurdles they can jump and what matters making their mark or following their hearts?]]>
author: Mimi Matthews
name: Grace
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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Despite her illustrious title, Camille, Duchess of Hereford, remains what she has always been—a pariah. Though her title means she’s technically accepted by London Society, the rebellious widow with her burgeoning interest in the suffrage movement and her American ways isn’t exactly high on every hostess’s guest list. But Camille starts to wonder if being an outcast is not without its perks when the tantalizing answer to her secret fear appears in the shape of Jacob Thorne, the illegitimate son of an earl and co-owner of London’s infamous Montague Club.
Jacob is used to making deals with his club members—he’s just not accustomed to them being beautiful women. Nor have the terms ever been so sweetly seductive as Camille’s shocking proposition. To finally buy his own club and gain the crucial backing of investors, Camille offers Jacob the respectability of a fake engagement with a duchess. In return, the tempting widow has one condition: she wants Jacob to show her if it’s possible for her to experience pleasure in bed.
The lure of such a bargain proves too delicious to resist, drawing the enterprising rogue and the wallflower duchess into a scandalous game and an even more dangerous gamble of the heart.]]>
author: Harper St. George
name: Grace
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: decided-against
review:
Kris reviewing the first book in this series just inadvertently reminded me how angry this series made me, and how little I trust the author to do right by Camille. Officially marking this for my own records, and noting that I will likely not be reading this author again. (It's theoretically possible, but yeah, doubtful.)
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Tall, dark, and brooding—to say that American Maxwell Crenshaw stood out in the glittering ballrooms of London, is an understatement. He vowed never to set foot in England again, but when a summons from his father, along with an ultimatum to secure his legacy, has him crossing the Atlantic for the last time, reuniting him with the delectable Lady Helena March, he can’t deny the temptation she presents. Or the ideas she inspires...
Lady Helena March is flirting with scandal. Instead of spending her time at teas and balls in search of another husband, as is expected of a young widow, Helena pours her energy into The London Home for Young Women. But Society gives no quarter to unmarried radicals who associate with illegitimate children and fallen women, and Helena’s funding is almost run out. So when the sinfully seductive Crenshaw heir suggests a fake engagement to save them both—him from an unwanted marriage and her from scorn and financial ruin—Helena finds herself too fascinated to refuse the sexy American.
As their arrangement of convenience melts oh so deliciously into nights of passion, their deception starts to become real. But if Max knew the true reason Helena can never remarry, he wouldn’t look at her with such heat in his eyes. Or might the Crenshaw heir be willing to do whatever it takes to win the one woman he’s never been able to forget...]]>
1. The Crenshaw parents. We are in book three of this series, and we are yet again doing "my parents are forcing me to get married against my will" as a main plot motivator. In each of the previous books they seemed to "learn" a bit at the end, and yet we are still doing this here?? The lather, rinse, repeat of it was just too much for me. And it made the parents' Magic Off-Page Realization in the time between the end of the book and the epilogue ring extremely hollow. These parents were pretty awful this whole freaking series. I'm sorry, but the apology at the end was neither earned nor believable at this point.
2. The handling of the infertility plot. While I appreciate that there was no magic baby epilogue (just the magic unearned parental apologies), I really needed more from Max and from Max and Helena together to make this work for me. SO much of them dealing with Helena's infertility as an obstacle to their relationship happens off page, or in Helena's case, with his sisters. It wasn't so much an issue for me with Helena because this is something she's been living with for a while. But with Max, we get his immediate reaction and then a line at the reunion scene, and really nothing else. And look, it was a very nice line at the reunion scene. But without something in between, and without getting ANY real conversations between Max and Helena as to what this means for them together and their relationship, this was just never going to work for me. I understand that it's difficult to tackle the issue of infertility in a romance novel, but if you are going to do it and it's going to be such a big part of the story, then you actually have to do the work on it. And I didn't see that happening here.
3. I believe that Max and Helena were in lust, but I don't think I fully bought getting from lust to love. Possibly because I was distracted by my discomfort with other parts of the story.
4. Then there's the Camille stuff. Going back to my review for book one, the thing I've needed most from this series is for Camille to get a book that gives her all the happiness she deserves (and results in serious suffering for whatever is left of Camille's awful husband's family). The set up for Camille's book could work in theory (the idea of it could be good as long as it's not presented as she has, in her widowhood, taken other lovers and only Thorne's magic dick will cure her), but at this point I don't trust this series to give me the true HEA Camille deserves. I also was somewhat underwhelmed with the character set up in this book, after the first two books were a lot stronger on that front. PLUS, my book one take was I wanted Camille and Max, and while I was in theory okay with not getting them, I was very disappointed that this book dropped references to Camille having liked him back in New York. If you aren't going to give me them, that's fine! But then don't do this, either. ANYWAY, Camille deserves the world, and I will be extremely unhappy (although, at this point, not surprised) if she does not get it.
5. The epilogue generally was just weird???? Why had Max and Helena not been to England in two years?????
Anyway, these were my major concerns. When I finished this book last night, my reaction was "Okay, now what do I read so I can cheer myself up and go to bed" and that's just not what you want.
Edit 2/17/25 Kris just read the first book in this series, and the first thing I thought about when I saw her review was how angry this book made me. If I'm still having that kind of visceral reaction almost there years later, I think that is sufficient justification to bump this down to one star.]]>
author: Harper St. George
name: Grace
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 1
read at: 2022/06/04
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: ebook, library-brooklyn, historical-romance, 2022
review:
The bottom line here is that while I liked some things about this, I didn't like others and I ultimately didn't enjoy reading this. My main concerns/issues:
1. The Crenshaw parents. We are in book three of this series, and we are yet again doing "my parents are forcing me to get married against my will" as a main plot motivator. In each of the previous books they seemed to "learn" a bit at the end, and yet we are still doing this here?? The lather, rinse, repeat of it was just too much for me. And it made the parents' Magic Off-Page Realization in the time between the end of the book and the epilogue ring extremely hollow. These parents were pretty awful this whole freaking series. I'm sorry, but the apology at the end was neither earned nor believable at this point.
2. The handling of the infertility plot. While I appreciate that there was no magic baby epilogue (just the magic unearned parental apologies), I really needed more from Max and from Max and Helena together to make this work for me. SO much of them dealing with Helena's infertility as an obstacle to their relationship happens off page, or in Helena's case, with his sisters. It wasn't so much an issue for me with Helena because this is something she's been living with for a while. But with Max, we get his immediate reaction and then a line at the reunion scene, and really nothing else. And look, it was a very nice line at the reunion scene. But without something in between, and without getting ANY real conversations between Max and Helena as to what this means for them together and their relationship, this was just never going to work for me. I understand that it's difficult to tackle the issue of infertility in a romance novel, but if you are going to do it and it's going to be such a big part of the story, then you actually have to do the work on it. And I didn't see that happening here.
3. I believe that Max and Helena were in lust, but I don't think I fully bought getting from lust to love. Possibly because I was distracted by my discomfort with other parts of the story.
4. Then there's the Camille stuff. Going back to my review for book one, the thing I've needed most from this series is for Camille to get a book that gives her all the happiness she deserves (and results in serious suffering for whatever is left of Camille's awful husband's family). The set up for Camille's book could work in theory (the idea of it could be good as long as it's not presented as she has, in her widowhood, taken other lovers and only Thorne's magic dick will cure her), but at this point I don't trust this series to give me the true HEA Camille deserves. I also was somewhat underwhelmed with the character set up in this book, after the first two books were a lot stronger on that front. PLUS, my book one take was I wanted Camille and Max, and while I was in theory okay with not getting them, I was very disappointed that this book dropped references to Camille having liked him back in New York. If you aren't going to give me them, that's fine! But then don't do this, either. ANYWAY, Camille deserves the world, and I will be extremely unhappy (although, at this point, not surprised) if she does not get it.
5. The epilogue generally was just weird???? Why had Max and Helena not been to England in two years?????
Anyway, these were my major concerns. When I finished this book last night, my reaction was "Okay, now what do I read so I can cheer myself up and go to bed" and that's just not what you want.
Edit 2/17/25 Kris just read the first book in this series, and the first thing I thought about when I saw her review was how angry this book made me. If I'm still having that kind of visceral reaction almost there years later, I think that is sufficient justification to bump this down to one star.
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Reread 3/8/21: This book remains everything I wanted for Wulf. Christine is just the very best, and Christine and Wulf together is excellent. Plus, family matchmaking and extended family shenanigans that just works so well to check in on how everyone else is doing!! There are few other series where I just genuinely enjoy each couple so much that I'm happy to see any and all of them, no matter when they show up.
Also, lmao @ my original review.
Reread 2/12/25: Probably a top 3 romance novel of all time for me, honestly. I don't really have anything else to add, but I had an absolute blast rereading this.]]>
author: Mary Balogh
name: Grace
average rating: 4.44
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/12
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: 2012-all, 2012-new, historical-romance, favorites, ebook, library-chesterfield, 2021-all, 2021-rereads, 2025
review:
This is probably the place where I should apologize to everyone who had to see my tweeting spree tonight. Unless you are Jess, and then I'm not sorry.
Reread 3/8/21: This book remains everything I wanted for Wulf. Christine is just the very best, and Christine and Wulf together is excellent. Plus, family matchmaking and extended family shenanigans that just works so well to check in on how everyone else is doing!! There are few other series where I just genuinely enjoy each couple so much that I'm happy to see any and all of them, no matter when they show up.
Also, lmao @ my original review.
Reread 2/12/25: Probably a top 3 romance novel of all time for me, honestly. I don't really have anything else to add, but I had an absolute blast rereading this.
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Sophie Roseingrave hates nothing more than a swindler. After her family lost their piano shop to a con man in London, they’re trying to start fresh in a new town. Her father is convinced Carrisford is an upright and honest place, but Sophie is not so sure. She has grave suspicions about silk-weaver Madeline Crewe, whose stunning beauty doesn’t hide the fact that she’s up to something.
All Maddie Crewe needs is one big score, one grand heist to properly fund the weavers� union forever. She has found her mark in Mr. Giles, a greedy draper, and the entire association of weavers and tailors and clothing merchants has agreed to help her. The very last thing she needs is a small but determined piano-teacher and composer sticking her nose in other people’s business. If Sophie won’t be put off, the only thing to do is to seduce her to the cause.
Will Sophie’s scruples force her to confess the plot before Maddie gets her money? Or will Maddie lose her nerve along with her heart?]]>
author: Olivia Waite
name: Grace
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/16
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: ebook, historical-romance, library-manhattan, 2025
review:
This was a delight. Just a lot of good things here. Good romance, good family and friend characters, good con story. I really enjoyed reading this.
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Beth Dalton has made a lovely life for herself, and found fulfillment and a fortune creating holiday cards that charm Victorian high society. Now, she’s ready for an adventure. So, when she’s invited to spend the social season in London, she agrees. But she never thought the gentleman courting her cousin would be her brother’s best friend—the man who once shattered her heart...
Ìý
Henry Ramsgate isn’t an idealist anymore. His father’s deathbed confession took care of that. Now, he’s ruthlessly determined to secure his career and future success—even if it means trading his hand in marriage for a promotion. All was going according to plan, too, until he encountered his first love. The woman he once hoped to marry�
Ìý
He thinks love is a luxury he can’t afford. She thought she’d never love again. Can Beth and Henry overcome their past and Henry’s dark secret? Or will their second chance at happily ever after end as painfully as their first?
CW: Death of a parent]]>
author: Liana De la Rosa
name: Grace
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: 2025, ebook, historical-romance, novellas-etc
review:
This was fine as novellas go, but I admit I was a bit underwhelmed. I don't think enough focus was spent on Beth and Henry actually getting to know each other again, and I found how everything was handled with Beth's aunt and uncle to be frustrating and a bit of a letdown, given the aunt's behavior towards Beth and the uncle's general behavior/covering up of his father stealing from Beth's family. Not really what I was hoping for from this story tbh.
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Life at sea sharpened Captain Phillip Dalton into a shrewd and strategic military man...yet none of those skills prepared him for the intricacies of planning his daughter’s upcoming Christmas wedding. His family, most especially his wife, are all but strangers to him thanks to his service to the Crown. But if Phillip finds himself bewitched by his practical, charming, and guileless wife, he does his best to hide his struggles.
Annalise Dalton raised two children and built a comfortable life for herself while her husband of convenience provided for them from afar. But now Phillip's home to stay, and she finds it impossible to ignore his gruff manner, brilliant blue eyes, or the gentle way he looks after her needs. And if Annalise is unnerved by the budding feelings her husband inspires in her, she does her best to hide how they unsettle her.
When past secrets and misunderstandings threaten the tenuous steps they've taken to create a real and loving marriage, can Phillip and Annalise overcome the years they spent apart to forge a happy future together, and for every Christmas to come?]]>
Reread 2/14/25: I was looking at one of the author's other series, and I noticed that she had indeed written a follow up about Beth and Henry Ramsgate so I decided to reread this one as a refresher. It's a really nice story, although reading this one in sequence with the story about Beth and Henry does highlight the way that the fact that Philip's father stole from her is just never really dealt with. Still, I enjoyed rereading this and the different setting/story here.]]>
author: Liana De la Rosa
name: Grace
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: 2020-all, 2020-new, ebook, historical-romance, novellas-etc, 2025
review:
This was a fun, easy read, and I really enjoyed the slightly different setting with a more middle class and older couple reconnecting. I would definitely read stories about their children (especially Beth and Henry Ramsgate).
Reread 2/14/25: I was looking at one of the author's other series, and I noticed that she had indeed written a follow up about Beth and Henry Ramsgate so I decided to reread this one as a refresher. It's a really nice story, although reading this one in sequence with the story about Beth and Henry does highlight the way that the fact that Philip's father stole from her is just never really dealt with. Still, I enjoyed rereading this and the different setting/story here.
]]>
I am now putting my Kindle someplace high up where I can't reach it.
In my defense, I can't go back to the library until the damn super gets here to figure out what's going on with the electricity in the bathroom.
Reread 2/28/21: Bumping this up to five stars. This was one of my favorites on my original read of the series. I really love Judith a lot, and I remain very fond of her and Ralf.
Reread 2/13/25: There's something really satisfying about the reading experience of this one for me, which is why it remains my second favorite of the series. I adore Judith, and watching her get everything she deserves is a delight.]]>
author: Mary Balogh
name: Grace
average rating: 4.27
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/13
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: 2012-all, 2012-new, historical-romance, library-manhattan, ebook, 2021-rereads, 2021-all, 2025
review:
4.5 stars
I am now putting my Kindle someplace high up where I can't reach it.
In my defense, I can't go back to the library until the damn super gets here to figure out what's going on with the electricity in the bathroom.
Reread 2/28/21: Bumping this up to five stars. This was one of my favorites on my original read of the series. I really love Judith a lot, and I remain very fond of her and Ralf.
