en-US Tue, 29 Apr 2025 06:46:49 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 59640763
Amy Perry is driven, ambitious and proudly unromantic. So what if she's more passionate about her career than she is about her handsome boyfriend? It's all about priorities when you're young.

But when she is forced to leave the city and go back to the village she once called home, Amy faces her worst work nightmare - setting up a romance imprint for the publishing house she works for.

As Amy adjusts to life with no bars, boutiques or dairy substitutes, she also comes face to face with someone she's spent years trying to forget. Before long she's as swept up in village life as she is in the romantic manuscripts she has to read - and finds herself discovering unlikely parallels between the characters' lives and her own.

Perfect for fans of Beth O'Leary and Ruth Jones.]]> 329 Laura Starkey Zarah 0 3.93
author: Laura Starkey
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.93
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: audio-books, unfinished-affairs
review:

]]> 201564651 Two unexpected flatmates. One shared space. Will they cross the line into love?

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

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

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

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

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

The ultimate forced proximity, slow-burn romcom to get your hands on, perfect for fans of Beth O'Leary, Portia MacIntosh and Mhairi McFarlane. ]]> 336 Laura Starkey 1471414930 Zarah 4 audio-books Sweet and funny. 3.58
author: Laura Starkey
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.58
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/29
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: audio-books
review:
Sweet and funny.
]]> 75302553 Do you believe in love at first type?

When Ada set up her own PR firm from a coffee shop, she didn't expect to meet journalist Fraser. Also working there daily, he soon becomes a friend. Reporting on interesting things to do around Edinburgh, Fraser ropes Ada into accompanying him on his assignments.

As they work side-by-side Ada can't help but notice how attractive Fraser is, and how well they get along. But, Ada has been chatting to a guy she met on an Agatha Christie fan fiction site, and she can't stop wondering about him. His interests are the same as hers, and the anonymity helps them both be more honest and open. As Ada's messages with the mystery man become deeper, she thinks she's falling for him.

Ada is torn between Fraser and Myster-E - but can you have real feelings for someone when you're virtual strangers?

The Flatshare meets a modern You've Got Mail]]> 337 Sam Canning 183877923X Zarah 4 audio-books 3.66 2023
author: Sam Canning
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/29
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: audio-books
review:
Väldigt gullig och charmig bok som undvek många av romance-fällorna och aktivt gav några på moppo�� kommer absolut läsa fler böcker av Sam Canning, och gärna upplästa av samma person också! :)
]]> 218674036 Are you dreaming of a serene, clutter-free home but feeling overwhelmed by the chaos around you? The Mindful Art of Space Making is your ultimate guide to transforming your living space and your life through mindful decluttering.

Join April Scott Tandy, a seasoned expert in home transformation, as she introduces her proven Space Maker Method. Her innovative approach to decluttering goes beyond merely getting rid of things; it's about curating your home with intention and purpose.

Inside, you'll learn how

Go at your own pace, making decisions you won't regretUse Quick Wins to build your confidenceHandle emotional and sentimental items with careBuild unstoppable momentum through focused effortThis book isn't just a collection of tips and tricks; it's a transformative journey that empowers you to take control of your home and your life.

Imagine a home where you have space for a cozy reading nook, an inspiring arts and crafts area, or simply room to breathe. This is the essence of Space Making - to make space for what you love!]]> 161 April Tandy Zarah 0 to-read 4.64
author: April Tandy
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.64
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211004776 Heartstopper meets Derry Girls in this wonderfully hilarious rom-com about finding your first love when your personality might be too big for the world around you.

Patch Simmons has decided that this is the year he will get a boyfriend, so it's goodbye to his French pen-pal Jean-Pierre and hello to the world!

Unfortunately, the only other "out" boys in his school year are dating each other, so finding a boyfriend isn't going to be easy... Until fate finally intervenes and two new mysterious boys join drama club: Peter, who’s just moved from New York (very chic) and his best friend, Sam.

Patch is confident that one of them (although either of them will do!) will be his first boyfriend. So armed with his single mum’s outdated self-help books, his over-supportive best friend Jean and an alarming level of self-confidence, Patch is confident that this mission will be a complete success. Whether or not they actually like boys or him is a problem for later.

The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King is a heartfelt, laugh-out-loud comedy from rising star Harry Trevaldwyn, a story about boldly being yourself, going for what you want, but never losing sight of who truly has your back.]]> 352 Harry Trevaldwyn 125036678X Zarah 3 audio-books 3.98 2025
author: Harry Trevaldwyn
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/22
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: audio-books
review:
Very funny book, but Patch is extremely annoying a lot of the time��
]]> 62926938 An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

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

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

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

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

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

After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.]]> 336 Ashley Poston Zarah 3 audio-books 4.17 2023
author: Ashley Poston
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: audio-books
review:

]]> 54785481
Atl needs to quickly escape the city, far from the rival narco-vampire clan relentlessly pursuing her. Her plan doesn't include Domingo, but little by little, Atl finds herself warming up to the scrappy young man and his undeniable charm. As the trail of corpses stretches behind her, local cops and crime bosses both start closing in.

Vampires, humans, cops, and criminals collide in the dark streets of Mexico City. Do Atl and Domingo even stand a chance of making it out alive? Or will the city devour them all?]]> 256 Silvia Moreno-Garcia 1250785588 Zarah 0 to-read 3.73 2016
author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 59475768 Three girls, one supernatural killer on the loose . . .

Zara Jones believes in magic because the alternative is too painful to consider—that her murdered sister is gone forever and there is nothing she can do about it. Rather than grieving and moving on, Zara decides she will do whatever it takes to claw her sister back from the grave—even trading in the occult.

Jude Wolf may be the daughter of a billionaire, but she is also undeniably cursed. After a deal with a demon went horribly wrong, her soul has been slowly turning necrotic. It’s a miserable existence marred by pain, sickness, and monstrous things that taunt her in the night. Now that she’s glimpsed what’s beyond the veil, Jude’s desperate to find someone to undo the damage she’s done to herself.

Enter Emer Byrne, an orphaned witch with a dark past and a deadly power, a.k.a. the solution to both Zara’s and Jude’s problems. Though Emer lives a hardscrabble life, she gives away her most valuable asset—her invocations—to women in desperate situations who are willing to sacrifice a piece of their soul in exchange for a scrap of power. Zara and Jude are willing, but they first have to find Emer.

When Emer’s clients start turning up dead all over London, a vital clue leads Zara and Jude right to her. If a serial killer is targeting her clients, Emer wants to know why—and to stop them. She strikes a tenuous alliance with Zara and Jude to hunt a killer before they are next on his list, even if she can’t give them in return what Zara and Jude want most: a sister and a soul.]]> 400 Krystal Sutherland 0593532260 Zarah 3 audio-books Unfortunately, the longer I listened the less I loved them and the more the story leaned into gore and more than a few clichées. It kind of lost me towards the end and while I was reeled back in with the epilogue, I still didn’t LOVE it anymore.
I do recommend it, but not to anyone who doesn’t enjoy rather plentiful and detailed gore.



Spoiler:


Also: who WAS the Volkov-dude on the dating app?! He wasn’t one of Jude’s brothers (right?!) but he still said the patriarch had gone sappy and that the grandpa was the driving force (which was a bit too spoilery for me, and it annoyed me that they didn’t talk about it and figure it out.) A cousin? But shouldn’t she have recognized him? Can anyone clear up this confusion for me?]]> 4.07 2024
author: Krystal Sutherland
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/12
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: audio-books
review:
This book started out by sweeping me off my feet�� it was funny, poignant, sad and sweet and awful in all the right ways - and I adored the characters! It just felt so unique and so relevant, I repeated so many parts of it in my audio book app, and I told everyone I was reading SUCH a great book!��
Unfortunately, the longer I listened the less I loved them and the more the story leaned into gore and more than a few clichées. It kind of lost me towards the end and while I was reeled back in with the epilogue, I still didn’t LOVE it anymore.
I do recommend it, but not to anyone who doesn’t enjoy rather plentiful and detailed gore.