Reread 2/13/25: There's something really satisfying about the reading experience of this one for me, which is why it remains my second favorite of the series. I adore Judith, and watching her get everything she deserves is a delight.
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After a humiliating end to her engagement, investment banker Sidney Sinclair is done with commitment-phobic men. But when her sister winds up engaged after a whirlwind courtship, she’s thrown in to close contact with exactly the kind of sexy playboy she wants to avoid—the gorgeous best man. She’s stuck with him, for better or worse, until her sister walks down the aisle, but that doesn’t mean she has to give in to his smooth advances, no matter how tempting they are�
BUT HE MAKES IT HARD TO SAY “I DON’T�
Special Agent Vaughn Roberts always gets his man on the job and his woman in bed. So Sidney’s refusal to fall for his charms only makes him more determined to win over the cool and confident redhead. Only what starts out as a battle of wills ends up as a serious play for her heart. Because the one woman who refuses to be caught may be the only one Vaughn can’t live without…]]>
[spoilers removed]
Reread 1/26/25: I apparently haven't reread this in an official capacity since 2018, which seems impossible. I return to the books in this series quite frequently, but I guess it's been awhile since I've reread any of them in full. This remains one of my favorites in the series, and this series is probably still my favorite contemporary series. I really miss James' writing.]]>
author: Julie James
name: Grace
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: 2014-all, contemporary-romance, 2014-new, ebook, 2015-all, 2015-rereads, favorites, 2016-all, 2016-rereads, 2018-all, 2018-rereads, 2025
review:
Alright now everyone else finish so we can talk about it.
[spoilers removed]
Reread 1/26/25: I apparently haven't reread this in an official capacity since 2018, which seems impossible. I return to the books in this series quite frequently, but I guess it's been awhile since I've reread any of them in full. This remains one of my favorites in the series, and this series is probably still my favorite contemporary series. I really miss James' writing.
]]>
Ana MarÃa Luna Valdés has strived to be the perfect daughter, the perfect niece, and the perfect representative of the powerful Luna familia. So, when Ana MarÃa is secretly sent to London with her sisters to seek refuge during the French occupation of Mexico, she experiences her first taste of freedom far from the judgmental eyes of her domineering father. If only she could ignore the piercing looks she receives across ballroom floors from the austere Mr. Fox.
Gideon Fox elevated himself from the London gutters by chasing his burning desire for more: more opportunities, more choices. For everyone. Now as a member of Parliament, Gideon's on the cusp of securing the votes he needs to put forth a measure to abolish the Atlantic slave trade once and for all--a cause that is close to his heart as the grandson of a formerly enslaved woman. The charmingly vexing Ana MarÃa is a distraction he must ignore.
But when Ana MarÃa finds herself in the crosshairs of a nefarious nobleman with his own political agenda, Gideon knows he must offer his hand as protection...but will this Mexican heiress win his heart as well?]]>
author: Liana De la Rosa
name: Grace
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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Kyrion and I have spent the last few weeks avoiding bounty hunters, along with the Arrows, the elite Imperium warriors tasked with capturing us. Now we’ve journeyed to a distant planet that’s supposed to be a refuge for truebonded couples, but when new enemies appear, we’re once again in grave danger.
As a seer, inventor, and engineer, I’m skilled at figuring out how things work, but I can’t quite understand my growing magic and newfound psionic abilities. The clock is ticking, and if I don’t figure out how to tap into my power, I’ll doom myself to a gruesome fate, along with Kyrion.
A MAN WHO CAN’T LET GO OF HIS FEAR . . .
As Kyrion Caldaren, I’m used to being respected and feared, especially given my telekinesis, telepathy, telempathy, and other powerful psionic abilities. What I’m not used to is being on the run, but as a rogue Arrow, I’ll do anything to protect Vesper.
Just when I think we’ve finally reached a safe haven, trouble finds us again, reigniting all my fears about losing Vesper.
When the cold depths of our enemies� plan are finally revealed, the truth is more terrifying than anything I could imagine. Soon Vesper and I are fighting for our lives again, but even with our growing truebond power, this is one battle we might not survive.]]>
author: Jennifer Estep
name: Grace
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: ebook, library-brooklyn, 2025
review:
I read the first 45% of this in pieces, mostly one chapter at a time, and struggled to get into it. I'm willing to attribute at least 75% of that to outside forces. But I will say once things started moving at around the 45% mark, I got into it and really enjoyed how things played out. I really like where this left Vesper and Kyrion, and also I really am going to need more of Zane and Asterin (especially together).
]]>
When the injured and beaten Galen Vachon, aka, the Black Daniel awakens in Hester's cellar, he is unprepared for the feisty young conductor providing his care. As a member of one of the wealthiest free Black families in New Orleans, Galen has turned his back on the lavish living he is accustomed to in order to provide freedom to those enslaved in the south. However, as he heals he cannot turn his back on Hester Wyatt. Her innocence fills him like a breath of fresh air and he is determined to make her his, but traitors have to be found, slave catchers have to be routed and Hester's refusal to trust her own heart have to be overcome before she and Galen can find the freedom only love can bring.]]>
author: Beverly Jenkins
name: Grace
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: ebook, historical-romance, library-brooklyn, 2025
review:
Overall, I really enjoyed this. The MMC had a few alpha-esque tendencies that weren't my favorite, and there were a few things about this that read as "this book was published in the mid-1990s." But overall, I really liked Hester and Galen and enjoyed reading their story. Really glad I read this one.
]]>
author: Wright Thompson
name: Grace
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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Boyfriend: a complete holiday novel with a hilarious premise.
Rent a boyfriend for the holiday. For $25, I will be your Thanksgiving date. I will show up in a nice shirt, talk hockey with your dad and bring your mother flowers�
Everyone knows it’s a bad idea to introduce your hockey crush to your messed-up family. But Abbi really needs a date for Thanksgiving, even if she can’t say why. But when she tears Weston’s number off of a flyer, she accidentally entangles Moo U’s star defenseman in a ruse that neither of them can easily unwind.
Crossroads: a novella of missed connections, broken dreams and two hearts that just won’t quit.
Damien Rossi drives a taxi but dreams of more. Specifically, he dreams about Nicolette Overland, his favorite client, a lonely beauty who lives in an actual mansion on a hill.
Nicolette can’t stop thinking about the hunky guy with the soulful brown eyes, either. She looks forward to every Christmas holiday when she knows he’ll be waiting for her at the airport. But when she screws up her courage to finally tell him how she feels, it might be too late�
Blonde Date: a novella of hot nerds, basketball and revenge.
Katie is done with bad boys after some very poor treatment by a fraternity guy. Now, facing a holiday Greek event, she needs a date. A nice guy this time. Good thing a certain nerdy basketball player wants to audition for the role�
Note: Boyfriend (68k words) is separately available, Crossroads (35k words) is brand new, and Blonde Date (30k words) has been previously published.]]>
And with that, I think I've read all the holiday books I intended to read in December. Woo.]]>
author: Sarina Bowen
name: Grace
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/25
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: 2025, ebook, contemporary-romance, novellas-etc
review:
I reviewed the other entries separately, so this is for Crossroads only, but I really enjoyed it. I have a weird relationship with the True North universe, but I love the Rossis and their books always hit for me so I very much enjoyed spending time with them again. Loved Damien and Nicolette. Also really liked the framing around pop songs and holiday music for some of the chapters.
And with that, I think I've read all the holiday books I intended to read in December. Woo.
]]>
As a sorority pledge, there are commandments that Katie Vickery must live by. One: thou shalt not show up for the party without a date. Two: the guy shall be an athlete, preferably an upperclassman.
Unfortunately, Katie just broke up with her jerkface football player boyfriend. Even worse, her last encounter with him resulted in utter humiliation. She’d rather hide under the bed than attend a party where he'll be.
Yet staying home would mean letting him win.
Enjoying herself tonight was out of the question. She could only hope to get through the evening without her blind date noticing that he was spending the evening with a crazy person.
Andrew Baschnagel is living proof that nice guys don’t finish first. He’s had his eye on Katie since the moment her long legs waltzed into his art history class. So when her roommate sets Andy up to be Katie’s date, he’d be crazy to say no. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a lot of practice with either girls or parties. Yet.
BLONDE DATE is a 23,000 word novella covering a four hour span of Katie & Andy's night. ALSO INCLUDED: a sneak preview of the third novel in the Ivy Years series, THE UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR.]]>
author: Sarina Bowen
name: Grace
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/24
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: 2025, ebook, contemporary-romance, novellas-etc
review:
So I never read this series years ago when everyone else was reading them/when it was published for whatever reason, but this was part of Holidating so I figured I'd give it a shot. I enjoyed it fine! But it was a novella, so there just wasn't enough page space for me to get fully invested. I probably would go back and read the series itself, but I'm also not in a huge rush to do so.
]]>
ÌýÌýÌýÌýAs strangers and seatmates Maryam Aziz and Anna Gibson fly to Toronto over the holidays—Maryam to her sister’s impromptu wedding, and Anna to meet her boyfriend’s wealthy family for the first time—neither expect that severe turbulence will scare them into confessing their deepest hopes and fears to one another. At least they’ll never see each other again. And the love of Maryam’s life, Saif, wasn’t sitting two rows behind them hearing it all. Oops.
ÌýÌýÌýÌýAn emergency landing finds Anna, Saif, Maryam, and her sister’s entire bridal party snowbound at the quirky Snow Falls Inn in a picture-perfect town, where fate has Anna’s actor-crush filming a holiday romance. As Maryam finds the courage to open her heart to Saif, and Anna feels the magic of being snowbound with an unexpected new love—both women soon realize there’s no place they’d rather be for the holidays.]]>
There was nothing necessarily bad about this book, but I checked it out from the library at the beginning of the month, tried to start it a few times, and never really got into it. My loan expired, and I wasn't motivated to either push through to turn my Kindle wifi back on or check it back out. So I'm calling it.]]>
author: Uzma Jalaluddin
name: Grace
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves: did-not-finish
review:
DNF @ 12%
There was nothing necessarily bad about this book, but I checked it out from the library at the beginning of the month, tried to start it a few times, and never really got into it. My loan expired, and I wasn't motivated to either push through to turn my Kindle wifi back on or check it back out. So I'm calling it.
]]>
Of all the dukes in all the world, why does it have to beÌýhim?
Lady Alice Ancaster needs a husband, and fast, because her reckless brother is going to get himself killed, leaving the dukedom—and her future—in their repellent cousin’s clutches.
The Duke of Blackwood has known Alice since childhood, and they’ve always had a special connection. But years ago he broke it, when he chose a riotous life with his two best friends instead of a reasonable one with her.
The trouble is, the tall, dark, sardonic rogue keeps turning up exactly when needed, and ready—though he sometimes needs a push—to play the hero, if only for as long as it takes.
Being irresistibly drawn to the Wrong Man is not convenient, but when events come to a crisis, Alice has to make a choice. The question is, can she live with it?]]>
author: Loretta Chase
name: Grace
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves: ebook, historical-romance, 2025
review:
I have to start by saying it felt so good to read something new by Chase!! I've missed her writing, and it was really nice just to have her back. But I admit this just wasn't my favorite by her. I hold her to a higher standard, and honestly a "meh" book by her standards is better than most things I'd read, but this just was a bit too busy to be a really great romance. There were some great moments here and I loved both Alice and Blackwood, but the plot had too much going on and the romance just didn't get to develop.
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Rent a boyfriend for the holiday. For $25, I will be your Thanksgiving date. I will talk hockey with your dad. I will bring your mother flowers. I will be polite, and wear a nicely ironed shirt�
Now everyone knows it’s a bad idea to introduce your long-time crush to your messed-up family. But I really do need a date for Thanksgiving, even if I’m not willing to say why. So I tear his phone number off of that flyer� and accidentally entangle our star defenseman in a ruse that neither of us can easily unwind.
Because Weston's family is even nuttier than mine. He needs a date, too, for the most uncomfortable holiday engagement party ever thrown.
There will be hors d'oeuvre. There will be faked PDA. And there will be pro-level awkwardness…]]>
Right book, right time in a lot of ways, but honestly I had a good time reading this and would read more in this universe if Bowen had written the rest of the series (I see this is a multi-author series so my likelihood of reading more is significantly less).]]>
author: Sarina Bowen
name: Grace
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/24
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves: 2025, contemporary-romance, ebook
review:
3.5/5 stars, rounding up
Right book, right time in a lot of ways, but honestly I had a good time reading this and would read more in this universe if Bowen had written the rest of the series (I see this is a multi-author series so my likelihood of reading more is significantly less).
]]>
Hallie Barrett's life has imploded after she's dumped by her hotshot ex, who also happens to be her coworker and the star of the online series she was producing. Without a new show to present for the company competition, she’ll be out of a job. But inspiration can come from the strangest places . . . like the most handsome guy she’s ever seen passionately discussing Bigfoot on a late-night docuseries.
Hayden Hargrove made a name for himself as a cryptid expert on his hit podcast, and is intrigued by the plucky, blue-haired producer who offers him the opportunity to lead his own web show. When the production team sees that Hayden’s solo on-screen presence is bad enough to make a ghost blanch, Hallie jumps on camera too, hitting him (and his cryptids) with a healthy dose of skepticism—and enough chemistry to electrify their show to the top of the competition.
As Hayden and Hallie investigate the unknown, they unearth feelings for each other that shake their beliefs to the core. In their search for Mothman, aliens, and the truth, the most elusive discovery might just be learning to love again.]]>
author: Mallory Marlowe
name: Grace
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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Alexandra Vargas hasn’t spoken to JT Talon in seven years. She’s moved on from the heartbreak, and now has the baby—and life—she always wanted. But everything changes on a cold December evening when a traffic stop goes horribly wrong, and Alexandra finds herself on the run with only one possible place to hide: JT’s remote mountain cabin, the same place where, eleven years ago, she broke their engagement a week before the wedding.
Ìý
JT must face his worst nightmare when he learns that not only is the love of his life a fugitive from the police, but also he must now step up and smuggle the child he never wanted to safety.
Ìý
Past and present collide as JT and Alexandra struggle to find their way back to each other and heal the rift that has long separated them. But their past still threatens their future, and no one is safe until the truth behind every deception is revealed.]]>
author: Rachel Grant
name: Grace
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/01
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves: ebook, romantic-suspense, 2025
review:
I was glad to finally get JT and Alexandra's story, but there were parts of this that felt all over the place or didn't really come together in a way that made sense. For example, I fundamentally didn't buy that Alexandra and Kendall would have stayed "friends" (even at the semi-surface level it was at times) all these years given the complete opposite stories they believed about what had happened.
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Nolan's loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone—especially Mallory. What's even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory's victory opens the door to sorely needed cash prizes and, despite everything, she can't help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist....