Spoiler:


Also: who WAS the Volkov-dude on the dating app?! He wasn’t one of Jude’s brothers (right?!) but he still said the patriarch had gone sappy and that the grandpa was the driving force (which was a bit too spoilery for me, and it annoyed me that they didn’t talk about it and figure it out.) A cousin? But shouldn’t she have recognized him? Can anyone clear up this confusion for me?
]]> 27161195 An enthralling Edith Wharton-meets-Little Women debut about a family of four artistic sisters on the outskirts of Gilded Age New York high society that centers on the boldest—an aspiring writer caught between the boy next door and a mysterious novelist who inducts her into Manhattan’s most elite artistic salon.

The Bronx, 1891. Virginia Loftin knows what she wants most: to become a celebrated novelist despite her gender, and to marry Charlie, her best friend, neighbor and first love. Yet when Charlie proposes to another woman, Ginny is devastated; shutting out her family, she holes up and obsessively rewrites how their story should have gone.

Though Ginny works with newfound intensity, success eludes her—until she attends a salon hosted in her brother’s handsome author friend John’s Fifth Avenue mansion. Amongst painters, musicians, actors, and writers, Ginny returns to herself, even blooming under John’s increasingly romantic attentions. Just as she has begun to forget Charlie, however, he throws himself back into her path, and Ginny finds herself torn between a lifetime’s worth of complicated feelings and a budding relationship with a man who seems almost too good to be true.

The brightest lights cast the darkest shadows, and as Ginny tentatively navigates the Society’s world, she begins to suspect all is not as it seems in New York’s dazzling “Gay Nineties�� scene. When a close friend is found dead in John’s mansion, Ginny must delve into her beloved salon’s secrets to discover her true feelings about art, family, and love.]]> 384 Joy Callaway 0062391615 Zarah 0 to-read 3.37 2016
author: Joy Callaway
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217417588 My name is Kitty Collins and I’m a serial killer.

I don’t want to kill. It’s just so hard to resist. Some men really, really deserve it.

Men like Blaze Bundy, an anonymous influencer spreading misogyny online. He’s making it very hard for me to control my murderous urges.

Meanwhile I’m in the South of France to watch my mother marry a man I’ve never met. I should be drinking cocktails and focusing on my tan, not plotting a murder.

But a woman’s work is never done. Surely one more teensy little kill wouldn’t hurt, would it?

Fans of How to Kill Your Family and Bad Sisters will love this deliciously dark, hilariously twisted new novel from the author of How to Kill Men and Get Away With It and The Murder After the Night Before. ]]> 368 Katy Brent 0008656738 Zarah 4 audio-books So in short? Just read it.
Kitty is the Dexter for-and-of women, but with better fashion sense and more empathy. How can you NOT love that?
Looking forward to the next book!]]> 4.12 2025
author: Katy Brent
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: audio-books
review:
I don’t love everything about this book, I will say that upfront, but holy moly I also love it so MUCH! There were bits where I kind of ”skimmed�� while listening, but there were also bits where I was SO invested in it, I swear and laugh and fume and giggle and roll my eyes so hard they are close to sticking��
So in short? Just read it.
Kitty is the Dexter for-and-of women, but with better fashion sense and more empathy. How can you NOT love that?
Looking forward to the next book!
]]> 62820205 An incisive and deeply candid account that explores autistic women in culture, myth, and society through the prism of the author’s own diagnosis.

Until the 1980s, autism was regarded as a condition found mostly in boys. Even in our time, autistic girls and women have largely remained invisible. When portrayed in popular culture, women on the spectrum often appear simply as copies of their male counterparts �� talented and socially awkward.

Yet autistic women exist, and always have. They are varied in their interests and in their experiences. Autism may be relatively new as a term and a diagnosis, but not as a way of being and functioning in the world. It has always been part of the human condition. So who are these women, and what does it mean to see the world through their eyes?

In The Autists, Clara Törnvall reclaims the language to describe autism and explores the autistic experience in arts and culture throughout history. From popular culture, films, and photography to literature, opera, and ballet, she dares to ask what it might mean to re-read these works through an autistic lens �� what we might discover if we allow perspectives beyond the neurotypical to take centre stage.]]> 224 Clara Törnvall 1922585890 Zarah 4 audio-books 4.05 2021
author: Clara Törnvall
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: audio-books
review:
Stundtals lite väl tung och repetitiv - men då har Clara och jag heller inte riktigt samma typ av NPF - men oerhört rörande och intressant! Rekommenderas!
]]> 61612872 An unexpected friendship saves a young man's life in this moving, utterly charming debut about chosen family, the winding road to happiness, and the grace of second chances.

Could I one day inspire happiness in others, the same way he seemed to do in me?

It's 2005 and Harley has dropped out of college to move home, back to rural England, where he works a dead-end job at a movie theater. Estranged from his father and finding every attempt at happiness futile, Harley is on the verge of making a devastating final decision. Fortunately for him, things don't go according to plan, and his attempt on his own life is interrupted by his new roommate, Muddy.

Muddy is everything Harley is not: ostensibly heterosexual, freewheeling, confident in his masculinity. Despite their differences, a deep friendship blossoms between them when Muddy takes Harley under his wing and shows him everything that, in his eyes, makes life worth living: bird-watching, karaoke, rugby, and the band Oasis.

But this newfound friendship is complicated. It has enormous repercussions for the pair's romantically entangled friend group--for Chelsea, an overbearing striver whose generosity they begrudgingly rely on; for Finlay, her raffish and uncouth boyfriend; and for Noria, who despite her simmering confidence is smarting from a series of unreturned affections. And then there's the violent affair with an older man that Harley finds himself slipping back into . . .

As secrets and jealousies endanger all that Harley has come to depend on, he finds himself faltering once again, even though he finally has something--and someone--to live for. Soul-stirring and witty, full of hope and peopled with characters who feel like close friends, Small Joys explores a young man's turbulent journey toward happiness and announces the arrival of an exciting voice in fiction.]]> 320 Elvin James Mensah 0593499964 Zarah 0 to-read 3.91 2023
author: Elvin James Mensah
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 61374793
Now trapped inside Jessica’s body, with access to Jessica’s most private journals and secrets, Jenna soon discovers that being the top student at the elite, highly competitive Havenwood Private Academy isn’t quite what she imagined. Worse, as everyone—including her own parents—start having trouble remembering who Jenna Chen is, or if she ever even existed, Jenna must decide if playing the role of the perfect daughter and student is worth losing her true self forever.]]> 320 Ann Liang 133552312X Zarah 0 4.08 2025
author: Ann Liang
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: audio-books, unfinished-affairs
review:

]]> 199261152 A professor of literature finds herself caught up in a work of fiction�� literally.

Eileen Merriweather loves to get lost in a good happily-ever-after. The fictional kind, anyway. Because at least imaginary men don’t leave you at the altar. She feels safe in a book. At home. Which might be why she’s so set on going to her annual book club retreat this year—she needs good friends, cheap wine, and grand romantic gestures—no matter what.

But when her car unexpectedly breaks down on the way, she finds herself stranded in a quaint town that feels like it’s right out of a novel��

Because it is.

This place can’t be real, and yet�� she’s here, in Eloraton, the town of her favorite romance series, where the candy store’s honey taffy is always sweet, the local bar’s burgers are always a little burnt, and rain always comes in the afternoon. It feels like home. It’s perfect—and perfectly frozen, trapped in the late author’s last unfinished story.

Elsy is sure that’s why she must be here: to help bring the town to its storybook ending.

Except there is a character in Eloraton that she can’t place—a grumpy bookstore owner with mint-green eyes, an irritatingly sexy mouth and impeccable taste in novels. And he does not want her finishing this book.

Which is a problem because Elsy is beginning to think the town’s happily-ever-after might just be intertwined with her own.]]> 368 Ashley Poston 0593640977 Zarah 3 audio-books Not bad. Vacay read, maybe? But not quite what I expected.]]> 3.62 2024
author: Ashley Poston
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: audio-books
review:
Well�� it’s cute and quite unique but Elsie drew me up the wall with her constant inner monologue about why the guy couldn’t like her etc etc, and unfortunately she went from relatable to the kind of person who sees herself as a victim all the time, which just isn’t a fun read. (For me at least.)
Not bad. Vacay read, maybe? But not quite what I expected.
]]> 54566975
Filosofi som terapi ger dig en lång rad praktiska verktyg för att bättre kunna ta dig an livets med- och motgångar. De bygger på en unik kombination av tidlösa filosofiska livsstrategier och moderna kognitiva beteendeterapier.

Boken är ett smörgåsbord av olika förhållningssätt, tankar och övningar. Du får veta vad klassiska filosofiska idéer har gemensamt med moderna terapimetoder som KBT och ACT, och hur de kan kombineras och fungera som handfasta tips. Du får också lära dig vikten av att växla perspektiv, vad det innebär att ha självmedkänsla och vad olika stora tänkare som Nietzsche och Camus hade att säga om värdet i tillvaron.

Att komma ur gamla tankebanor och jobba aktivt med sig själv är ett ständigt pågående arbete. Återvänd till boken för att testa nya metoder när livets förutsättningar ändrar sig.

Josephine Selander är idéhistoriker och doktorerar i modern historia (ETH, Zürich). Josephine har också en kandidatexamen i TV-produktion och har grundat viryayoga och skolan Nordiska Yogainstitutet där hon utbildar yogalärare. Hon har tidigare skrivit flera böcker, däribland Dynamisk Yoga, Yoga för dig och Yoga & ACT samt hållit i över 60 yogaprogram på TV4.

Gustav Jonsson är legitimerad psykolog med inriktning mot KBT. Han arbetar förebyggande och hälsofrämjande för barn och ungdomar och är aktiv med forskning inom klinisk psykologi. Samtidigt verkar han som gruppträningsinstruktör, yogalärare och utbildare inom Nordiska Yogainstitutet.]]> 216 Josephine Selander 9188743373 Zarah 0 3.61
author: Josephine Selander
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.61
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: audio-books, currently-reading
review:

]]> 60217777 The stakes are even higher in this epic, romantic conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Crimson Moth duology.

A WITCH...
Rune Winters is on the run. Ever since the boy she loved, Gideon Sharpe, revealed who she was and delivered her into enemy hands, everyone wants her dead. If Rune hopes to survive, she must ally herself with the cruel and dangerous Cressida Roseblood, who’s planning to take back the Republic and reinstate a Reign of Witches—something Cressida needs Rune to accomplish.

A WITCH HUNTER...
Apparently it wasn’t enough for Rune to deceive Gideon; she’s now betrayed him by allying herself with the witch who made his life a living hell. Gideon won’t allow the Republic to fall to the witches and be plunged back into the nightmares of the past. In order to protect this new world he fought for, every last witch must die—especially Rune Winters.

AN IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE...
When Rune makes Gideon an offer he can’t refuse, the two must pair up to accomplish dangerous goals. The more they’re forced into each other’s company, the more Gideon realizes the feelings he had for Rune aren’t as dead and buried as he thought. Now he’s faced with a terrible choice: sacrifice the girl he loves to stop a monster taking back power, or let Rune live and watch the world he fought so hard for burn.

In Kristen Ciccarelli's Rebel Witch, the exciting conclusion to The Crimson Moth duology, love has never been so deadly.]]> 464 Kristen Ciccarelli Zarah 2 audio-books It stared out good but rather quickly turned into a very teenangstey drama regarding whether or not they were in luuuuv and whether or not they wanted to jump each others booones, on and on and on for ages, and the plot was left wayside.
Rune is also sickeningly MaryJaney/snowflakey and soooo special that I wanted to vomit.
Add to that the ending where they conveniently share a new tale towards the end of the book that gives away exactly what’s going to happen�� and it does.
A scene that could have been tense and kinda awesome was turned into ”well, duh! Obviously!�� and that’s never a good look for the grand finale.
Ps. It’s also not a good sign that I was actually saying ”just woman up and kill yourself, already!!�� to the MC��
Yeah. I would, personally, give this a pass.]]> 4.23 2025
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/07
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: audio-books
review:
Yeah�� no.
It stared out good but rather quickly turned into a very teenangstey drama regarding whether or not they were in luuuuv and whether or not they wanted to jump each others booones, on and on and on for ages, and the plot was left wayside.
Rune is also sickeningly MaryJaney/snowflakey and soooo special that I wanted to vomit.
Add to that the ending where they conveniently share a new tale towards the end of the book that gives away exactly what’s going to happen�� and it does.
A scene that could have been tense and kinda awesome was turned into ”well, duh! Obviously!�� and that’s never a good look for the grand finale.
Ps. It’s also not a good sign that I was actually saying ”just woman up and kill yourself, already!!�� to the MC��
Yeah. I would, personally, give this a pass.
]]> 36867863
Deeply rooted in Indigenous knowledge, Risling Baldy brings us the voices of people transformed by cultural revitalization, including the accounts of young women who have participated in the Flower Dance. Using a framework of Native feminisms, she locates this revival within a broad context of decolonizing praxis and considers how this renaissance of women's coming-of-age ceremonies confounds ethnographic depictions of Native women; challenges anthropological theories about menstruation, gender, and coming-of-age; and addresses gender inequality and gender violence within Native communities.]]> 205 Cutcha Risling Baldy 029574345X Zarah 0 to-read 4.50 2018
author: Cutcha Risling Baldy
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 63850210 Imagine Agatha Christie crossed with Murder, She Wrote...

In this light-hearted cozy mystery, Kate Forbes and her niece, Lady Jane Scott are about to become amateur sleuths.

England, December 1927

Having been close companions during Jane’s childhood, especially after Jane’s mother died, aunt and niece grew apart when Jane went off to university and began a new life.

In this first story of the series, their relationship has a chance to begin again with an invitation to a society birthday party at Linton Hall. But with Jane now an independent, academically minded 26-year-old, does unassuming widow, Aunt Kate still have a meaningful role in her niece’s life?

At the hall, Lord Linton’s heir, Edward, has returned from years of living in Paris. Unfortunately, he’s failed to change his arrogant ways, which upsets many of the guests.

For Kate and Lady Jane, looking forward to celebrating over canapes and champagne, the last thing they expect is to become amateur sleuths pitting their wits against Inspector Ridley of Scotland Yard to prevent the wrong person being hanged for murder.

Faced with an ensemble of social climbers, eccentrics and schemers, aunt and niece must work together to untangle a web of secrets, lies and deceit if they're to discover whodunnit.

Join Kate and Lady Jane in the first of their entertaining 1920s cozy mysteries. Perfect for fans of T. E. Kinsey, Verity Bright, and Lee Strauss.]]> 240 B.D. Churston Zarah 0 to-read 3.92
author: B.D. Churston
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214152244 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781668076217.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets First Lie Wins in this electric, voice-driven debut novel about an elusive bestselling author who decides to finally confess her true identity after years of hiding from her past.

Cate Kay knows how to craft a story. As the creator of a bestselling book trilogy that struck box office gold as a film series, she’s one of the most successful authors of her generation. The thing is, Cate Kay doesn’t really exist. She’s never attended author events or granted any interviews. Her real identity had been a closely guarded secret, until now.

As a young adult, she and her best friend Amanda dreamed of escaping their difficult homes and moving to California to become movie stars. But the day before their grand adventure, a tragedy shattered their dreams and Cate has been on the run ever since, taking on different names and charting a new future. But after a shocking revelation, Cate understands that returning home is the only way she’ll be a whole person again.]]> 304 Kate Fagan Zarah 4 audio-books A really, really GOOD book! 3.75 2025
author: Kate Fagan
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/01
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: audio-books
review:
A really, really GOOD book!
]]> 35843942
Safire, a soldier, knows her role in this world is to serve the King of Firgaard—helping to maintain the peace in her oft-troubled nation.

Eris, a deadly pirate, has no such conviction. Known as the Death Dancer for her ability to evade even the most determined of pursuers, she possesses a superhuman power to move between worlds.

When one can roam from dimension to dimension, can one ever be home? Can love and loyalty truly exist?