As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren't only on the board, the spotlight is hotter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce(-ly attractive. And intelligent...and infuriating...)]]>
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Grace
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves: audiobook, ya-contemporary, young-adult, 2024
review:
This was really cute and was a fun read to close out the year.
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A blue-blooded beauty bartered to a Beast�
He would pay any price to possess her. But even though Alexandra Bellamy sacrifices herself to save her family’s fortunes, a shocking betrayal sunders her marriage to a taciturn brute of a war hero, Colonel Magnus Brightwall, before it even begins. Five years of icy separation later, a scandal—with Alexandra at the middle—reunites them, and Magnus issues an edict:Ìýthey will confront theÌýton, rescue their reputations, then Magnus will banish her to another continent—forever.Ìý
But alone in a suite at the Grand Palace on the Thames, a new battle begins—between pride and the unexpected volcanic passion stirring between them. The danger is Magnus rediscovers why Alexandra is the only woman who could ever break him. And even as she lays bare the beautiful heart beating beneath the battered hide of the near-stranger she married, Alexandra knows she may have already lost him—even as she finally falls fatally, irrevocably in love.]]>
At bottom, the story here is that five years ago, Magnus fell in love with Alexandra on sight and realized that her family's situation meant that if he went to her father and offered for her for a price, she would marry him. And that's what happened, until on their wedding night, he sees her in an embrace with a man. He leaves for a diplomatic position abroad the next day alone, and they don't see each other again until he returns to England five years later to sell his townhouse, accept an elevation to the peerage, and do some damage repair with her by his side for a few weeks before sending her to America to live apart from him for the rest of their lives. While they're getting ready to sell the townhouse, they stay at the Grand Palace on the Thames.
JAL did not do the work here to get me to believe that there was a reason the two characters fell in love in the present day. There were some genuinely lovely scenes in this - the ribbon flashback comes to mind immediately - but the fundamentals of the story just completely negated any work those did. Take the aforementioned ribbon flashback - instead of presenting it as the beginning of them getting to know each other on their first acquaintance, the entire rest of the flashback scenes were about how he manipulated her father into accepting his suit, how he loved her on sight because she was beautiful, and about how she felt pressured to accept the suit to save her family and take care of them, keep the peace, etc. I don't think the flashbacks ultimately presented Magnus in a good light - he didn't really know her. And while I understood his hurt in seeing her in the embrace with the man on their wedding night, the reality is that because he reacted the way he did, I just didn't believe there was a way for them to come back together. As Alexandra explains, she'd loved the other man (a tutor who lived next door and was leaving for another post) but knew nothing could come of it long before she even knew Magnus, but it was the one choice she could make for herself, when all of her other choices were taken away from her (not explicitly said, but by the situation Magnus orchestrated).
Magnus has been reacting from hurt this whole time because, of course, he loved her from the start, although I don't get the sense that he really understood her. But what I really didn't understand was why, five years later, Alexandra fell in love with Magnus. JAL did absolutely no work to make me understand why this was going to work out, and so much of the book was spent in set up that there was no time or page space to make me believe that these characters wanted anything from each other but to bang. (And, again, don't totally understand why Alexandra wanted to bang Magnus after he forced her hand in marriage and then left her, significantly limiting her social status and basically consigning her to staying at home alone for five years.) The writing here could not overcome the fundamental issues with story structure. This series has been hit or miss for me. The highs have been high, and the lows have been low. This one was a low.]]>
author: Julie Anne Long
name: Grace
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/03
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves: ebook, historical-romance, library-other, 2025
review:
The problem with this book is that the writing was great but the story just didn't work.
At bottom, the story here is that five years ago, Magnus fell in love with Alexandra on sight and realized that her family's situation meant that if he went to her father and offered for her for a price, she would marry him. And that's what happened, until on their wedding night, he sees her in an embrace with a man. He leaves for a diplomatic position abroad the next day alone, and they don't see each other again until he returns to England five years later to sell his townhouse, accept an elevation to the peerage, and do some damage repair with her by his side for a few weeks before sending her to America to live apart from him for the rest of their lives. While they're getting ready to sell the townhouse, they stay at the Grand Palace on the Thames.
JAL did not do the work here to get me to believe that there was a reason the two characters fell in love in the present day. There were some genuinely lovely scenes in this - the ribbon flashback comes to mind immediately - but the fundamentals of the story just completely negated any work those did. Take the aforementioned ribbon flashback - instead of presenting it as the beginning of them getting to know each other on their first acquaintance, the entire rest of the flashback scenes were about how he manipulated her father into accepting his suit, how he loved her on sight because she was beautiful, and about how she felt pressured to accept the suit to save her family and take care of them, keep the peace, etc. I don't think the flashbacks ultimately presented Magnus in a good light - he didn't really know her. And while I understood his hurt in seeing her in the embrace with the man on their wedding night, the reality is that because he reacted the way he did, I just didn't believe there was a way for them to come back together. As Alexandra explains, she'd loved the other man (a tutor who lived next door and was leaving for another post) but knew nothing could come of it long before she even knew Magnus, but it was the one choice she could make for herself, when all of her other choices were taken away from her (not explicitly said, but by the situation Magnus orchestrated).
Magnus has been reacting from hurt this whole time because, of course, he loved her from the start, although I don't get the sense that he really understood her. But what I really didn't understand was why, five years later, Alexandra fell in love with Magnus. JAL did absolutely no work to make me understand why this was going to work out, and so much of the book was spent in set up that there was no time or page space to make me believe that these characters wanted anything from each other but to bang. (And, again, don't totally understand why Alexandra wanted to bang Magnus after he forced her hand in marriage and then left her, significantly limiting her social status and basically consigning her to staying at home alone for five years.) The writing here could not overcome the fundamental issues with story structure. This series has been hit or miss for me. The highs have been high, and the lows have been low. This one was a low.
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Margaret Arden yearns to live like the passionate and daring women in her novel. The idyllic life at Mosely Cottage with her two younger sisters and mother is fine, but Margaret wants more than the demure and dainty existence she’s known. After a particularly brutal rejection from an annoyingly attractive publisher, Margaret fears being forced into marriage to protect her family if their financial situation doesn’t improve—until her cousin’s glamorous wedding masquerade brings her onto a collision course with scandal, notoriety, and even love.Ìý
Captain Bridger Darrow is starting over after fighting for his country. Now home, he is struggling to save his family from destitution and succeed in a new venture of book publishing. It’s all going rather poorly, until he stumbles upon loose pages of an astonishing novel while in attendance at his dearest friend’s wedding. Bridger knows he must publish it. But upon meeting the author, Bridger is stunned to discover that he�she—is a woman, and he has already told her off in grand fashion.
While Bridger is keen to gain her trust and rescind the initial rejection, Margaret can’t help but be skeptical of his intentions. Sparks fly between the two, just as the wedding of the season starts to descend into chaos when a masked dance leads to a case of mistaken identities.]]>
Alright, let's see how much I feel like deconstructing what went wrong here. (Spoiler alert: a lot.)
Very little of this story is actually about getting Maggie's (FMC) book published. Basically, disregard the book summary because yeah it's kind of there, but mostly this book is about something else. Namely, this book is about a scandal caused by Bridger's (the MMC) older brother (Paul, nicknamed "Pimm"), the heir who is presented for most of the book as a complete wastrel. Pre-story, Pimm got a girl pregnant in Bath and abandoned her, resulting in her family needing to be paid off. The problem is that Pimm and Bridger's family is in dire straights because Pimm is spending well beyond their income (which I was led to believe would be sufficient if not for Pimm's poor management and extravagant ways). So, Pimm went to Bridger's best friend Lane, who served in the navy (I think? Some branch of the military at any rate) for the money to pay off the girl's family. Lane does so because Bridger saved his life, but Lane also doesn't admit any of this to Bridger??? I don't really understand any of this (Bridger directly asks Lane, his supposed best friend, and Lane lies about it), but whatever. Bottom line is that Pimm is presented as someone with a drinking problem and a generally lousy person. Again, see ruining a girl in Bath and getting her pregnant and not marrying her.
The actual story mostly takes place at the wedding celebration of Lane (the aforementioned best friend), who comes from a fairly wealthy family. He also happens to be the cousin of the FMC, Maggie. Maggie's mother and Lane's mother are two of three sisters. Maggie's mother married for love, and the other two married for wealth. The other two sisters view this as a betrayal, and constantly are saying terrible things about Maggie's mother. (Maggie's mother does not actually appear in this story at all.) The third sister (the one who isn't Lane's mother) is supporting Maggie's family (Maggie, her mother, and her two younger sisters) since their father died, leaving them with very little. That support comes at a price though, which is that the aunt expects Maggie to give up her writing dreams and marry well. Maggie would rather not marry just for money, and would rather try to support her family by writing novels. Maggie's two aunts quite frankly were terrible people - shallow, selfish, and uncaring, and had no redeeming qualities - and I suppose I'm grateful that the author didn't try to redeem them. Since redeeming terrible people (Pimm, specifically) is a thing this author did try to do.
ANYWAY, Maggie's cousin Lane is getting married to a lovely woman named Ann, who is one of the few characters in this book I liked without reservation. Ann was great, and she and Maggie got along very well. At the wedding, a scandal breaks out because someone impersonates Ann and is seen kissing another man. Maggie is really the only person who stands up for Ann. Even Lane doesn't seem to be 100% on her side. (This did not leave me feeling great about that particular marriage, even though Lane is supposed to be one of the "good" characters.) Maggie and Bridger end up trying to figure out what really happened. Bridger is convinced his brother had something to do with it. Maggie just wants to clear Ann's name. A good portion of the story deals with the scandal and sorting it all out. It was, in fact, Pimm who caused the scandal, along with Ruby, one of Ann's cousins, who just wanted to be noticed and felt overlooked. Pimm and Ruby plan to get married, and ultimately Maggie and Bridger stop them.
In around all of this, Bridger's ex-betrothed (I think??? Former love interest at any rate), Regina, is also there, and she despises Bridger because, well, he was pretty cruel to her when he decided to break off their relationship. Regina is frequently kind of treated as a villain or a would-be villain, but to be 10000% clear, she is entirely justified in her dislike. Years ago, Bridger, the supposed hero of this story, decided to break off their relationship when his father (who is also terrible, more on that in a bit) told Bridger that Regina's family wasn't noble or rich enough. Instead of being honest with her, Bridger was cruel and belittled her in letters to the point that Regina broke it off herself. For example, Regina also loved to read and write and I guess also had aspirations to be an author, but after his letters, she lost all her confidence and felt put down. What he said to her was never specifically mentioned, but it's clear enough that he behaved very badly. What's not clear is what the point of all this was, except that Regina becomes something of an obstacle to the romance since she warns Maggie away from Bridger. (Again, feels justified as a woman looking out for another woman who wants to be an author.)
As far as the Maggie trying to publish her book part of the story went, I don't even know. Bridger hated the first few pages when he originally read it, but then he catches a single page when it blows out of Maggie's window at the wedding and suddenly he knows this book is incredible and publishing it will save his family???? (Oh, he also received another manuscript that's going to help save his family. Turns out that was written by Regina. [Insert Phoebe Buffay shocked face gift here] Yeah, it really was that obvious.)
I can't even really put my finger on why this book was such a mess, other than that the characters were largely unlikeable (the male characters especially) and most of the plot really made no sense. The character motivations were poorly drawn out, and there was too much going on for any real character or relationship development. (Like, there was also a side storyline about Maggie's paternal aunt, who ran away to become an actress and was never heard from again. That story was fine in the grand scheme of things but also why, when there were twenty other things going on.)
After everything Pimm did, including getting the woman pregnant in Bath and causing the scandal at the wedding, then the author tries to humanize him by having him explain to Bridger that he took beatings as a kid and intentionally screwed up to attract their father's attention away from Bridger. That's all well and good, but it doesn't excuse all of his screwed up behavior as an adult? He caused/potentially caused the ruination of multiple women. Significantly more work needs to be put into trying to redeem a character like that?? And what was the point of trying to present Regina as a villain? Largely that whole episode makes Bridger look pretty bad. I don't know what the author was trying to do there???? And then there's Ruby, who so much wanted to be noticed that she caused scandal for her cousin, potential ruination for herself, and after Maggie and Bridger rescued her, went and told Maggie's aunts about how Maggie and Bridger spent the night together, thereby causing Maggie's aunts to go ballistic on Maggie. (All this while Maggie was doing everything she could to minimize the scandal/damage to Ruby's reputation by keeping a bunch of secrets about what Ruby had done.)
Oh, and after all this happens, Maggie's aunt takes her to her house in Mayfair and starts reading/returning her mail, thereby separating Maggie and Bridger. Bridger learns pretty soon after that Ruby spilled the beans and Maggie's aunt forced her to leave the wedding/house immediately without even saying goodbye to her cousin, and then just keeps writing letters, not for once thinking that Maggie might not be receiving them even after all of the signs that her aunt might be interfering???? You'd think that he'd have learned a lesson in all of this about taking some action, but no, he did not.
I'm completely rambling and probably not even making sense, but this book was a mess. The plot was not what was advertised, the entire drama with Ann and Lane and Ruby and Pimm was frustrating at best. A large number of characters were difficult to root for, some (like Pimm) were terrible people whom the author tried to redeem, and others (like Regina) were presented as villains when it was actually the supposed hero of the story who was in the wrong. Giving a big YIKES to all of this, and putting this author on my "never waste my time reading them again, thanks" list.]]>
author: Madeleine Roux
name: Grace
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2024
rating: 1
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: ebook, historical-romance, library-manhattan, 2024
review:
Honestly feels appropriate to have one final one star read of the year. More to follow, but yikes.
Alright, let's see how much I feel like deconstructing what went wrong here. (Spoiler alert: a lot.)
Very little of this story is actually about getting Maggie's (FMC) book published. Basically, disregard the book summary because yeah it's kind of there, but mostly this book is about something else. Namely, this book is about a scandal caused by Bridger's (the MMC) older brother (Paul, nicknamed "Pimm"), the heir who is presented for most of the book as a complete wastrel. Pre-story, Pimm got a girl pregnant in Bath and abandoned her, resulting in her family needing to be paid off. The problem is that Pimm and Bridger's family is in dire straights because Pimm is spending well beyond their income (which I was led to believe would be sufficient if not for Pimm's poor management and extravagant ways). So, Pimm went to Bridger's best friend Lane, who served in the navy (I think? Some branch of the military at any rate) for the money to pay off the girl's family. Lane does so because Bridger saved his life, but Lane also doesn't admit any of this to Bridger??? I don't really understand any of this (Bridger directly asks Lane, his supposed best friend, and Lane lies about it), but whatever. Bottom line is that Pimm is presented as someone with a drinking problem and a generally lousy person. Again, see ruining a girl in Bath and getting her pregnant and not marrying her.