Now Safire and Eris—sworn enemies—find themselves on a common mission: to find Asha, the last Namsara. From the port city of Darmoor to the fabled faraway Star Isles, their search and their stories become woven ever more tightly together as they discover the uncertain fate they’re hurtling towards may just be a shared one. In this world—and the next.]]> 398 Kristen Ciccarelli 0062568078 Zarah 3 audio-books 4.04 2019
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/01
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: audio-books
review:

]]> 206777437 Fearing for her life, an outcast princess joins the rebellion against her own kingdom and family.��.��. but when playing with fire, someone always gets burned.��

Teia Carthan abandoned her morals long ago, and now there’s nothing she won’t do to stay alive. So far she has survived her parents�� deaths, the ire of the Council, and innumerable attempts on her life, orchestrated by Jura, her half brother and soon-to-be king of Erisia. Teia’s rare control over two elements marks her as both an outsider and a formidable opponent—but once Jura is crowned king, there will be no way to survive him. Not for Teia, not for anyone.��

When Jura moves to crush the rebellion that seeks to overthrow the monarchy, Teia sees one last opportunity to ensure her own safety. She can infiltrate the rebels, locate their base .��.��. and betray them to Jura, trading their lives for her own.��

Yet when Teia meets the rebels, she gets far more than she bargained for. And when she gains not only their trust but their friendship, she begins to have doubts. Perhaps the rebels are right. Perhaps the Golden Palace��should��be torn down and the monarchy destroyed.��

But then again—what if there is another possibility? What if Teia were on the throne instead?���ձ�> 400 Tiffany Wang 1959411772 Zarah 0 to-read 3.71 2024
author: Tiffany Wang
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 35843937
Dax—the heir to Firgaard’s throne—was responsible for the accident. Roa swore to hate him forever. But eight years later he returned, begging for her help. He was determined to dethrone his cruel father, under whose oppressive reign Roa’s people had suffered.

Roa made him a deal: she’d give him the army he needed if he made her queen. Only as queen could she save her people from Firgaard’s rule.

Then a chance arises to right every wrong—an opportunity for Roa to rid herself of this enemy king and rescue her beloved sister. During the Relinquishing, when the spirits of the dead are said to return, Roa discovers she can reclaim her sister for good.

All she has to do is kill the king.]]> 400 Kristen Ciccarelli 0062568019 Zarah 2 audio-books 4.00 2018
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/24
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: audio-books
review:
Good ideas but Roa made me want to pull my hair out.
]]> 150247395
Called in to investigate this mystery is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din is an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory. His job is to observe and report, and act as his superior’s eyes and ears--quite literally, in this case, as among Ana’s quirks are her insistence on wearing a blindfold at all times, and her refusal to step outside the walls of her home.

Din is most perplexed by Ana’s ravenous appetite for information and her mind’s frenzied leaps—not to mention her cheerful disregard for propriety and the apparent joy she takes in scandalizing her young counterpart. Yet as the case unfolds and Ana makes one startling deduction after the next, he finds it hard to deny that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

Featuring an unforgettable Holmes-and-Watson style pairing, a gloriously labyrinthine plot, and a haunting and wholly original fantasy world, The Tainted Cup brilliantly reinvents the classic mystery tale.]]> 410 Robert Jackson Bennett 1984820702 Zarah 0 to-read 4.28 2024
author: Robert Jackson Bennett
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220909040
Evander has lived like a ghost in the forgotten corners of the Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in by his reclusive billionaire guardian, Byron Lennox-Hall, when he was a child. For his safety, Evander has been given three ironclad rules to follow:

He can never leave the estate. He can never go into the gardens. And most importantly, he can never again be left alone with Byron's charming, underachieving grandson, Laurie.

That last rule has been in place ever since Laurie tried to kill Evander seven years ago, and yet somehow Evander is still obsessed with him.

But when Byron suddenly dies, Evander inherits Hazelthorn’s immense gothic mansion and acres of sprawling grounds, along with the entirety of the Lennox-Hall family's vast wealth. There’s just one caveat: He must choose a new guardian from amongst Laurie's scheming, backstabbing relatives to help manage the estate until he turns eighteen.

Except Evander's sure his guardian was murdered, and Laurie may be the only one who can help him find the killer before they come for Evander next. Perhaps even more concerning is how the overgrown garden is refusing to stay behind its walls, slipping its vines and spores deeper into the house with each passing day. As the family’s dark secrets unravel alongside the growing horror of their terribly alive, bloodthirsty garden, Evander needs to find out what he’s really inheriting before the garden demands to be fed once more.]]> 368 C.G. Drews 1250376297 Zarah 0 to-read 4.73 2025
author: C.G. Drews
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.73
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 42201962 Yetu holds the memories for her people.

Her people, the wajinru �� water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slavers �� live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one. Save the historian.

Yetu remembers for all the wajinru, and the memories �� painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so she flees to the surface, escaping the memories and the expectations and the responsibilities �� and discovers a world the wajinru left behind long ago.

Yetu will learn more than she ever expected to about her own past �� and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they’ll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identities �� and own who they really are.

Inspired by the hit song by clipping. (comprised of Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes), The Deep will resonate long after the last page is turned.]]> 166 Rivers Solomon 1534439862 Zarah 0 to-read 3.78 2019
author: Rivers Solomon
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 35182364 ”En del av mig dog. En annan del började äntligen, äntligen leva.��

I 32 år lever Lina Liman med autism utan att veta om det. Men att något är fel vet hon. Hon lär sig att fejka för att passa in, spela vanlig, ända tills det inte går längre.

Konsten att fejka arabiska är en berättelse om vanmakt och utanförskap, men också om hur Lina till sist hittade förklaringen som fick allt att falla på plats, och om hur en diagnos kan förändra livet i grunden.]]> 313 Lina Liman 9100161233 Zarah 4 4.13 2017
author: Lina Liman
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/15
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: audio-books, facts-and-inspiration
review:
Mycket bra, relevant bok med många nya insikter och upptäckter. Välskriven och driven, personlig men ändå allmängiltig. Mycket väl värd att läsa!
]]> 52142909
Vi missar flickorna med ADHD när vi letar efter symtom som är vanligare hos pojkar. Flickor och unga kvinnor får inte heller lika effektiv behandling eftersom de flesta läkemedelsstudier på preparat och doser är gjorda på pojkar och män.

Lotta Borg Skoglund är överläkare och forskare och en av grundarna till SMART Psykiatri.

Lotta Borg Skoglunds egna ord:
"Under mina år som läkare har jag träffat många flickor och kvinnor som kämpat så hjärtskärande hårt för att få ihop sina liv. Trots intelligens, trots begåvning och livsklokskap, trots vita knogar och ständiga omstarter berättar de för mig att de bara inte får livet att fungera. Tyvärr har vare sig forskningen eller vården haft ett särskilt stort intresse för flickors och kvinnors unika utmaningar vid adhd och kunskapen om den här stora gruppen av kämpande människor är fortfarande skrämmande låg. Den här boken är till er."]]> 192 Lotta Borg Skoglund 9127827259 Zarah 5 För det andra: TACK, Lotta Borg Skoglund för att du belyser ett enormt problem, en brist och en diskriminering inom den (neuro-)psykiatriska vården, där flickor och kvinnor rutinmässigt utesluts från den vård de har rätt till, av den enkla anledning att de är just flickor och kvinnor, och inte alls alltid reagerar likadant på samma diagnos, som pojkar och män gör. Jag har gråtit, skrattat igenkännande, fått en helt ny förståelse för hur det är att leva som kvinna med ADHD och hur det är att leva som anhörig till en kvinna med ADHD. Den här boken är ENORMT relevant och borde läsas av alla som arbetar inom psykiatrin, och av alla som fått olika diagnoser av typen GAD, depression, ångest etc - men kanske inte känt att det riktigt stämmer. Om inte annat, så ger den underlag för bättre diskussioner med behandlande instans, och dessutom kanske bättre förståelse för en själv? Jag hoppas att "ADHD - från duktig flicka till utbränd kvinna" får all uppmärksamhet den förtjänar (vilket vill säga: massor!!) och vill återigen, från djupet av mitt hjärta, tacka Lotta Borg Skoglund, och önska henne all lycka - och sisådär varenda pris en bok kan få.]]> 4.15
author: Lotta Borg Skoglund
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.15
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: audio-books, facts-and-inspiration
review:
Vad kan jag säga om den här boken? Först och främst: LÄS DEN!
För det andra: TACK, Lotta Borg Skoglund för att du belyser ett enormt problem, en brist och en diskriminering inom den (neuro-)psykiatriska vården, där flickor och kvinnor rutinmässigt utesluts från den vård de har rätt till, av den enkla anledning att de är just flickor och kvinnor, och inte alls alltid reagerar likadant på samma diagnos, som pojkar och män gör. Jag har gråtit, skrattat igenkännande, fått en helt ny förståelse för hur det är att leva som kvinna med ADHD och hur det är att leva som anhörig till en kvinna med ADHD. Den här boken är ENORMT relevant och borde läsas av alla som arbetar inom psykiatrin, och av alla som fått olika diagnoser av typen GAD, depression, ångest etc - men kanske inte känt att det riktigt stämmer. Om inte annat, så ger den underlag för bättre diskussioner med behandlande instans, och dessutom kanske bättre förståelse för en själv? Jag hoppas att "ADHD - från duktig flicka till utbränd kvinna" får all uppmärksamhet den förtjänar (vilket vill säga: massor!!) och vill återigen, från djupet av mitt hjärta, tacka Lotta Borg Skoglund, och önska henne all lycka - och sisådär varenda pris en bok kan få.
]]> 51020316 'One of the most influential doctors in the country' Chris Evans
_______

It only takes 5 minutes to start changing your life. For good.

Feel Better in 5 is the first daily 5-minute plan that is easy to maintain, easy-to-follow and requires only the smallest amount of willpower.

Top tips include:

· A strength workout that you can do anywhere
· Gut-boosting snacks you can eat on the go
· Yoga moves to relax and stay supple
· Breathing exercises to calm the mind

Drawing on Dr Rangan Chatterjee's twenty years of experience and real-life case studies from his GP practice, Feel Better in 5 is your daily plan for a happier, healthier you at no extra cost.]]> 288 Rangan Chatterjee Zarah 0 4.06 2019
author: Rangan Chatterjee
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: currently-reading, audio-books, facts-and-inspiration
review:

]]> 32667458
These are the legends that Asha, daughter of the king of Firgaard, has grown up learning in hushed whispers, drawn to the forbidden figures of the past. But it isn’t until she becomes the fiercest, most feared dragon slayer in the land that she takes on the role of the next Iskari—a lonely destiny that leaves her feeling more like a weapon than a girl.

Asha conquers each dragon and brings its head to the king, but no kill can free her from the shackles that await at home: her betrothal to the cruel commandant, a man who holds the truth about her nature in his palm. When she’s offered the chance to gain her freedom in exchange for the life of the most powerful dragon in Firgaard, she finds that there may be more truth to the ancient stories than she ever could have expected. With the help of a secret friend—a slave boy from her betrothed’s household—Asha must shed the layers of her Iskari bondage and open her heart to love, light, and a truth that has been kept from her.]]> 421 Kristen Ciccarelli 0062567985 Zarah 4 audio-books 4.04 2017
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: audio-books
review:

]]> 57693515
When her grandfather disappears, leaving only a mysterious orb in his wake, the stories Emeline has always scoffed at suddenly seem less foolish. She enters the forest she has spent years trying to escape, only to have Hawthorne Fell, a handsome and brooding tithe collector, try to dissuade her from searching.

Refusing to be deterred, Emeline finds herself drawn to the court of the fabled Wood King himself. She makes a deal—her voice for her grandfather’s freedom. Little does she know, she’s stumbled into the middle of a curse much bigger than herself, one that threatens the existence of this eerie world she’s trapped in, along with the devastating boy who feels so familiar.

With the help of Hawthorne—an enemy turned reluctant ally who she grows closer to each day—Emeline sets out to not only save her grandfather’s life, but to right past wrongs, and in the process, discover her true voice.

Haunting and romantic, Kristen Ciccarelli's Edgewood is an exciting novel from a bold, unforgettable voice in fantasy.]]> 400 Kristen Ciccarelli Zarah 0 to-read 3.75 2022
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 206780522 An orphan.
An outcast.
A prince.

And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees.

Growing up in the Kegari slums, AIZ has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hotheaded mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite.

Banished from her people for an unforgivable crime, SIRSHA is a down-on-her-luck tracker who uses magic to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Martial Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But when a chance encounter leads to an unexpected attraction, Sirsha learns her mission might cost her far more than she's willing to give up.

QUIL is the crown prince of the Empire and nephew of a venerated empress, but he’s loath to take the throne when his aunt steps down. As the son of a reviled emperor, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need.

Beloved storyteller Sabaa Tahir interweaves the lives of three young people as they grapple with power, treachery, love, and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed, on a journey that may cost them their lives―and their hearts. Literally.]]> 484 Sabaa Tahir 0593616944 Zarah 0 to-read 4.24 2024
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 61070523 A sweeping, Pakistani romantic fantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, where one girl seeks revenge against those who betrayed her—including the boy she used to love.

Three hundred and sixty-four days.
Framed for a crime she didn't commit, Dania counts down her days in prison until she can exact revenge on Mazin, the boy responsible for her downfall, the boy she once loved—and still can't forget. When she discovers a fellow prisoner may have the key to exacting that vengeance--a stolen djinn treasure--they execute a daring escape together and search for the hidden treasure.

Armed with dark magic and a new identity, Dania enacts a plan to bring down those who betrayed her and her family, even though Mazin stands in her way. But seeking revenge becomes a complicated game of cat and mouse, especially when an undeniable fire still burns between them, and the power to destroy her enemies has a price. As Dania falls deeper into her web of traps and lies, she risks losing her humanity to her fight for vengeance--and her heart to the only boy she's ever loved.]]> 439 Emily Varga 1250877385 Zarah 4 audio-books I recommend it.]]> 3.67 2024
author: Emily Varga
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/11
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: audio-books
review:
Very enjoyable!! Like a cross between Aladdin and The Count of Monte Christo but with its own set of ideas and plot twists. I also LOVE the ”new wave�� of fantasy inspired by eastern myths, rather than the ever present western ones.
I recommend it.
]]> 223163012 “Tell me a secret, little witch.��

Marion enjoys her quiet life of solitude in the shadowy woods of the Black Veil, where even the local villagers don’t dare venture. She sells her healing potions at the village market by day and tends to her otherworldly garden by night, caring for her magical bees and furry familiar, Peek, at their cottage.

Then, one moonlit night, she encounters a devilishly handsome male—with powerful wings, sharp fangs, and high fae-like beauty—shot through with a lethal poisoned arrow.

Under her healer’s oath, she’s bound by magic to try to save the mysterious stranger. But as she nurses him back to health, she begins to suspect that Lorik Ravael isn’t quite what he seems. He knows too much about the Black Veil, rumored to be the entrance to the Below, a realm of dangerous magic and soulless monsters. Yet she’s drawn to him, bewitched by his luminous eyes, seductive grin, and silver tongue of riddles.

But as their forbidden desire ignites, she fears Lorik is hiding darker secrets than she imagined—secrets that could cost her a heart she isn’t willing to give.

The Midnight Arrow was previously published in The Lovely A Monster Romance Anthology by Emma Hamm, Juliette Cross, and Zoey Draven. This edition includes a bonus short story and can be read as a standalone.]]> 236 Zoey Draven Zarah 0 to-read 3.93 2025
author: Zoey Draven
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: to-read
review:

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

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or with the mortals she has come to love.]]> 393 Madeline Miller 0316556343 Zarah 5 audio-books Review to come.]]> 4.22 2018
author: Madeline Miller
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/07
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: audio-books
review:
4,5 rounded up for the Swedish narrator (Lena Endre) who has a - fittingly -divine voice.
Review to come.
]]> 127305713
Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe �� a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution �� who she can't help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Crimson Moth is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch�� is falling in love.]]> 406 Kristen Ciccarelli 1250866901 Zarah 4 4.16 2024
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/03
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves:
review:

]]> 212364043
“Be ready for a deadly contest for a bride, mistaken identities, hidden magic, and secrets that will keep you guessing until the end.�� –NISHA J. TULI, internationally bestselling author of Trial of the Sun Queen

A bladesmith blessed by the stars. A prince with a dangerous secret. A god bound in shadows. From USA Today bestselling author Amalie Howard comes a scorching new romantasy that will leave you spellbound.

“His Imperial Majesty King Zarek requests your presence as his esteemed guest.��

When the gold-dusted court invitation arrives at Suraya Saab’s forge, she believes it’s a joke. Nobles might seek her skills as a bladesmith—one of few who can imbue her work with precious jadu, the last source of magic in the realm—but she has no qualifications as a potential bride for the crown prince. Still, the invitation is the chance at adventure, and the means to finally visit the capital city her late mother loved.