The actual story mostly takes place at the wedding celebration of Lane (the aforementioned best friend), who comes from a fairly wealthy family. He also happens to be the cousin of the FMC, Maggie. Maggie's mother and Lane's mother are two of three sisters. Maggie's mother married for love, and the other two married for wealth. The other two sisters view this as a betrayal, and constantly are saying terrible things about Maggie's mother. (Maggie's mother does not actually appear in this story at all.) The third sister (the one who isn't Lane's mother) is supporting Maggie's family (Maggie, her mother, and her two younger sisters) since their father died, leaving them with very little. That support comes at a price though, which is that the aunt expects Maggie to give up her writing dreams and marry well. Maggie would rather not marry just for money, and would rather try to support her family by writing novels. Maggie's two aunts quite frankly were terrible people - shallow, selfish, and uncaring, and had no redeeming qualities - and I suppose I'm grateful that the author didn't try to redeem them. Since redeeming terrible people (Pimm, specifically) is a thing this author did try to do.
ANYWAY, Maggie's cousin Lane is getting married to a lovely woman named Ann, who is one of the few characters in this book I liked without reservation. Ann was great, and she and Maggie got along very well. At the wedding, a scandal breaks out because someone impersonates Ann and is seen kissing another man. Maggie is really the only person who stands up for Ann. Even Lane doesn't seem to be 100% on her side. (This did not leave me feeling great about that particular marriage, even though Lane is supposed to be one of the "good" characters.) Maggie and Bridger end up trying to figure out what really happened. Bridger is convinced his brother had something to do with it. Maggie just wants to clear Ann's name. A good portion of the story deals with the scandal and sorting it all out. It was, in fact, Pimm who caused the scandal, along with Ruby, one of Ann's cousins, who just wanted to be noticed and felt overlooked. Pimm and Ruby plan to get married, and ultimately Maggie and Bridger stop them.
In around all of this, Bridger's ex-betrothed (I think??? Former love interest at any rate), Regina, is also there, and she despises Bridger because, well, he was pretty cruel to her when he decided to break off their relationship. Regina is frequently kind of treated as a villain or a would-be villain, but to be 10000% clear, she is entirely justified in her dislike. Years ago, Bridger, the supposed hero of this story, decided to break off their relationship when his father (who is also terrible, more on that in a bit) told Bridger that Regina's family wasn't noble or rich enough. Instead of being honest with her, Bridger was cruel and belittled her in letters to the point that Regina broke it off herself. For example, Regina also loved to read and write and I guess also had aspirations to be an author, but after his letters, she lost all her confidence and felt put down. What he said to her was never specifically mentioned, but it's clear enough that he behaved very badly. What's not clear is what the point of all this was, except that Regina becomes something of an obstacle to the romance since she warns Maggie away from Bridger. (Again, feels justified as a woman looking out for another woman who wants to be an author.)
As far as the Maggie trying to publish her book part of the story went, I don't even know. Bridger hated the first few pages when he originally read it, but then he catches a single page when it blows out of Maggie's window at the wedding and suddenly he knows this book is incredible and publishing it will save his family???? (Oh, he also received another manuscript that's going to help save his family. Turns out that was written by Regina. [Insert Phoebe Buffay shocked face gift here] Yeah, it really was that obvious.)
I can't even really put my finger on why this book was such a mess, other than that the characters were largely unlikeable (the male characters especially) and most of the plot really made no sense. The character motivations were poorly drawn out, and there was too much going on for any real character or relationship development. (Like, there was also a side storyline about Maggie's paternal aunt, who ran away to become an actress and was never heard from again. That story was fine in the grand scheme of things but also why, when there were twenty other things going on.)
After everything Pimm did, including getting the woman pregnant in Bath and causing the scandal at the wedding, then the author tries to humanize him by having him explain to Bridger that he took beatings as a kid and intentionally screwed up to attract their father's attention away from Bridger. That's all well and good, but it doesn't excuse all of his screwed up behavior as an adult? He caused/potentially caused the ruination of multiple women. Significantly more work needs to be put into trying to redeem a character like that?? And what was the point of trying to present Regina as a villain? Largely that whole episode makes Bridger look pretty bad. I don't know what the author was trying to do there???? And then there's Ruby, who so much wanted to be noticed that she caused scandal for her cousin, potential ruination for herself, and after Maggie and Bridger rescued her, went and told Maggie's aunts about how Maggie and Bridger spent the night together, thereby causing Maggie's aunts to go ballistic on Maggie. (All this while Maggie was doing everything she could to minimize the scandal/damage to Ruby's reputation by keeping a bunch of secrets about what Ruby had done.)
Oh, and after all this happens, Maggie's aunt takes her to her house in Mayfair and starts reading/returning her mail, thereby separating Maggie and Bridger. Bridger learns pretty soon after that Ruby spilled the beans and Maggie's aunt forced her to leave the wedding/house immediately without even saying goodbye to her cousin, and then just keeps writing letters, not for once thinking that Maggie might not be receiving them even after all of the signs that her aunt might be interfering???? You'd think that he'd have learned a lesson in all of this about taking some action, but no, he did not.
I'm completely rambling and probably not even making sense, but this book was a mess. The plot was not what was advertised, the entire drama with Ann and Lane and Ruby and Pimm was frustrating at best. A large number of characters were difficult to root for, some (like Pimm) were terrible people whom the author tried to redeem, and others (like Regina) were presented as villains when it was actually the supposed hero of the story who was in the wrong. Giving a big YIKES to all of this, and putting this author on my "never waste my time reading them again, thanks" list.
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On a rocky beach in the southwest of Ireland, the body of Jimmy O’Reilly, sixty-nine years old and dressed in a suit and his dancing shoes, is propped on a boulder, staring sightlessly out to sea. A cryptic message is spelled out next to the body with sixty-nine polished black stones and a discarded vial of deadly veterinarian medication lies nearby. Jimmy was a wealthy racehorse owner, known far and wide as The Dancing Man. In a town like Dingle, everyone knows a little something about everyone else. But dig a bit deeper, and there’s always much more to find. And when Detective Inspector Cormac O'Brien is dispatched out of Killarney to lead the murder inquiry, he's determined to unearth every last buried secret.
Dimpna Wilde hasn’t been home in years. As picturesque as Dingle may be for tourists in search of their roots and the perfect jumper, to her it means family drama and personal complications. In fairness, Dublin hasn’t worked out quite as she hoped either. Faced with a triple bombshell—her mother rumored to be in a relationship with Jimmy, her father’s dementia is escalating, and her brother is avoiding her calls—Dimpna moves back to clear her family of suspicion.
Despite plenty of other suspects, the guards are crawling over the Wildes. But the horse business can be a brutal one, and as Dimpna becomes more involved with her old acquaintances and haunts, the depth of lingering grudges becomes clear. Theft, extortion, jealousy and greed. As Dimpna takes over the family practice, she's in a race with the detective inspector to uncover the dark, twisting truth, no matter how close to home it strikes . . .]]>
Anyway, I had to check this out of the library three times because I struggled to get through it. Glad I finally did before my loan expired again.]]>
author: Carlene O'Connor
name: Grace
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/30
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: ebook, library-brooklyn, mystery, 2024
review:
Not quite sure how to rate this one. I think this is objectively a good book, albeit one that moved very slowly for me for about the first 60%. I also clearly wasn't in the mood to read this, and would have put it aside but by the time I realized it, I had invested too much time in it and felt like I had to finish. I really liked Dimpna and if I eventually read on in this series (I might, but probably not for a while), it will be for her. The supporting cast had a bit of work to do in my books. Cormac seems fine, but I also don't feel like we know much about him yet. For all that he is also one of the series leads, this is really Dimpna's story. I could see myself being interested in some of the others (Dimpna's family, especially Ben; Niamh and Patrick; DS Neely), but also hoping that Sheila and Paul aren't major players because I have no real use for them.
Anyway, I had to check this out of the library three times because I struggled to get through it. Glad I finally did before my loan expired again.
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What could possibly go wrong?
Colin aka "Ebenezer McGrumpypants"
She's the neighbor from hell. Loud, brash, and American, with the body of a pin-up and the laugh of a wild hyena. My only wish is that she'll move out and be done with Paris forever. Fate, apparently, has other ideas because tonight of all nights, when the city's shut down and half the population's gone, who should I get stuck with in what has to be Paris's tiniest lift? You guessed it. Her.
Only, now that we've gotten up close and personal, everything's changed. Suddenly, the problem isn't getting rid of her anymore. It's finding a way to keep her...forever.]]>
author: Adriana Anders
name: Grace
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/01
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: 2024, ebook, kindle-unlimited, contemporary-romance, novellas-etc
review:
This was fine, but tbh I expected to like this a bit more based on how much I liked Whiteout.
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"Clever and charming, Vanessa Kelly brings Austen’s world in Highbury village to life with beloved characters, twisty hijinks, and a mystery that will keep you guessing." —Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Keeper of Hidden Books
Less than one year into her marriage to respected magistrate George Knightley, Emma has grown unusually content in her newfound partnership and refreshed sense of independence. The height of summer sees the former Miss Woodhouse gracefully balancing the meticulous management of her elegant family estate and a flurry of social engagements, with few worries apart from her beloved father’s health . . .  �
But cheery circumstances change in an instant when Emma and Harriet Martin, now the wife of one of Mr. Knightley’s tenant farmers, discover a hideous shock at the local church. The corpse of Mrs. Augusta Elton, the vicar’s wife, has been discarded on the altar steps—the ornate necklace she often wore stripped from her neck . . .  �
As a chilling murder mystery blooms and chaos descends upon the tranquil village of Highbury, the question isn’t simply who committed the crime, but who wasn’t secretly wishing for the unpleasant woman’s demise. When suspicions suddenly fall on a harmless local, Emma—armed with wit, unwavering determination, and extensive social connections—realizes she must discreetly navigate an investigation of her own to protect the innocent and expose the ruthless culprit hiding in plain sight.]]>
author: Vanessa Kelly
name: Grace
average rating: 3.63
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room three days before Christmas.
Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan
She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.
He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.
She hates his guts.
He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)
But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.
That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.
She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?
As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.
Assuming they don’t kill each other first.]]>
author: Ally Carter
name: Grace
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/28
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: ebook, 2024, contemporary-romance, library-brooklyn, mystery
review:
This is my favorite thing Ally Carter has done in years. Granted, the bar there is not high (and also I still haven't totally forgiven her for the ending of Gallagher Girls), but overall this was pretty good. It took me a little while to get into it, but after I did, it was a generally fun reading experience. I did have some notes on some plot holes and multiple threads that were left open in ways I found unsatisfying, which leaves me short of saying I loved this, but in a year where I didn't read a lot that I really even liked, this may end up on my best of list by default.
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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.]]>
My favorite of the collection, and the one that felt the most like a complete story, even if I would’ve enjoyed more.]]>
author: Alexis Daria
name: Grace
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/25
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: 2024, audiobook, contemporary-romance, novellas-etc
review:
3.5/5 stars
My favorite of the collection, and the one that felt the most like a complete story, even if I would’ve enjoyed more.
]]>
Small Florida coastal towns often find themselves scrambling for the tourism dollars that the Orlando theme parks leave behind. And within the town limits of Boneyard Key, the residents decided long ago to lean into its ghostliness. Nick Royer, owner of the Hallowed Grounds coffee shop, embraces the ghost tourism that keeps the local economy afloat, as well as his spectral roommate. At least he doesn’t have to run air-conditioning.
Cassie Rutherford possibly overreacted to all her friends getting married and having kids by leaving Orlando and buying a flipped historic cottage in Boneyard Key. Though there’s something unusual with her new home (her laptop won’t charge in any outlets, and the poetry magnets on her fridge definitely didn’t read “WRONG� and “MY HOUSE� when she put them up), she’s charmed by the colorful history surrounding her. And she's catching a certain vibe from the grumpy coffee shop owner whenever he slips her a free slice of banana bread along with her coffee order.
As Nick takes her on a ghost tour, sharing town gossip that tourists don't get to hear, and they spend nights side-by-side looking into the former owners of her haunted cottage, their connection solidifies into something very real and enticing. But Cassie's worried she’s in too deep with this whole (haunted) home ownership thing� and Nick's afraid to get too close in case Cassie gets scared away for good.]]>
author: Jen DeLuca
name: Grace
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/14
date added: 2024/12/25
shelves: contemporary-romance, ebook, library-brooklyn, 2024
review:
I really liked this?! Which is as surprising to me as anything, just because this isn’t the type of book that usually works for me. I picked this up because I figured I should give DeLuca a try again outside of the Renaissance Faire setting. I read the first in that series and recognized it was a good book but also don’t think of it fondly and never had any interest in reading beyond in the series. But this one really worked for me! I liked the characters a lot, and could really relate to a lot of what was going on in Cassie’s life. The ghost element here had all the hallmarks of something I wouldn’t usually go for, but for whatever reason, I actually found that it worked well for me. I think the way it was handled felt more natural than these things usually do. And even though I’ve never lived in Florida, I’m familiar enough with the Orlando area that I enjoyed those references a lot.
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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.]]>
author: Olivia Dade
name: Grace
average rating: 2.58
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2024/12/25
shelves: 2024, audiobook, contemporary-romance, novellas-etc
review:
The characters honestly felt pretty juvenile, and I wasn’t really into all the wiener jokes.
]]>
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.]]>
author: Alexandria Bellefleur
name: Grace
average rating: 3.28
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/25
date added: 2024/12/25
shelves: 2024, audiobook, contemporary-romance, novellas-etc
review:
The bar is on the floor, but definitely the best of these so far! This worked, and I loved the 911 calls concept, but I do wish it had been a full length story.
]]>
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.]]>
author: Tessa Bailey
name: Grace
average rating: 2.79
book published: 2024
rating: 1
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2024/12/24
shelves: 2024, audiobook, contemporary-romance, novellas-etc
review:
Tessa Bailey and I don’t tend to get along on the best days so it’s not really surprising that her in novella form didn’t work for me. I don’t know what this was, but it absolutely was not for me.
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After the Great War, American heiress Ruby Vaughn made a life for herself running a rare bookstore alongside her octogenarian employer and house mate in Exeter. She’s always avoided dwelling on the past, even before the war, but it always has a way of finding her. When Ruby is forced to deliver a box of books to a folk healer living deep in the Cornish countryside, she is brought back to the one place she swore she’d never return. A more sensible soul would have delivered the package and left without rehashing old wounds. But no one has ever accused Ruby of being sensible. Thus begins her visit to Penryth Hall.
A foreboding fortress, Penryth Hall is home to Ruby’s once dearest friend, Tamsyn, and her husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth. It’s an unsettling place, and after a more unsettling evening, Ruby is eager to depart. But her plans change when Penryth’s bells ring for the first time in thirty years. Edward is dead; he met a gruesome end in the orchard, and with his death brings whispers of a returned curse. It also brings Ruan Kivell, the person whose books brought her to Cornwall, the one the locals call a Pellar, the man they believe can break the curse. Ruby doesn’t believe in curses—or Pellars—but this is Cornwall and to these villagers the curse is anything but lore, and they believe it will soon claim its next victim: Tamsyn.
To protect her friend, Ruby must work alongside the Pellar to find out what really happened in the orchard that night.]]>
author: Jess Armstrong
name: Grace
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/23
date added: 2024/12/24
shelves: ebook, historical-fiction, library-brooklyn, mystery, 2024
review:
This felt like the first draft of a book I could have liked, but ultimately the characters fell a bit flat and I wasn’t into them enough to ignore the plot holes. I wouldn’t rule out continuing the series, but it’s not especially likely.
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She hated him.
Patrick Chevalier. The charming, laid-back, golden second-in-command of the Paris pastry kitchen where Sarah worked as intern, who made everything she failed at seem so easy, and who could have every woman he winked at falling for him without even trying. She hated him, but she’d risked too much for this dream to give up on it and walk out just so he wouldn’t break her heart.
But he didn’t hate her.
Sarah Lin. Patrick’s serious, dark-haired American intern, who looked at him as if she could see right through him and wasn’t so impressed with what she saw. As her boss, he knew he should leave her alone. The same way he knew better than to risk his heart and gamble on love.
But he was never good at not going after what � or who � he wanted.
He could make magic out of sugar. But could he mold hate into love?
Praise for Laura Florand and her novels
“Sweet and sexy and all around delicious!!� � New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh
“I adored this story…Paris, chocolate, and romance, all in one hilarious package.� � New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James
“It’s like when you find that amazing piece of chocolate � you take a bite, and it sits on your tongue and melts into a pool of liquid heaven.� � RT Book Reviews
“Explosive, sensual . . . and utterly sweet.� � NPR
“Gorgeously written, in that way that sort of creeps through my entire body and makes me shiver with delight.� � Dear Author
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author: Laura Florand
name: Grace
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2014/07/19
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves: 2014-all, 2014-new, contemporary-romance, ebook
review:
I wanted to like this more than I did. I'm starting to get a little bit concerned that the last two Florands I've read, I haven't really connected to, and I'm not quite sure why I haven't.
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Two rival travel writers are sent on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday to learn the true meaning of Christmas without killing each other�
Eve Sherwood has never been a fan of Christmas. Too commercial, too busy. But when her editor assigns her to write a piece on Noelville, a special one-week Christmas experience, she has to go. She knows her job is to write a predictable holiday story, but how much gingerbread can one girl eat?
Will Fowler doesn’t believe in magic or Christmas, and certainly not the magic of Christmas. And he’s none too happy when he boards the train to Noelville and finds his nemesis, Eve Sherwood, already seated. Now he’s supposed to tolerate the faux cheer and the snow and the non-stop jingle belling with her sleeping in the quaint cabin next door?
Eve and Will know this trip is a test to see who can set aside their disdain and write the most absurdly sappy story in order to win an upcoming promotion. They know how the standard holiday script goes: Cynical city person travels to a small town, helps save Christmas, and falls in love with the attractive local. But what happens when two cynical city people travel to Noelville, help save Christmas, and accidentally fall for each other?]]>
author: Julianna Keyes
name: Grace
average rating: 3.62
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/21
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves: 2024, ebook, contemporary-romance, novellas-etc
review:
This was fine! It was short and fun enough for a novella. I don't really have a ton else to say about it.
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A high-end wedding on a private island off the coast of Seattle sounds like something out of a magazine. But for bestselling mystery author Kate Valentine, it’s more like a nightmare.
Why Kate agreed to attend her ex-fiancé’s wedding is its own enigma, but she’ll plaster on a fake smile for two nights, with the aid of free champagne, naturally. And because the groom happens to be her editor, she’ll try to finish a draft of her latest Loretta Starling mystery as a wedding gift. But when the bride is poisoned and Kate stumbles across a dead body, she finds herself in a real-life mystery that eerily echoes the plot of her latest novel. And the only person who seems willing to help Kate catch the killer is Jake Hawkins, aka: the Hostralian; aka: Kate’s biggest romantic regret.
As the wine flows and the weather threatens to hold every guest hostage, bitter resentments and long-held grudges surface amongst the colorful crowd. Anyone could be capable of murder, it seems. What would Loretta do? Unfortunately, Kate doesn’t have a clue.]]>
author: Jenny Elder Moke
name: Grace
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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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.]]>
I liked the idea here, but the story structure just didn't quite do it for me. I really think this one needed to be a full length novel for it to go over the top for me. Still a perfectly fine plane listen though.]]>
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Grace
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/19
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves: audiobook, 2024, contemporary-romance, novellas-etc
review:
2.5/5 stars
I liked the idea here, but the story structure just didn't quite do it for me. I really think this one needed to be a full length novel for it to go over the top for me. Still a perfectly fine plane listen though.
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Books & Broadswords
The only thing Feora likes more than stealing the king’s gold is using it to buy books. But when a handsome, persistent knight interrupts her day, Feora must decide if saving his life is worth revealing her true nature.
Rocks & Rapiers
Zenira never wanted to sell her rock collection, but when the new landowner raises her rent, she’s out of options. Armed with a sketchy rumor about a collector who will pay for stones others might consider worthless, Zenira sets out, but she’s met with an icy scowl, a muddy manor, and the overwhelming urge to mend the mess—owner included.]]>
author: Jessie Mihalik
name: Grace
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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Mitch Kowalski lives out of a suitcase—and he likes it that way. Traveling for work has the added bonus of scaring off women who would otherwise try to tie him down. But when he’s called home to help with running the family lodge, he’s intrigued by the new girl in town and her insistence that she doesn’t need a man—for anything. If there’s one thing Mitch can’t resist, it’s a challenge, especially a beautiful one.
Looking for Home
After a nomadic childhood, Paige Sullivan is finally putting down roots. Determined to stand on her own two feet, she lives by the motto men are a luxury, not a necessity. But when Mr. Tall, Dark and Hot pulls up a stool in her diner and offers her six weeks of naughty fun with a built-in expiration date, she’s tempted to indulge.
Mitch won’t stay put for a woman, and Paige won’t chase after a man—they’re the perfect match for a no-strings fling. Until they realize the amazing sex has become anything but casual�
70,000 words]]>
Maybe now I can go back to studying. Maybe.]]>
author: Shannon Stacey
name: Grace
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2012/11/11
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: 2012-all, 2012-new, ebook, contemporary-romance
review:
4.5 stars
Maybe now I can go back to studying. Maybe.
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An enemies-to-lovers spicy romance set in the world of video gaming from the bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis—available only in audio!
Viola Bowen has the chance of a lifetime: to design a video game based on her all-time favorite book series. The only problem? Her co-lead is Jesse F-ing Andrews, a.k.a. her arch-nemesis. Jesse has made it abundantly clear over the years that he wants nothing to do with her–and Viola has no idea why.
When their bosses insist a wintery retreat is the perfect team-building exercise, Viola can’t think of anything worse. Being freezing cold in a remote mountain lodge knowing Jesse is right next door? No, thank you.
But as the snow piles on, Viola discovers there’s more to Jesse than she knew, and heat builds in more ways than one.]]>
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Grace
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: 2024, contemporary-romance, audiobook, novellas-etc
review:
This was perfectly enjoyable and an easy listen, but it also was a novella and suffered from the length of the story (or lack thereof). I really liked how this handled the connection the characters had to the video games, and I did like the romance, even if I would've liked to see it more fully developed. But also, would it kill Ali Hazelwood to write something in dual POV??
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Lady Augusta Colebrook, “Gus,� is determinedly unmarried, bored by society life, and tired of being dismissed at the age of forty-two. She and her twin sister, Julia, who is grieving her dead betrothed, need a distraction. One soon presents to rescue their friend’s goddaughter, Caroline, from her violent husband.
Ìý
The sisters set out to Caroline’s country estate with a plan, but their carriage is accosted by a highwayman. In the scuffle, Gus accidentally shoots and injures the ruffian, only to discover he is Lord Evan Belford, an acquaintance from their past who was charged with murder and exiled to Australia twenty years ago.ÌýWhat follows is a high adventure full of danger, clever improvisation, heart-racing near misses, and a little help from a revived and rather charming Lord Evan.
Back in London, Gus can’t stop thinking about her unlikely (not to mention handsome) comrade-in-arms. She is convinced Lord Evan was falsely accused of murder, and she is going to prove it. She persuades Julia to join her in a quest to help Lord Evan, and others in need—society be damned! And so begins the beguiling secret life and adventures of the Colebrook twins.]]>
author: Alison Goodman
name: Grace
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/14
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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A midnight mishap.
Daisy Hamilton’s new mission for King & Co., London's premier private investigation firm, is simple: stop heiress Violetta Brand from eloping. But her case is derailed when she mistakenly holds up the carriage of Lucien Vaughan, Duke of Cranford—cynical war hero, infamous libertine, and the very man who broke her heart five years ago.
A reluctant road trip.
Lucien’s determined to see his lovestruck nephew married to Miss Brand, but the unexpected appearance of Daisy� the one woman he’s never been able to forget—could ruin his plans. As they follow the runaway couple together, Lucien decides that delaying the headstrong Daisy by any means possible—including seduction—will be his absolute pleasure . . . and hers.
A dangerous desire.
After Daisy’s reputation is threatened, Lucien makes a scandalous claim, but when an unexpected enemy threatens her life, he realizes she’s the only woman for him. Their past encounters have made Daisy almost as jaded about love as Lucien himself, and it’s going to take action, not words, to convince this knife-wielding hellion to risk her heart on him again...]]>
author: Kate Bateman
name: Grace
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: to-read
review:
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When a very public breakup becomes a PR nightmare for Ian Chase's team, he hopes to focus on his game, but that suddenly seem less likely than a hat trick. With his career and the team’s image in jeopardy, Ian is surprised to find a solution through none other than Delilah Baker, his best friend and teammate's little sister…who isn’t so little anymore.
Delilah Baker is known as “the darling of baking� on her local cable show, and being in the public eye is her bread and butter. But with her numbers dwindling and her producers turning up the heat, Delilah offers up the half-baked idea to collaborate with her brother’s team to entice the hockey fans of Boston to tune in to her show. Delilah thinks it will be a piece of cake—until the team sends Ian Chase, her brother’s best friend and the object of a decade-long crush that she’s never quite gotten over.
Delilah's and Ian’s teams think it’s a true win-win situation—gaining higher numbers for Delilah’s show and casting Ian in a more positive light. And viewers are eating them up like a cupcake, sparking the idea to play up their relationship for the goal of good press. With more than just their careers on thin ice, the line between what’s real and what’s for show begins to blur, but one thing’s for certain: This PR stunt will either be a total game changer—or leave them both totally pucked.]]>
author: Lana Ferguson
name: Grace
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/10
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: 2024, ebook, contemporary-romance, library-manhattan
review:
From a romance perspective, this was fine but not spectacular. The relationship was really entirely based on the crush she had as a kid and didn't do a great job of having it be more based on who they are now as adults. The entire subplot with Ian's dad really did not fit with this story tonally, and I also had some hockey questions here. Not bad, but I think ultimately forgettable.
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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?]]>
author: Kristina Forest
name: Grace
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/08
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: contemporary-romance, ebook, library-brooklyn, 2024
review:
This fell into the issues that a lot of second chance books have of relying too much on the past relationship, although the issue wasn't as pronounced here. Ultimately I enjoyed this, but I ended up knocking it down a star because I didn't feel like the ending was well developed.
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Carys Taggart has spent the last year and a half of her life living a lie. A lie Tristan forced on them all. She understands that it was meant to protect her and Aidan, but lately when Tristan says he doesn’t love her, it feels more like the truth. The wedding she’s dreamed of has been put off far longer than he promised. When he asks her and Aidan for another delay, she’s ready to move on without him.
Tristan Dean-Miles has a good plan and the best of intentions. Go undercover as a ruthless arms dealer so he can find a deadly bombmaker at the top of the agency’s wanted list. It might be taking longer than expected, but he’s so close he can taste it. Unfortunately, getting this close meant getting in way too deep. He knows he will succeed, but if he can’t convince the love of his life and his best friend that he’s worth the wait, his victory will cost him everything.]]>
I saw potential for this entire arc in Tasha's book, but we are now three books in and I don't really know what the point was of this book. The first half of the book felt like rehashing a lot of past stories from the series (literally, most of the time). I really don't need to rehash all of the first gen's stories here, and yet we spent so much time just with the family talking to each other and telling old stories. I already read all of those books and wanted to read this one instead. But we spent so much time on the past inside jokes and stories that there was no time for any relationship development here, all past issues just magically smoothed over somehow. The action plot, to the extent it existed, felt tired. I'm still in on this series through Kala and Cooper, and Kenzie and Ben, but then I might be done if things don't change. Second gen is hard to do right and I had high hopes for Blake with this, but so far she's missed the mark and it seemed to all come to a head in this one.]]>
author: Lexi Blake
name: Grace
average rating: 4.55
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/07
date added: 2024/12/07
shelves: 2024, contemporary-romance, ebook, library-other
review:
I think I have to say it: the second gen iteration of this series feels stale.
I saw potential for this entire arc in Tasha's book, but we are now three books in and I don't really know what the point was of this book. The first half of the book felt like rehashing a lot of past stories from the series (literally, most of the time). I really don't need to rehash all of the first gen's stories here, and yet we spent so much time just with the family talking to each other and telling old stories. I already read all of those books and wanted to read this one instead. But we spent so much time on the past inside jokes and stories that there was no time for any relationship development here, all past issues just magically smoothed over somehow. The action plot, to the extent it existed, felt tired. I'm still in on this series through Kala and Cooper, and Kenzie and Ben, but then I might be done if things don't change. Second gen is hard to do right and I had high hopes for Blake with this, but so far she's missed the mark and it seemed to all come to a head in this one.
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A relaxing retreat to cottage country with my teammates is the perfect way to prep for the upcoming hockey season.
Or so I thought.
Now I’m trapped in my cabin with my crush–and her jerk of a husband–where it's impossible to get space or clarity. Or get over her. And that mission becomes even harder when I learn that Shannon’s marriage is failing.
With the lines of loyalty and friendship becoming blurred, and relationships being tested in all directions, I know I need to tap the brakes hard.
Until one night when everyone else is at a party down the lake, and the team captain makes me an offer I can’t refuse…to share his wife, and have a taste of the forbidden I always assumed was forever out of reach.