But what awaits her in Kaldari is nothing she could have imagined—and fraught with danger. It’s not the crown prince, but his impossibly handsome, illegitimate half-brother, Roshan, who captures her interest…and her ire. The invitation isn’t a quest to find a suitable bride, but a veiled hunt for the Starkeeper—a girl rumored to hold the magic of the stars in her blood. And across the city, unrest is brewing between the noble houses and the rebel militia.

When the rebels attack, Suraya and Roshan find themselves on the run, trying to deny their simmering attraction and the knowledge that Suraya herself might be the Starkeeper. But Roshan is guarding secrets of his own. And with no control over the power stirring within her, Suraya has drawn the attention of a dark god, an immortal whose interest might be the biggest threat of all.

“Consumes all your attention and leaves you longing for more!�� —Jennifer L. Armentrout, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Stunning .�� —Brigid Kemmerer, New York Times bestselling author

“Pure addictive delight." —Thea Guanzon, New York Times bestselling author

“Amalie Howard at her finest!�� —Danielle L. Jensen, New York Times bestselling author]]> 368 Amalie Howard 0063355841 Zarah 4 audio-books 3.31 2025
author: Amalie Howard
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.31
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/29
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves: audio-books
review:

]]> 215149259 The Walking Dead meets Yellowjackets in If We Survive This, a tense and emotional young adult horror novel from award-winning author Racquel Marie about a teen girl leading a group of survivors on a perilous journey during the apocalypse.

Flora Braddock Paz is not the girl who survives. A colorful creative who spends as much time fearing death as she does trying to hide that fear from her loved ones, she’s always considered herself weak. But half a year into the global outbreak of a rabies mutation that transforms people into violent, zombielike "rabids," she and her older brother Cain are still alive. With their mom dead, their dad missing, and their LA suburb left desolate, they form a new plan to venture out to the secluded Northern California cabin they vacationed in growing up―their best chance at a safe haven and maybe even seeing their dad again.

The dangers of the world have changed, but so has Flora. Still, their journey up the state is complicated by encounters with familiar faces, new allies, hidden truths, and painful memories of the family’s final time making this trip last year. And for Flora, one thing inevitably remains: No matter how far you run, death is never far behind.]]> 336 Racquel Marie 125035269X Zarah 0 to-read 4.32 2025
author: Racquel Marie
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 28954189 Thou shalt kill.

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.

Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art�� of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

An alternate cover edition of ISBN: 9781442472426]]> 435 Neal Shusterman Zarah 0 to-read 4.32 2016
author: Neal Shusterman
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 123471760 When old secrets catch fire, everything will burn.

In a mortal world colonized by the gods and ruled over by the Descended, their cruel offspring, Diem Bellator yearns to escape the insular life of her poor village.

Her mother’s sudden disappearance—and the discovery of a dangerous secret about her past—offer Diem an unexpected opportunity to enter the dark world of Descended royalty and unlock the web of mysteries her mother left behind.

With the dying King’s handsome, mysterious heir watching her every move, and a ruthless mortal alliance recruiting her to join the growing civil war, Diem will have to navigate the unwritten rules of love, power, and politics in order to save her family—and all of mortalkind.

Spark of the Everflame is the first book in The Kindred's Curse Saga, a four-book fantasy romance series. This slow burn, enemies-to-lovers epic is perfect for lovers of magic, dragons, angst, and banter and will appeal to fans of books like A Court of Thorns and Roses, From Blood and Ash, Gild, and The Serpent & the Wings of Night.]]> 438 Penn Cole Zarah 0 to-read 4.20 2023
author: Penn Cole
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216785385 If you could swap your life for a better one, which would you choose?

On the outskirts of Rainbow Town, there is an old, abandoned house. They say that if you send a letter detailing your misfortunes there, you could receive a ticket. If you bring this ticket to the house on the first day of the rainy season, you'll be granted entrance into the mysterious Rainfall Market—where you can choose to completely change your life.

No one is more surprised than Serin when she receives a ticket. Lonely and with no real prospects for a future, Serin ventures to the market, determined to create a better life for herself.

There, she meets a magical cat companion named Issha and they search through bookstores, perfumeries, and fantastical realms while Serin tries to determine what her perfect life will look like.

The catch? Serin only has one week to find her happiness or be doomed to vanish into the market forever.

And all the while, a shadow follows quietly behind them…]]> 206 You Yeong-Gwang 0593952669 Zarah 0 to-read 3.47 2023
author: You Yeong-Gwang
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211096516 EVERY ACT OF TRANSLATION REQUIRES SACRIFICE

Welcome to Bletchley Park�� with dragons.

London, 1923. Dragons soar through the skies and protests erupt on the streets, but Vivian Featherswallow isn’t worried. She’s going to follow the rules, get an internship studying dragon languages, and make sure her little sister never has to risk growing up Third Class. By midnight, Viv has started a civil war.

With her parents arrested and her sister missing, all the safety Viv has worked for is collapsing around her. So when a lifeline is offered in the form of a mysterious ‘job��, she grabs it. Arriving at Bletchley Park, Viv discovers that she has been recruited as a codebreaker helping the war effort �� if she succeeds, she and her family can all go home again. If she doesn’t, they’ll all die.

At first Viv believes that her challenge, of discovering the secrets of a hidden dragon language, is doable. But the more she learns, the more she realises that the bubble she’s grown up in isn’t as safe as she thought, and eventually Viv must What war is she really fighting?

An epic, sweeping fantasy with an incredible Dark Academia setting, a clandestine, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, and an unputdownable story, filled with twists and turns, betrayals and secret identities, A Language of Dragons is the unmissable debut of 2025, from an extraordinary new voice.]]> 432 S.F. Williamson 0063353849 Zarah 0 to-read 3.83 2025
author: S.F. Williamson
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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

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

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

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

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

Sweepingly romantic and deceptively enchanting, this alternate history romantasy will enthrall readers of Holly Black, Stephanie Garber, and Adalyn Grace.]]> 400 Sasha Peyton Smith 0063372525 Zarah 0 to-read 3.97 2025
author: Sasha Peyton Smith
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217388302 DELUXE EDITION—a gorgeous hardcover edition featuring bright green sprayed edges, a foil stamp on the casing, and custom endpapers illustrated by the author.

From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Hemlock & Silver, a dark reimagining of “Snow White�� steeped in poison, intrigue, and treason of the most magical kind

Healer Anja regularly drinks poison.

Not to die, but to save—seeking cures for those everyone else has given up on.

But a summons from the King interrupts her quiet, herb-obsessed life. His daughter, Snow, is dying, and he hopes Anja’s unorthodox methods can save her.

Aided by a taciturn guard, a narcissistic cat, and a passion for the scientific method, Anja rushes to treat Snow, but nothing seems to work. That is, until she finds a secret world, hidden inside a magic mirror. This dark realm may hold the key to what is making Snow sick.

Or it might be the thing that kills them all.]]> 368 T. Kingfisher 1250342031 Zarah 0 to-read 4.31 2025
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 203146853 An outlawed magic, a hidden curse, and a love tested by fire.

In the struggling city of Braewick, a determined 20-year-old gate guard named Ailith MacCree longs for a chance at financial stability and adventure. Little does she know, her wish is about to come true. She accepts a mission from Princess Greer that promises both: escort Princess Caitriona to the Endless Mountains to meet the enigmatic hermit for a great financial reward. Ailith jumps at the opportunity and bids goodbye to all she’s ever known. But as they journey together, Ailith discovers that Caitriona holds a dangerous secret—she possesses powerful magic in a kingdom where magic is outlawed.

Ailith and Caitriona face mysterious attacks and supernatural challenges. But as they delve deeper into the treacherous landscape, Ailith learns of Caitriona's tragic past and the dark curse that threatens her very existence.

With rebellion brewing in Braewick, and the oppressive king hot on their trail, Ailith must not only navigate her growing feelings for Caitriona, but also fight against relentless foes. As they race against time to stop the curse, Ailith and Caitriona uncover shocking truths about their kingdom, their families, and themselves.