The Rebound Plan is a swoony forbidden romance between a tall, growly, protective hockey player and a failed model-turned-escort-turned-WAG who needs to learn to love herself as much as she loves those around her. It's not a love triangle - you know who to root for from page one. #TeamRuss the whole way.]]>
I genuinely enjoyed the relationship here, but there was so much time spent on the FMC's marriage falling apart and I really think I would have liked more time spent on the post-marriage period. I also strongly agree with Jess' comment that the cartoon cover really does not fit with the story. [spoilers removed] I enjoyed this book a lot overall and really liked Shannon and Russ, but this would have been better served by a different cover.]]>
author: Ainsley Booth
name: Grace
average rating: 3.76
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/06
date added: 2024/12/07
shelves: 2024, ebook, contemporary-romance
review:
3.5/5 stars, I think
I genuinely enjoyed the relationship here, but there was so much time spent on the FMC's marriage falling apart and I really think I would have liked more time spent on the post-marriage period. I also strongly agree with Jess' comment that the cartoon cover really does not fit with the story. [spoilers removed] I enjoyed this book a lot overall and really liked Shannon and Russ, but this would have been better served by a different cover.
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When Ellison Jones and her family go to her great-aunt's apartment to see the lights come on, she doesn't anticipate a murder (she never does). But when a shirt-tail relative falls from a seventeenth-floor balcony, she and Anarchy are drawn into the investigation.
Can they catch a killer before anyone else dies?]]>
author: Julie Mulhern
name: Grace
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/15
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves: 2024, ebook, mystery, novellas-etc
review:
This was a fun short story. Don't really have a ton to say about it, but I enjoyed reading it.
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But Ellison is happy to host a luncheon for her oh-so-chic friend. Too bad murder crashes the party.
Ellison is immediately drawn into two investigations. One, the murder. The second, a cruel theft.
With friends as suspects and two funerals to plan, Ellison's mood is black. And, if she's not careful, the next funeral she attends may be her own.]]>
author: Julie Mulhern
name: Grace
average rating: 4.53
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/15
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves: ebook, mystery, 2024
review:
Really just enjoyed being back in this world. But a small note: Catholic weddings would never, ever be in the evenings. Gotta get everyone out of there in time for Saturday night mass. (I absolutely believe that church wouldn't have had AC though. The church I grew up in didn't have AC at least in the early 90s, don't quite remember exactly when they put the AC in.)
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The first body is torn apart, blood and flesh discovered across both state and federal lands. As the victims multiply, a pattern emerges—each is related to past cases investigated by Laurel Snow, with the assist of Huck Rivers, Washington Fish and Wildlife captain. When friends and loved ones are targeted, things become even more chillingly personal.
As Laurel and Huck team up again to navigate the gruesome and increasingly bizarre killings, they must also keep a safe distance from Laurel’s half-sister, Abigail, a dangerously clever sociopath. Ever since their father reappeared in town, Abigail has been convinced she must protect Laurel from his malignant narcissism—a scourge she’s sure they’ve both inherited. Huck is not spared either as a shocking development in the case touches his own life.
With the murders, and the suspects, multiplying around them, and the lives of everyone in their orbit at stake, only Laurel’s sharp analytic skills, Huck’s deep gut instincts, and their growing bond will enable them to face the demons within and the threats without—before they’re next on an elusive killer’s hit list . . .
Luther meets Justified combined with Profiler in Rebecca Zanetti's exciting Laurel Snow Thriller series, set in the Pacific Northwest, featuring FBI Special Agent and rising star profiler Laurel Snow. For readers who love their thrillers centered around dysfunctional families, and their protagonists threatened by a serial killer.]]>
author: Rebecca Zanetti
name: Grace
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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Men are dying in the Pacific Northwest, their bodies found near churches, charities, and counseling centers--each with valentine candy hearts shoved down their throats. They're good men with families and community ties--or so they seem until Laurel Snow and her team begin to investigate. Then the case takes a shockingly personal turn when the father she's never met, a former pastor, turns up among the dead.
Now, besides solving her father's murder, Laurel is on the hunt to discover the truth of his past. Complicating things is Laurel's troubled half-sister, Abigail, a brilliant sociopath determined to prove that they've both inherited their father's malignant narcissism.
Assisting Laurel is Washington Fish and Wildlife Captain Huck Rivers, a dangerous loner whose reliance on gut instinct puts him at odds with Laurel's coolly analytic approach. But the choice may be moot when the killer hones in on Huck's own dark secrets--putting him and Laurel squarely in the crosshairs.]]>
author: Rebecca Zanetti
name: Grace
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/27
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves: ebook, library-brooklyn, romantic-suspense, 2024
review:
Very interested in the personal choices that were made here re: Laurel and Huck. I don't dislike them at all! Just definitely wasn't expecting them. But unfortunately I have to knock off a star here because what the hell is going on at that law firm? Junior associates just taking major murder cases without clearing conflicts or getting partner approval?? Attorneys working as experts in both family law and antitrust??? And getting an attorney substituted in court takes at least 24 hours, come on please.
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What do you do when a sociopath loves you? Rising star FBI profiler Laurel Snow is about to find out �
Calling Laurel Snow’s relationship with her newly discovered half-sister challenging is an understatement. Not only does Laurel suspect Abigail is behind the mysterious disappearance of their father, but her erratic behavior also makes life in Laurel’s small hometown interesting, to say the least. Still, when Abigail claims someone is now out to kill her, Laurel’s instinct to protect her sister goes into overdrive. Then things get even more dicey as dead bodies start turning up in the icy waters of the Sauk River and there’s only one connection among them: Abigail . . .
Having Fish and Wildlife Captain Huck Rivers bringing in those bodies with his dive team only complicates matters. Huck is as impulsive and fiery as Laurel is coolly analytical, which makes their alliance risky at best. But standing up to such a demonically brilliant killer is going to take all the help Laurel can get. Because Laurel’s attempt to save her troubled sister’s life might cost her own . . .]]>
author: Rebecca Zanetti
name: Grace
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/15
date added: 2024/10/26
shelves: ebook, library-brooklyn, romantic-suspense, 2024
review:
I finished this earlier in the week and don't remember anything I really wanted to say about it. Romantic suspense is a genre I tend to reach for when I'm struggling, and it's nice to read a good one in the genre.
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Ellie McDonnell is about to embark on her most perilous mission go to Lisbon, Portugal to save her beloved cousin Toby who has reportedly escaped from a German prisoner of war camp. Toby has been missing since the Battle of Dunkirk and Ellie had all but lost hope in ever seeing him again until Major Ramsey, the British military intelligence officer she had been working closely with over the past few months, shared the news he’d intercepted.
Nothing will stop Ellie from finding her cousin, not even the awkward experience of having to travel to an unknown country with Ramsey after he’d dismissed her for being untrustworthy just as she’d realized she had fallen in love with him. Under the supervision of Captain Archie Blandings, a charming intelligence officer based in Lisbon, Ellie meets with undercover operatives to track down where Toby might be hiding from the Nazis and whether they are too late to safely recover him, all the while fighting her feelings for Ramsey and the incessant burden of war looming around her at every turn.]]>
author: Ashley Weaver
name: Grace
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/14
shelves: to-read
review:
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Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...
Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was�.
Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.]]>
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Grace
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/13
date added: 2024/10/13
shelves: 2024, ebook, library-manhattan, paranormal-romance
review:
I could nitpick here and there at things, but my biggest complaint was honestly that I just wish this had been dual POV. I know why it wasn't, but I really would have enjoyed seeing more from Lowe than the epigraphs. I liked the future book setup, and will probably read that when it comes around.
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Emma’s not interested in a real relationship either; not with a man whose idea of home is wherever he drops his duffel bag. No matter how amazing his “pretend� kisses are…]]>
Okay, so I was just going to read for twenty minutes, and then I was just going to read until the first family gathering, and then, well, I was at 90% and I figured "What the hell!" THIS WAS FUN. I liked the first two books in this series, but everything in this one just worked so much better for me. There are post-it notes as a means of communication and a fake engagement! Who doesn't love those things?? No one. That's who.
My only major complaint is that it wasn't longer.
The small town thing doesn't even bother me as much in this series as it does in some others (although, seriously, my kingdom for contemporary romance that takes place in a city -- it doesn't even have to be a big one, just some kind of semi-urban setting). That said, reading this immediately after finishing Gone Girl? My "WOW, FAST!" reactors were on heightened alert.]]>
author: Shannon Stacey
name: Grace
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2012/11/11
date added: 2024/10/05
shelves: ebook, contemporary-romance, 2012-all, 2012-new
review:
HEE.
Okay, so I was just going to read for twenty minutes, and then I was just going to read until the first family gathering, and then, well, I was at 90% and I figured "What the hell!" THIS WAS FUN. I liked the first two books in this series, but everything in this one just worked so much better for me. There are post-it notes as a means of communication and a fake engagement! Who doesn't love those things?? No one. That's who.
My only major complaint is that it wasn't longer.
The small town thing doesn't even bother me as much in this series as it does in some others (although, seriously, my kingdom for contemporary romance that takes place in a city -- it doesn't even have to be a big one, just some kind of semi-urban setting). That said, reading this immediately after finishing Gone Girl? My "WOW, FAST!" reactors were on heightened alert.
]]>
There isn't a ton in here that was new to me, as a lawyer and someone who follows SCOTUS closely. But there were some details and context in this that I found illuminating, and it was a well constructed book that connected the different chapters despite each chapter dealing with (essentially) discrete events/litigation.]]>
author: Dahlia Lithwick
name: Grace
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/31
date added: 2024/10/05
shelves: ebook, library-manhattan, nonfiction, 2022
review:
The final book I finished in 2022, and an excellent one to end on.
There isn't a ton in here that was new to me, as a lawyer and someone who follows SCOTUS closely. But there were some details and context in this that I found illuminating, and it was a well constructed book that connected the different chapters despite each chapter dealing with (essentially) discrete events/litigation.
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The car accident that derailed Kepler's European career also gave him some much-needed perspective. He's ready to give up on fame and focus on the game he loves. The last thing he needs is a headstrong brunette pushing him back into the spotlight, even if butting heads with her is the most fun he's had in ages.
The more time Holly spends with Kepler, the more she sees how different he is from his tabloid persona. But when she's offered her dream job for a price, she finds herself torn between the career she's spent years building and the man she doesn't want to give up.]]>
author: Rebecca Crowley
name: Grace
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2013/09/08
date added: 2024/10/05
shelves: ebook, 2013-all, 2013-new, contemporary-romance
review:
3.5 stars
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Navy SEAL Jake Heath has his eyes on Alexa Mays. The FBI Agent is whip smart and hot as hell, but she won’t give him the time of day. So, when she calls him out of blue, he thinks his luck has changed.
But instead of meeting up for a romantic dinner, Alexa needs Jake for a very different reason. Her counterterrorism team is hot on the heels of the extremist that Jake’s task force has been tracking for months, and now he’s on American soil. The only way she can take him down is with Jake’s help.
Alexa knows Jake is tough and relentless...and that the chemistry between them is electric. Although she’s risking her heart—and maybe even her career—by bringing him onto the mission, she doesn’t have another choice. Together, they’re an unstoppable and powerful team.
As the hours tick by and a lethal enemy gets closer to launching an unimaginable attack, Alexa and Jake need to fight fire with fire before the clock runs out. The only question is: will their own flames get in the way?]]>
author: Laura Griffin
name: Grace
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2019/10/27
date added: 2024/10/05
shelves: 2019-all, 2019-new, romantic-suspense, ebook
review:
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Dressing up as a sexy elf to sing Christmas hits isn't exactly the glittering Broadway career I had planned. The only thing more humiliating than my outfit is coming face-to-face with Oliver Gage, the sexy big-shot theatre producer who just crushed my dreams. He's arrogant, infuriating... and did I mention how sexy he is?
I've sworn never to get comfy on the casting couch, but when we're snowed in together upstate, it's looking like a pretty good place to spend the night. Soon, sparks - and my panties - are flying.
Who said Christmas only had to come once a year?]]>
author: Lila Monroe
name: Grace
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2018/12/25
date added: 2024/10/05
shelves: 2018-all, 2018-new, contemporary-romance, novellas-etc
review:
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Right girl. Wrong Earl.
Lydia Hope-Wallace's secret life as the anonymous author of rebellious political pamphlets has led her into a correspondence with the charming Earl of Strathrannoch. When she learns he's in dire financial straits, Lydia sets out for Scotland to offer him a marriage of convenience - to, erm, herself.
Arthur Baird, Earl of Strathrannoch is stunned when a bewitching stranger offers him her hand in marriage. But when he realizes that his traitorous brother has been writing to her under his name, he's bloody furious.
Desperate to track down his estranged sibling, Arthur needs Lydia's help. What he doesn't need? The attraction that burns hotter each moment they spend together. As Lydia slips past his defences, Arthur will have to risk everything to keep her safe - even his heart...
Hot, hilarious and heartfelt, this racy Regency romp from bestselling author Alexandra Vasti is perfect for fans of Bridgerton and Lex Croucher
'Bridgerton at its sexiest... Crush? Ha. I'm in love with the earl!' Eloisa James, New York Times bestselling author of Viscount In Love
'Wildly delightful! ... Marvelously funny and sexy' Joanna Shupe, USA Today bestselling author of The Scandal of Rose
'Witty banter, endearing characters, and smoking hot chemistry' Liana De la Rosa, author of Ana Maria and The Fox]]>
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.]]>
author: Alexandra Vasti
name: Grace
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/05
date added: 2024/10/05
shelves: 2024, historical-romance, ebook
review:
I was well on my way to giving this one four stars, but ultimately I got annoyed by the end and that knocked it down a star. Loved Lydia though, and very much enjoyed her story.
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.
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Once upon a time I spent an evening flirting with a handsome stranger in a bar. But before we could finish what we started, I lost my nerve and fled.
Months later, I’m minding my own business at work one morning when a stranger lets himself into the empty brewery. Panicked, I call 911, and the cops show up to slap on the handcuffs.
In my defense, I have very good reasons to be afraid. Also in my defense, I’d never met my boss’s son.
Or so I’d thought�
Nash
I don’t know what this chick has against me. First she ditches me, and now she wants to arrest me.
Livia is as frustrating as she is hot. But nobody else knows the brewery better than she does. Now we’re stuck together, sharing an office and a very small house as I run the brewery for six weeks for my cranky dad.
That’s just enough time to bring down her guard. Turns out we have a lot more in common than we thought, including a lot of smoking hot chemistry. Until Livia’s past catches up with her, and I finally figure out why she’s so jumpy. But I’ll stop at nothing to protect her, unless her ex finds her first…]]>
author: Sarina Bowen
name: Grace
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/27
date added: 2024/10/05
shelves: 2024, contemporary-romance, ebook, library-brooklyn
review:
I liked the first one more, but this was easy to read and enjoyable enough so it did the job.
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Laurel Snow wouldn’t call hunting a serial killer a vacation, but with a pile of dead bodies unearthed near her Genesis Valley, WA, hometown, she’ll take what she can get. Yet something about this case stirs her in unexpected ways. Like the startling connection she feels to Dr. Abigail Caine, a fiercely intelligent witness with a disturbing knack for making Laurel feel like she has something on her. Then there’s Laurel’s attraction to Huck Rivers, the fish and wildlife officer guiding her to the crime scene—and into the wilderness�
A former soldier and a trained sniper, Huck’s thirst for blood is rivaled only by his fierce pursuit of Laurel. He’s been burned by love, wounded by the government, and betrayed before, and to say he has trust issues is the ultimate understatement. Plus, he might be closer to this killer than anybody knows�
Once in the heart of darkness with Huck, Laurel must negotiate her distracting desire for him, her complex rapport with Abigail—and her mission to find a serial killer among a growing list of suspects and a danger that’s far too close to home. So close in fact, Laurel fears she will never find her way back to the woman she once was…]]>
author: Rebecca Zanetti
name: Grace
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/25
date added: 2024/10/05
shelves: 2024, ebook, library-brooklyn, romantic-suspense
review:
I really like the set up for the series here. Interested to see where things go here with Laurel and Huck.
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Georgia Woodward lives by her lists, none more so than the one about her ex, Eli Mora. It’s full of the ironclad dos and don’ts they’ve been following since she returned to the Bay Area after their cataclysmic breakup five years ago.
With the wedding of their mutual best friend, Adam, looming, and them about to step into their roles as best woman and man, Georgia’s never needed it more. She refuses to threaten their tight-knit friend group with her messy—and still very present—feelings. The rules on that list will keep her cool, calm, and compartmentalized.
What’s not on her list? Eli arriving from New York with a new rule-breaking attitude or the all-inclusive venue burning to the ground, leaving the bride and groom in dire straits. Nor does she anticipate Adam asking her and Eli to help him make a miracle happen. Together.
As Georgia and Eli rush up to Napa Valley to pull off the perfect wedding, their old chemistry comes back in technicolor. Somewhere between cake tastings gone wrong, disastrous DJ auditions, and Eli’s heated attention, Georgia starts recognizing the man she fell in love with before. And if she lets herself break her rules, she might find what they’re building isn’t the something old that ruined them—it’s a chance at something new.]]>
I generally thought this was a good book, but there were a few points that kept this from being a great book for me. [spoilers removed]]]>
author: Jessica Joyce
name: Grace
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/24
date added: 2024/10/05
shelves: 2024, contemporary-romance, ebook, library-manhattan
review:
3.5/5 stars, rounding down
I generally thought this was a good book, but there were a few points that kept this from being a great book for me. [spoilers removed]
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When a member of the Faraday clan is snatched off the streets and dragged halfway across the world, it’s Casey who follows the kidnappers� trail to South America. Thrust into the heart of the cartel he barely escaped during an undercover assignment four years earlier, he’s unprepared for the shock awaiting him on Colombian soil.
Ilda Almeida—the only woman to ever tempt Casey into madness, the beautiful wife he’d mourned for years—is very much alive. And keeping a secret that will forever change life as he knows it.
Casey can’t control his hands—or his heart—around Ilda, but neither can he abandon his rescue mission. When cartel violence turns the jungle into a bloodbath, he can only protect one family: his.
Book three of the Blood Money series]]>
author: Edie Harris
name: Grace
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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The highs in this one were enough that I'm comfortable with a three star rating, but it may be a little while before I pick up any of the author's other books.]]>
author: Anne Gracie
name: Grace
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2012/04/26
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves: ebook, 2012-all, 2012-new, historical-romance
review:
Like The Perfect Waltz and The Perfect Stranger, this was a mix of highs and lows. Since Prudence and Gideon, I haven't been especially into the way the relationships have been developed, and in the latter two books in the series, the definite lack of family time (which was one of my favorite elements of the series) until the very end was a definite detractor. The concept for Grace's story - Dominic's forced betrothal to one of Grace's friends - isn't a bad one, but the execution didn't do much for me. I kept thinking of other things I would have preferred. Also, I would have loved it if Cassie and Dorie could have been a bigger part of this, and not just mentioned at the end.
The highs in this one were enough that I'm comfortable with a three star rating, but it may be a little while before I pick up any of the author's other books.
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With her signature spirit, Faith Merridew has left everything she's ever known for the man she thought was the love of her life. Instead he leaves her name—and dreams—in the dust. That is, until she crosses paths with Nicholas Blacklock, a Waterloo veteran, who offers to save her reputation with a marriage of convenience.
...And then get to know one another.
A hardened soldier, Nick hides a deadly secret—and tries to keep Faith at arm's length. But even though Nick can command legions of men with a word, his orders go sweetly ignored by his convenient bride. And as they come to know one another more deeply, she brings out in him things he thought dead: gentleness, laughter...and love.]]>
author: Anne Gracie
name: Grace
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2012/04/23
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves: ebook, 2012-all, 2012-new, historical-romance
review:
This was pretty far-fetched but still entertaining. Even so, something about the way Anne Gracie writes doesn't quite click with me the way I want it to.
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Smart, ambitious, and career driven, Bronte Talbot started following British royalty in the gossip mags only to annoy her intellectual father. But her fascination has turned into a not-so-secret guilty pleasure. When she starts dating a charming British doctoral student, she teases him unmercifully about the latest scandals of his royal countrymen, only to find out—to her horror!!—that she's been having a fling with the nineteenth Duke of Northrop, and now he wants to make her…a duchess?
In spite of her frivolous passion for all things royal, Bronte isn't at all sure she wants the reality. Is becoming royalty every American woman's secret dream, or is it a nightmare of disapproving dowagers, paparazzi, stiff-upper-lip tea parties, and over-the-top hats?]]>
author: Megan Mulry
name: Grace
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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Must Love New Leash on Life (#2)
Must Love Fetch You Later (#3)
And stay tuned for lots more to come!
[email protected]
Be the first to hear about Claire's new
"Funny and pitch perfect." -Chicago Tribune
"Wildly witty" -USA Today
"Cook dishes up plenty of charm." -San Francisco Chronicle
"A hoot" -The Boston Globe
First the much-loved USA Today bestselling novel by Claire Cook. Then the romantic comedy movie adaptation starring Diane Lane and John Cusack. Now MUST LOVE DOGS is a series!
"Voluptuous, sensuous, alluring and fun. Barely 40 DWF seeks special man to share starlit nights. Must love dogs."
Divorced preschool teacher Sarah Hurlihy's first mistake is letting her bossy big sister write her personal ad. Her second mistake is showing up to meet her first date in more than a decade. Now she's juggling her teaching job, her big, rollicking, interfering south-of-Boston Irish family, and more men than she knows what to do with. And what's up with all these dogs that are suddenly galloping into her life?
"A hilariously original tale about dating and its place in a modern woman's life." -BookPage
"If Must Love Dogs is any indication of her talents, readers will hope that Claire Cook will be telling breezy summer stories from the South Shore of Massachusetts for seasons to come." -The Washington Post
"A laugh-out-loud novel . . . a light and lively read for anyone who has ever tried to re-enter the dating scene or tried to 'fix up' anyone else." -Boston Herald
"This utterly charming novel by Cook is a fun read, perfect for whiling away an afternoon on the beach." -Library Journal
"Claire Cook's Must Love Dogs, a book that's got more giggles than soda bread has raisins." -Hartford Courant
"Claire Cook (Must Love Dogs) has built a brand writing light-hearted women's fiction blending kernels of the absurd and comedic in compulsively readable combinations." -Shelf Awareness
"The exuberant and charming Claire Cook is one of the sassiest and funniest creators of contemporary women's fiction." -The Times-Picayune]]>
author: Claire Cook
name: Grace
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: to-read
review:
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A scandalous book by an anonymous author takes London by storm, and everyone is convinced its villainous "Lord K" is the greatly admired Earl of Knightly. Heartbroken that he left her at the altar, Miss Regina Leyland impulsively sought revenge by revealing the true Knightly to the world but never expected the uproar to bring enemies to her door. To keep her identity hidden, she must trust the one man with the power to destroy her.
Furious to be the object of notoriety and gossip, Knightly confronts the lady he suspects of penning the tome only to discover she is no longer the na�ve innocent he was forced to betray, but a woman of strength and conviction, who will bow before no man.
Knightly and Regina pretend a reconciliation to salvage their reputations and throw the ton off their scent. But false friendship soon turns to powerful passion. When truths emerge, threatening all they hold dear, they must face the consequences of their past if their story is ever to deserve its happily ever after.]]>
author: Lorraine Heath
name: Grace
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/27
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: 2023, ebook, historical-romance
review:
This was very much my kind of second chance story overall. However, I could nitpick a few underdeveloped plot points with Knightly and Regina's respective families, and I really didn't like Regina offering to be his mistress at the end of the book, which just felt entirely out of character for her based on her wanting to protect her daughter/didn't feel like forward character development for Regina at all. Honestly in a book I liked less, I probably would have knocked off a star from my rating because I found the romantic resolution not to be up to snuff. But I liked almost all of the rest of this so much, and I found it so easy to read when I've been struggling a bit, that I'm going to let that slide. Did appreciate that Regina's half sisters actually weren't awful!
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‘You aren’t merry,� said Clem to her captor. ‘And you aren’t all men. So there’s been some marketing confusion somewhere along the line.�
Mariel, a newly blooded and perpetually grumpy captain of the Merry Men, is desperate to live up to the legacy of her grandfather, the legendary Robin Hood. Clem, a too-perky backwoods healer known for her new-fangled cures, just wants to help people.
When Mariel's ramshackle band of bandits kidnap Clem as retribution for her guardian helping the Sheriff of Nottingham, all seems to be going (sort of) to plan � until Jack Hartley, Mariel’s father and Commander of the Merry Men, is captured in a deadly ambush. Determined to prove herself, Mariel sets out to get him back � with her annoyingly cheerful kidnappee in tow.
But the wood is at war. Many believe the Merry Men are no longer on the right side of history. Watching Clem tend the party’s wounds and crack relentlessly terrible jokes, Mariel begins to doubt the noble cause to which she has devoted her life. As the two of them grow closer, forced by circumstances to share a single horse and bed, one thing is clear. They must prepare to fight for their lives and for those of everyone they’ve sworn to protect.
Lex Croucher's Not For the Faint of Heart is a thrilling adventure full of hijinks, found family, and romance destined to change the lives of the inhabitants of the Greenwood Forest forever.]]>
author: Lex Croucher
name: Grace
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/25
shelves: to-read
review:
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Dominique Richard's reputation says it all—wild past, wilder flavors, black leather and smoldering heat. Jaime Corey is hardly the first woman to be drawn to all that dark, delicious danger. Sitting in Dom's opulent chocolaterie in Paris day after day, she lets his decadent creations restore her weary body and spirit, understanding that the man himself is entirely beyond her grasp.
Until he touches her. . .
Chocolate, Dominique understands—from the biting tang of lime-caramel to the most complex infusions of jasmine, lemon-thyme, and cayenne. But this shy, freckled American who sits alone in his salon, quietly sampling his exquisite confections as if she can't get enough of them—enough of him—is something else. She has secrets too, he can tell. Of course if she really knew him, she would run.
Yet once you have spotted your heart's true craving, simply looking is no longer enough. . .]]>
author: Laura Florand
name: Grace
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2013/08/03
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves: ebook, 2013-all, 2013-new, contemporary-romance
review:
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author: Sabrina Jeffries
name: Grace
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2016/07/22
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: library-brooklyn, ebook, 2016-all, 2016-new, historical-romance
review:
A weak three at best. There were some weird plot holes here.
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Giving this three stars because I liked parts of it enough to warrant it, IMO, even if it didn't live up to my expectations. Really enjoyed seeing Prudence and Charity again at the end. And I love Uncle Oswald.]]>
author: Anne Gracie
name: Grace
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 2012/04/04
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: ebook, 2012-new, 2012-all, historical-romance
review:
I was somewhat disappointed in this because I went in expecting to love it, and while I didn't dislike it, it wasn't what I expected at all and it didn't do much for me. I think I might have liked it more if I hadn't read it this week, though? (I am having a weird week.) Either way, there were a lot of moving parts, and I wasn't into the Giles/Lady Elinore subplot. At times, I was also extremely distracted by some of the descriptive language, which I don't remember being a problem with the first book in the series. There were a few descriptive phrases that just jumped out at me as strange/awkward.
Giving this three stars because I liked parts of it enough to warrant it, IMO, even if it didn't live up to my expectations. Really enjoyed seeing Prudence and Charity again at the end. And I love Uncle Oswald.
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Adam Rutledge, Viscount d'Arque, really rather loathes Christmas. The banal cheerfulness. The asinine party games. And, worst of all, the obligatory trip to the countryside. His grandmother, however, loves the holiday - and Adam loves his grandmother, so he'll brave the fiercest snowstorm to please her. But when their carriage wheel snaps, they're forced to seek shelter at the home of the most maddening, infuriating, and utterly beguiling woman he's ever met....
Sarah St. John really rather loathes rakes. The self-satisfied smirks. The sly predatory gazes. Oh, and the constant witty banter rife with double meaning. But in the spirit of the season, she'll welcome this admittedly handsome viscount into her home. But as the snowstorm rages, the Yule log crackles, and the tension rises, Sarah and Adam find themselves locked in a fiery, passionate kiss. If love is the true meaning of Christmas, it's the one gift this mismatched pair can't wait to unwrap.]]>
author: Elizabeth Hoyt
name: Grace
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/12/10
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: 2017-all, 2017-new, ebook, historical-romance, novellas-etc
review:
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The Duke of Greystoke’s Christmas Revelry is famous throughout the British Isles for its plays, dancing, magical grotto� not to mention scandals leading to the marriage licenses he hands out like confetti.
But not everyone welcomes a visit from Cupid.
Lady Cressida, the duke’s daughter, is too busy managing the entertainments—and besides, her own father has called her dowdy. Her cousin, Lady Isabelle Wilkshire, is directing Cinderella and has no interest in marriage. Lady Caroline Whitmore is already (unhappily) married; the fact that she and her estranged husband have to pretend to be together just makes her dread the party all the more.Ìý But not as much as Miss Louisa Harcourt, whose mother bluntly tells her that this is her last chance to escape the horrors of being an old maid.
A house party so large, that mothers lose track of their charges, leads to a delightful, seductive quartet of stories that you will savor for the Season!
stories included:
A Mistletoe Kiss by Eloisa James
Wishing Under the Mistletoe by Christi Caldwell
Compromise Under the Mistletoe by Janna MacGregor
Mischief & Mistletoe by Erica Ridley]]>
From what I do remember, the Eloisa James novella was the only one I really enjoyed, but even that one was too short to accomplish what it really needed to accomplish. The others I found varying degrees of disappointing and/or not especially well developed. The Christmas-Carol-esque one just didn't do anything for me; the plot holes in the pretending-to-have-a-happy-marriage one were big enough to drive an entire damn train through; and the last one I don't remember much of at this point, but I remember being vaguely annoyed most of the time I read it. Also, for a series of novellas set at the same party, the through lines didn't feel especially consistent.