Will their burgeoning romance survive the trials ahead? Can they break the curse and save their homeland from tyranny? Join Ailith and Caitriona on a thrilling quest filled with magic, danger, and heart-pounding adventure. Fans of high-stakes fantasy will not want to miss this epic tale.]]> 346 Erica Rose Eberhart 1956183027 Zarah 0 to-read 4.48 2025
author: Erica Rose Eberhart
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 212276037 A brand-new epic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Joe Abercrombie, featuring a notorious band of anti-heroes on a delightfully bloody and raucous journey

Holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds.

Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City, where he is certain a commendation and grand holy assignment awaits him. But his new flock is made up of unrepentant murderers, practitioners of ghastly magic, and outright monsters. The mission he is tasked with will require bloody measures from them all in order to achieve its righteous ends.

Elves lurk at our borders and hunger for our flesh, while greedy princes care for nothing but their own ambitions and comfort. With a hellish journey before him, it's a good thing Brother Diaz has the devils on his side]]> 560 Joe Abercrombie 125088005X Zarah 0 to-read 4.43 2025
author: Joe Abercrombie
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/28
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review:

]]> 217643704 An enthralling sapphic retelling of Swan Lake, for fans of Allison Saft and V.E Schwab.

Magic has long been outlawed in Auréal . Odile has always known she’d be the one to restore it.

Raised by a sorcerer, Odile has spent years preparing for the heist of a lifetime. It’s perfectly simple. Impersonate a princess, infiltrate the palace, steal the king's enchanted crown and restore magic to the kingdom.

But when the King is unexpectedly murdered, she’s forced to recruit the help of Marie d'Odette, the real princess, and the two begin to unravel a web of lies and deceit that leaves Odile uncertain of who to trust.

Soon though Odile must decide �� her mission or the girl she’s falling for?

The fate of the Kingdom depends on her making the right choice. . .]]> 352 A.B. Poranek Zarah 0 to-read 4.19 2025
author: A.B. Poranek
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 219301793 A princess with a mostly useless magical talent takes on horrible monsters, a dozen identical masked heroes, and a talking lion in a quest to save a kingdom—and herself—in this affectionate satire of the Grimm Brothers�� fairy tale The Twelve Huntsmen.

Someone wants to murder Princess Melilot. This is sadly normal.

Melilot is sick of being ordered to go on dangerous quests by her domineering stepmother. Especially since she always winds up needing to be rescued by her more magically talented stepsisters. And now, she's been commanded to marry a king she’s never met.

When hideous spider-wolves attack her on the journey to meet her husband-to-be, she is once again rescued—but this time, by twelve eerily similar-looking masked huntsmen. Soon, she has to contend with near-constant attempts on her life, a talking lion that sets bewildering gender tests, and a king who can't recognize his true love when she puts on a pair of trousers. And all the while, she has to fight her growing attraction to not only one of the huntsmen, but also her fiancé’s extremely attractive sister.

If Melilot can't unravel the mysteries and rescue herself from peril, kingdoms will fall. Worse, she could end up married to someone she doesn’t love.]]> 416 Ry Herman 0593733088 Zarah 0 to-read 4.26 2025
author: Ry Herman
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217420653 An epic and romantic debut adventure fantasy, where a necromancer trying to resurrect her sister gets embroiled in bigger, world-ending plans instead

It's been thousands of years since the gods lifted the continents into the air so humanity could thrive, chaining the lands down with their bones and turning them into Anchor.

Azul del Arroyo doesn't care about gods or Anchor; she cares about being responsible for her sister's death and getting her bones from the capital so she can bring her back to life. Again. But in her way stands the Emissary of the Lord Death, who will do anything in his power to stop her, because a necromancer like her shouldn’t exist—no matter how alluring.

As Azul and the Emissary's cat-and-mouse game leads them to the dangerous Court of Cienpuentes, their fate becomes entwined with a count who begrudgingly works for a child king, a faceless witch who transforms Anchor into dreams she can peddle, and a long-lost half-brother with a secret of his own. It's a time of enlightenment, of rapiers and scientific prowess, in a country where Anchor ceased to be something worth revering a long time ago, and people have forgotten the gods' sacrifice.

But the gods haven’t. Because the gods want their bones back, and they're not opposed to becoming players in their own game.

Swashbuckling, grand, and tragically romantic, Mistress of Bones is a can't-miss debut about love, about loss, and, of course, about death.]]> 336 Maria Z. Medina 1250888239 Zarah 0 to-read 3.59 2025
author: Maria Z. Medina
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214175189 For fans of Sarah J. Maas and��Holly Black,��The Forest King's Daughter��is an enemies-to-forbidden-lovers romance from the��New York Times��bestselling author of��Frostblood.

Once upon a time, among��the bloodred��trees of��Thirstwood, a young��forest��princess became friends with a lonely demon boy. He gifted her an amber ring, a worthless trinket…or so he thought...because no sooner did he slide it onto her finger than the demon queen and��forest��king declared war.

Years later, Cassia is a crucial force in her father’s army, wielding her ring of light that can blind and disorient hundreds of demons at a time. Then battle-hardened Zeru��abducts��her, planning to steal the ring back to fix his costly childhood mistake. Exhausted, terrified, and more than a little mistrusting, Cassia is forced to travel with Zeru to a place they both believed only existed in storybooks, one where their childhood friendship slowly rekindles into something much more. But it's only a matter of time before the war they've escaped comes for them, and a hidden threat to��forest folk��and demons alike grows in the shadows.

From the author of the Frostblood Saga��comes the first book in an enchanting,��adventure-filled fantasy series about the daughters of the powerful��forest��king, sure to leave readers breathless and desperate for more.]]> 384 Elly Blake 0316395722 Zarah 0 to-read 3.63 2025
author: Elly Blake
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 205335957
Sybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum's windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams.

Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrick has no respect for Sybil's visions. But when Sybil's fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral's cloister is wrought with peril. Only the gods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she'd rather avoid Rodrick's dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god.]]> 400 Rachel Gillig 0356522962 Zarah 0 to-read 4.61 2025
author: Rachel Gillig
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60581370
The lost Heir of Jasad, Sylvia never wants to be found. She can’t think about how Nizahl’s armies laid waste to her kingdom and continue to hunt its people—not if she wants to stay alive. But when Arin, the Nizahl Heir, tracks a group of Jasadi rebels to her village, staying one step ahead of death gets trickier.

In a moment of anger Sylvia’s magic is exposed, capturing Arin’s attention. Now, to save her life, Sylvia will have to make a deal with her greatest enemy. If she helps him lure the rebels, she’ll escape persecution.

A deadly game begins. Sylvia can’t let Arin discover her identity even as hatred shifts into something more. Soon, Sylvia will have to choose between the life she wants and the one she left behind. The scorched kingdom is rising, and it needs a queen.

In this Egyptian-inspired debut fantasy, a fugitive queen strikes a deadly bargain with her greatest enemy and finds herself embroiled in a complex game that could resurrect her scorched kingdom or leave it in ashes forever. ]]> 523 Sara Hashem 0316477869 Zarah 0 to-read 3.95 2023
author: Sara Hashem
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 215805795 Two strangers find themselves stranded at sea together in this epic new love story by bestselling author Beth O’Leary.

What if you were lost at sea…with your one-night stand?

Zeke and Lexi thought it would just be a night of fun. They had no intentions of seeing each other again. Zeke is only in town for the weekend to buy back his late father’s houseboat. Lexi has no time for dating when she needs to help take care of her best friend's daughter.

Going back home with a stranger seems like a perfect escape from their problems. But a miscommunication in the dark, foggy night means no one tied the houseboat to the dock. The next morning, Zeke and Lexi realize all they can see is miles and miles of water.

With just a few provisions on the idle boat, Zeke and Lexi must figure out how to get back home. But aside from their survival, they’re facing another challenge. Because when you’re stuck together for days on end, it gives you a lot of time to get to know someone—and to fall in love with them.]]> 384 Beth O'Leary 0593640144 Zarah 0 to-read 3.65 2025
author: Beth O'Leary
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 20174424
Into this broken city steps Shara Thivani. Officially, the unassuming young woman is just another junior diplomat sent by Bulikov’s oppressors. Unofficially, she is one of her country’s most accomplished spies, dispatched �� along with her terrifying “secretary��, Sigrud �� to solve a murder.