Anyway, yeah. This didn't end up being a great set of holiday novellas for me to read.]]>
author: Eloisa James
name: Grace
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2021/12/10
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: ebook, historical-romance, library-brooklyn, novellas-etc, 2021-all, 2021-new
review:
I keep forgetting to review these novellas individually, and now it's been too long since I've finished them to remember many of the specifics.
From what I do remember, the Eloisa James novella was the only one I really enjoyed, but even that one was too short to accomplish what it really needed to accomplish. The others I found varying degrees of disappointing and/or not especially well developed. The Christmas-Carol-esque one just didn't do anything for me; the plot holes in the pretending-to-have-a-happy-marriage one were big enough to drive an entire damn train through; and the last one I don't remember much of at this point, but I remember being vaguely annoyed most of the time I read it. Also, for a series of novellas set at the same party, the through lines didn't feel especially consistent.
Anyway, yeah. This didn't end up being a great set of holiday novellas for me to read.
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"Appasionata" by Emma Barry
Piano technician Brennan Connelly lives to control details: the tension on a piano string or the compression of hammer felt. But he's never faced demands like those heaped on him by Kristy Kwong, the diva who's haunted his dreams for two decades. Kristy's got her own secrets--the debilitating stage fright that's kept her from performing publicly for years to start--and this concert is the last chance to save her career. But can he locate her lost passion without losing his precious control?
"Unraveled" by Olivia Dade
Math teacher Simon Burnham--cool, calm, controlled--can't abide problems with no good solution. Which makes his current work assignment, mentoring art teacher Poppy Wick, nothing short of torture. She's warm but sharp. Chaotic but meticulous. Simultaneously the most frustrating and most alluring woman he's ever known. And in her free time, she makes murder dioramas. Murder dioramas, for heaven's sake. But the more tightly wound a man is, the faster he unravels--and despite his best efforts, he soon finds himself attempting to solve three separate mysteries: a murder in miniature, the unexplained disappearance of a colleague...and the unexpected theft of his cold, cold heart.
"Caught Looking" by Adriana Herrera
When best friends Yariel and Hatuey's gaming night turns into an unexpected and intense hook up, Hatuey can't wait to do it again. Yariel is less certain--the major leaguer might seem to all the world like he has a heart of stone, but he's been carrying a torch for his friend for years, and worries this will ruin the most important relationship in his life. That means Hatuey has to do all the work, and he's planning to give it all he's got. Yariel may be the one hitting home runs on the field...but Hatuey is playing a game of seduction, and he knows exactly how to make Yariel crumble.
"Yes, And..." by Ruby Lang
When rheumatologist Darren Zhang accidentally sits in on acting teacher Joan Lacy's improv class, he's unprepared for the attraction that hits him--and he's a man who likes to be prepared. Joan is caring for her ailing mother and barely has time to keep up her art, let alone date. But as the pair play out an unlikely relationship during stolen moments, they both find themselves wanting to say yes, and... much more.
"Tommy Cabot Was Here" by Cat Sebastian
Massachusetts, 1959: Some people might accuse mathematician Everett Sloane of being stuffy, but really he just prefers things a certain way: predictable, quiet, and far away from Tommy Cabot--his former best friend, chaos incarnate, and the man who broke his heart. The youngest son of a prominent political family, Tommy threw away his future by coming out to his powerful brothers. When he runs into Everett, who fifteen years ago walked away from Tommy without an explanation or a backward glance, his old friend's chilliness is just another reminder of how bad a mess Tommy has made of his life. When Everett realizes that his polite formality is hurting Tommy, he needs to decide whether he can unbend enough to let Tommy get close but without letting himself get hurt the way he was all those years ago.]]>
author: Emma Barry
name: Grace
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/22
shelves: maybe
review:
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author: Sabrina Jeffries
name: Grace
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2016/07/19
date added: 2024/09/22
shelves: 2016-all, 2016-new, historical-romance, library-brooklyn, ebook
review:
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Twenty years ago Maximus Batten witnessed the brutal murders of his parents. Now the autocratic Duke of Wakefield, he spends his days ruling Parliament. But by night, disguised as the Ghost of St. Giles, he prowls the grim alleys of St. Giles, ever on the hunt for the murderer. One night he finds a fiery woman who meets him toe-to-toe—and won't back down . . .
MEETS HIS MATCH . . .
Artemis Greaves toils as a lady's companion, but hiding beneath the plain brown serge of her dress is the heart of a huntress. When the Ghost of St. Giles rescues her from footpads, she recognizes a kindred spirit-and is intrigued. She's even more intrigued when she realizes who exactly the notorious Ghost is by day . . .
DESIRE IGNITES A DANGEROUS PASSION
Artemis makes a bold move: she demands that Maximus use his influence to free her imprisoned brother-or she will expose him as the Ghost. But blackmailing a powerful duke isn't without risks. Now that she has the tiger by the tail, can she withstand his ire-or the temptation of his embrace?]]>
author: Elizabeth Hoyt
name: Grace
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2017/12/09
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: 2017-all, 2017-new, ebook, historical-romance, library-manhattan
review:
3.5/5
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Gwen Jackson and Xander Thorne are both musical prodigies, but each has had very different paths to success. Xander was born into classical music royalty, while Gwen had a natural ear for music that was nurtured by a kind shop owner.
After Gwen performs at his friend’s wedding, she’s mortified when she realizes Xander has no clue who she is—despite having worked together for a year at the Pops Orchestra. But she’s more furious that he arrogantly critiques her performance.
When Gwen is offered the role of First Chair of the orchestra, something Xander had secretly coveted for years, their existing hostility goes up a notch. But their respect for each other's music is undeniable, and their onstage chemistry off the scale. As they begin to explore their feelings for one another, suddenly they're box office dynamite and the fragile romance that's growing between them is in danger of being crushed beneath a publicity stunt...]]>
Just one example: Gwen is supposedly making a career out of playing the violin professionally, but she's only gone on ONE audition before??? Or Alex's father apparently kept a violin and cello "tuned" for him at his house in New Jersey???? Is his father taking them out and tuning them daily???? What?? Also, why??? And why wouldn't Alex just bring his own instrument, which would be infinitely more comfortable for him and probably a better fit for his skill level. All instruments are not the same, and it's not like we're talking about a grand piano here. String instruments can be easily transported, and if Alex was staying with his dad for any significant period of time, then he'd want his own instruments! What a silly and unnecessary side tangent that particular throwaway line took me down!
Anyway, I also didn't care for the characters much, but it's hard for me to figure out if it was because of the major plot/orchestra setting issues or if it was the characters themselves. That said, some of Alex's early comments about Gwen's talents or abilities were just nonstarters for me.
Also, on an unrelated point, how did Gwen get from the UES to the UWS to Jackson Heights and then back again on Thanksgiving morning all before noon so they could drive to Boston??? I mean, you CAN do it, but not if you're going to start out after 8 am (and where are you going on the UWS - you have to be careful crossing CPW if you're anywhere below 81st street to avoid the parade) or if you want to spend more than 10 minutes in any one of those locations. The trains run on a Sunday schedule on holidays. Also, that was cutting it extremely close on getting there for the Boston show. (What if the car broke down? What if there's traffic? It's extremely unprofessional to be cutting things that close imo.)]]>
author: Julie Soto
name: Grace
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 1
read at: 2024/09/21
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: 2024, contemporary-romance
review:
I could write a dissertation on all the problems with this book, but it mostly boils down to: the way music and playing in an orchestra was written was very bad, and that was so much a part of the setting that it made the rest of the story impossible to separate from it. I considered DNF'ing this very early on, and I probably should have, because it was clear from the very beginning that the author did very basic research and then did the rest on vibes, but I was curious so I forged on. It did not get better.
Just one example: Gwen is supposedly making a career out of playing the violin professionally, but she's only gone on ONE audition before??? Or Alex's father apparently kept a violin and cello "tuned" for him at his house in New Jersey???? Is his father taking them out and tuning them daily???? What?? Also, why??? And why wouldn't Alex just bring his own instrument, which would be infinitely more comfortable for him and probably a better fit for his skill level. All instruments are not the same, and it's not like we're talking about a grand piano here. String instruments can be easily transported, and if Alex was staying with his dad for any significant period of time, then he'd want his own instruments! What a silly and unnecessary side tangent that particular throwaway line took me down!
Anyway, I also didn't care for the characters much, but it's hard for me to figure out if it was because of the major plot/orchestra setting issues or if it was the characters themselves. That said, some of Alex's early comments about Gwen's talents or abilities were just nonstarters for me.
Also, on an unrelated point, how did Gwen get from the UES to the UWS to Jackson Heights and then back again on Thanksgiving morning all before noon so they could drive to Boston??? I mean, you CAN do it, but not if you're going to start out after 8 am (and where are you going on the UWS - you have to be careful crossing CPW if you're anywhere below 81st street to avoid the parade) or if you want to spend more than 10 minutes in any one of those locations. The trains run on a Sunday schedule on holidays. Also, that was cutting it extremely close on getting there for the Boston show. (What if the car broke down? What if there's traffic? It's extremely unprofessional to be cutting things that close imo.)
]]>
Fans of Bridgerton will delight in this Regency-era mystery featuring an intrepid sleuth, plenty of intrigue, and a touch of romance.
London, 1817. The London Season is beginning once more, and Lily Adler’s return to her home on Half Moon Street feels different this year. No longer a recent widow, she has a life and friends waiting for her. Lily also has new responsibilities in the form of her protégée Amelia, the sister of her longtime friend Jack Hartley, who is escaping her own brush with scandal and murder.
It doesn’t take long for Lily’s growing reputation as a lady of quality who can discreetly find what is missing or solve what is puzzling to bring a desperate young woman to her doorstep. But helping her means unraveling a tangled web of family secrets. Soon, a missing will, a dead body and the threat of blackmail leave Lily facing danger every way she turns.Ìý
The glittering society of Mayfair conceals many secrets, and the back alleys of London hide even more. Lily Adler will need to find the connection between them quickly if she wants to stop a killer before it’s too late.]]>
author: Katharine Schellman
name: Grace
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/15
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: ebook, historical-fiction, library-other, mystery, 2024
review:
Very much enjoyed having all my favorites back together in this one. Mystery-wise, [spoilers removed]
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author: Julianna Keyes
name: Grace
average rating: 3.88
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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Twenty years ago Maximus Batten witnessed the brutal murders of his parents. Now the autocratic Duke of Wakefield, he spends his days ruling Parliament. But by night, disguised as the Ghost of St. Giles, he prowls the grim alleys of St. Giles, ever on the hunt for the murderer. One night he finds a fiery woman who meets him toe-to-toe—and won't back down . . .
MEETS HIS MATCH . . .
Artemis Greaves toils as a lady's companion, but hiding beneath the plain brown serge of her dress is the heart of a huntress. When the Ghost of St. Giles rescues her from footpads, she recognizes a kindred spirit-and is intrigued. She's even more intrigued when she realizes who exactly the notorious Ghost is by day . . .
DESIRE IGNITES A DANGEROUS PASSION
Artemis makes a bold move: she demands that Maximus use his influence to free her imprisoned brother-or she will expose him as the Ghost. But blackmailing a powerful duke isn't without risks. Now that she has the tiger by the tail, can she withstand his ire-or the temptation of his embrace?]]>
author: Elizabeth Hoyt
name: Grace
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:
3.5/5
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author: Melissa Brayden
name: Grace
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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author: Meg Cabot
name: Grace
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2003
rating: 2
read at: 2012/06/06
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: 2012-all, 2012-new, young-adult, ya-contemporary, library-brooklyn
review:
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He needs a bride�
Nash, the “dangerous� Duke of Malvern, has always bristled against the rules of English society. Hot tempered and fearful of becoming like his brutish late father, he lives a life of too much responsibility and too little joy. And although he’s vowed to never marry, a duke has a duty—and there’s only one way to get himself an heir and a spare. So Nash reluctantly takes a look around at society’s available young ladies to see who might be willing to put up with his one-word answers and frequent glowers.
She longs for love�
After the death of her father and wicked stepmother, Ana Maria goes from virtual servant to lady-in-training, and while society life has its benefits—gorgeous gowns!—its restrictive rules stifle her sprit. And when her independent actions put her in danger, her half-brother insists Nash teach her some self-defense. While most of London’s ladies find Nash intimidating, she only sees a man who needs introducing to all the joys life has to offer. So although officially they are coming together for fighting lessons, unofficially their physical contact begins to blur the line between friendship and begins to grown into something more�
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author: Megan Frampton
name: Grace
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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Never before has the world seen such a princess. Nor have her own subjects, for that matter. But Genovian politics are nothing next to Mia's real troubles.
Between canceled dates with her long-sought-after royal consort, a second semester of the dreaded Algebra, more princess lessons from Grandmère, and the inability to stop gnawing on her fingernails, isn't there anything Mia is good at besides inheriting an unwanted royal title?
Princess in Waiting is the fourth book in the beloved, bestselling series that inspired the feature film starring Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews.]]>
There was a lot of Dumb Teenage Girl Stuff in this one, but the end with Michael was A+. I almost want to give this another half star. But really, there was a lot of Dumb Teenage Girl Stuff in this.]]>
author: Meg Cabot
name: Grace
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 2012/05/28
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: young-adult, ya-contemporary, 2012-new, 2012-all, ebook, library-manhattan
review:
I am enjoying this series, but I think this is one where I might have enjoyed it more if I'd read them when I was a teenager myself. Mia is SUCH a teenage girl (as are all of her friends), and that's not necessarily easy to read.
There was a lot of Dumb Teenage Girl Stuff in this one, but the end with Michael was A+. I almost want to give this another half star. But really, there was a lot of Dumb Teenage Girl Stuff in this.
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author: Nancy Atherton
name: Grace
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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At seventeen, Darcy still has Olympic dreams, but she has more immediate concerns. Like getting her team to Regionals, making sure she's accepted by the local college, and convincing her best-friend and team skip not to go to a university on the other side of the continent. And, possibly most important of all, resisting the urge to kill Lucas Fitzwilliam. 'Cause he may be really annoying, but Darcy's pretty sure they don't have curling in prison.]]>
author: Andrea Brokaw
name: Grace
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/18
shelves: to-check-out
review:
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Audrey Mathews has worked hard to get here. Now she's up for a promotion and nothing will stand in her way--including Zach Black. He's hot, smart and the competition. When they're assigned to the same project, she's shocked at how much she actually likes about him...and how much she misjudged him.
Before long Audrey is seriously falling for Zach--and indulging in an affair that's against company policy. And the stakes rise when it's clear only one of them can get ahead. So where do they draw the line between competition and love? Especially when she doesn't want to lose either the promotion or the guy....]]>
author: Sarah Mayberry
name: Grace
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2013/09/01
date added: 2024/09/17
shelves: ebook, contemporary-romance, 2013-all, 2013-new
review:
[spoilers removed]
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