But as Shara pursues the killer, she starts to suspect that the beings who ruled this terrible place may not be as dead as they seem, and that Bulikov’s cruel reign may not yet be over.

A tale of vast conspiracies, dead gods, and buried histories, City of Stairs is at once a gripping spy novel and a stunningly original work of fantasy.

]]> 452 Robert Jackson Bennett 080413717X Zarah 0 to-read 4.07 2014
author: Robert Jackson Bennett
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 39751894 WINNER OF THE 2019 READERVIEWS AWARD FOR FANTASY!
WINNER OF THE 2019 IPPY AWARD FOR FANTASY!

“Life is transformation. You change or you die.��

Ashamed of his past and overwhelmed by his future, Ronoah Genoveffa Elizzi-denna Pilanovani feels too small for his own name. After a graceless exit from his homeland in the Acharrioni desert, his anxiety has sabotaged every attempt at redemption. Asides from a fiery devotion to his godling, the one piece of home he brought with him, he has nothing.

That is, until he meets Reilin. Beguiling, bewildering Reilin, who whisks Ronoah up into a cross-continental pilgrimage to the most sacred place on the planet. The people they encounter on the way—children of the sea, a priestess and her band of storytellers, the lonely ghosts of monsters—are grim and whimsical in equal measure. Each has their part to play in rewriting Ronoah’s personal narrative.

One part fantasy travelogue, one part emotional underworld journey, The Heretic’s Guide to Homecoming is a sumptuous, slow-burning story about stories and the way they shape our lives.]]> 448 Sienna Tristen 1775242714 Zarah 0 to-read 4.29 2018
author: Sienna Tristen
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 35405026

Year of Wonder is a unique celebration of classical music by an author who wants to share its diverse wonders with others and to encourage a love for this genre in all readers, whether complete novices or lifetime enthusiasts.

Clemency chooses one piece of music for each day of the year, with a short explanation about the composer to put it into context, and brings the music alive in a modern and playful way, while also extolling the positive mindfulness element of giving yourself some time every day to listen to something uplifting or beautiful. Thoughtfully curated and expertly researched, this is a book of classical music to keep you company: whoever you are, wherever you're from.

'The only requirements for enjoying classical music are open ears and an open mind.'
Clemency Burton-Hill


Playlists are available on most streaming music platforms including Apple Music.]]> 416 Clemency Burton-Hill 1472251822 Zarah 0 to-read 4.47 2017
author: Clemency Burton-Hill
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214565619
Lord Nicholas Monterris, the last remaining heir of a crumbling ducal house, must marry to save his family from complete decline. His father chooses Lady Leaf Serral, eldest daughter of his greatest rival, at which point Nic is sure it can’t get any worse. Until he learns the head negotiator is to be Dashiell sa Vare, an old flame he has neither forgiven nor forgotten, a man their rigid class structure forbids him to love.

Locked in the mouldering grandeur of Monterris Court (a house more haunting manifestation of dynastic ambition and ancestral guilt than home), the first dead body is troubling. The second, a warning that someone doesn’t want the contract to go ahead. But while Nic and his wife-to-be team up to banter their way through a secret murder investigation, it’s Dashiell he can’t stop thinking about. What would be worse? To love and have to let go, or to wholly deny the yearning of one’s heart forever?

Perfect for fans of Freya Marske and Alexis Hall, The Gentleman and His Vowsmith by Rebecca Ide is the perfect blend of gothic and romantic �� including a locked room murder mystery, forbidden love and otherworldly automatons.]]> 464 Rebecca Ide 1668070936 Zarah 0 to-read 3.65 2025
author: Rebecca Ide
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214117262 Two rival thieves
One fated heist gone wrong
And a curse that threatens to steal more than their freedom

It was a simple job.

All I had to do was steal a ring from a mainland witch for the Thieves�� Guild that owned me. Easy enough, right? The reward would bring me closer to earning my freedom. And stars above, I wanted off this floating luxury island.

But then he showed up, a cocky thief from a rival guild, and ruined all my plans.

Every. Single. One.

I lost the ring and my chance at freedom. But on the bright side, if we fail to retrieve three magical artifacts for the witch, I’ll be forever cursed to exist no more than fifteen feet from that unnaturally beautiful, arrogant elf. As an additional treat, we’ll be hunted down by our own guilds when this curse prevents us from returning. I honestly didn’t believe things could get worse. Until he offered a solution to our not-so-little problem—a bargain to save our lives.

I would laugh, except I didn’t realize there was anything left in my life to steal.


�� BOUND BY RAVENS ✨is a humorous short novel and perfect for fans of:
- new adult romantasy
- rival thieves to lovers
- cozy-ish with high stakes
- witty banter
- Irish mythology and faerie tales
- heist adventure
- forced proximity
- who did this to you
- he falls first
- fated mates
- romcom fantasy vibes
- otters


PLEASE NOTE:
BOUND BY RAVENS was originally part of The Starry Kingdoms of the Fae multi-author novella collection and now a standalone in the A Bound by Ravens Novel series, along with THE NIGHT MARKET.

This story is not a novella but a 55,000 word short novel]]> 257 Jesikah Sundin 1954694199 Zarah 0 to-read 3.91
author: Jesikah Sundin
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.91
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 216595852
I'm just a girl. And it turns out, I'm Hercules.

I'm struggling to survive in a Titan infested world where Spartans, immortals from twelve royal families who have god-like powers and obscene wealth, rule over all. A shy-stammering foster child with nothing, I keep my head down, cover my scars, and focus on excelling in school. At least, I try to. Then it happens.

My blood test reveals I'm part of the powerful elite. I'm one of them. A Spartan.

Forced to attend the Spartan War Academy, I undergo the most harrowing test of all time to see if I have what it takes to be an immortal. There's just a few problems. Achilles and Patro are my scary mentors. Kharon, the ferryman of death, and Augustus, the son of war, are my terrifying professors. Also, I'm pretty sure either someone's stalking me everywhere I go, or my sanity's slipping––I have a bad feeling both are true.

I'm surrounded by Villains and they're smothering me with their hate, obsession, and dark possessiveness. Too bad for them, they have no clue just who they're messing with.




]]> 496 Jasmine Mas Zarah 1 DNF @ 74% and I will definitely avoid this author.
I am happy for those of you you enjoyed this but we probably shouldn’t share a bookshelf…]]> 3.84 2024
author: Jasmine Mas
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2024
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: audio-books, insufferable-characters, this-author-is-so-not-my-cup-of-tea, this-narrator-is-not-for-me, unfinished-affairs
review:
I tried to get past the fangirly writing style and clunky language, the awkward mentioning a of sex and the Snowflakey MC, because my last books were DNFs but I’m sorry - two homicidal and possessive psychos who are, I suppose, supposed to be love interests and who rip people apart for basically talking to her (even if the doctor was a creep, Ouro(?) wasn’t really) is beyond what I can put up with.
DNF @ 74% and I will definitely avoid this author.
I am happy for those of you you enjoyed this but we probably shouldn’t share a bookshelf��
]]> 544424
After a year in juvenile jail, Caleb’s free . . . if freedom means endless nagging from a transition coach and the prying eyes of the entire town. Coming home should feel good, but his family and ex-girlfriend seem like strangers.

Caleb and Maggie are outsiders, pigeon-holed as "criminal" and "freak." Then the truth emerges about what really happened the night of the accident and, once again, everything changes. It’s a bleak and tortuous journey for Caleb and Maggie, yet they end up finding comfort and strength from a surprising source: each other.]]> 312 Simone Elkeles 0738710180 Zarah 0 4.00 2007
author: Simone Elkeles
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: audio-books, this-author-is-so-not-my-cup-of-tea, unfinished-affairs, this-narrator-is-not-for-me
review:

]]> 34186576 Kirkus Reviews �� Verdict: Get it.]]> 380 Sara Pascoe 0993574734 Zarah 0 to-read 4.29 2015
author: Sara Pascoe
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 55200450 A propulsive literary page-turner about a family torn apart by a mother’s obsession with a sound that no one else can hear

One night, while lying in bed next to her husband, Claire Devon suddenly hears a low hum. This innocuous sound, which no one else in the house can hear, has no obvious source or medical cause, but it begins to upset the balance of Claire’s life. When she discovers that one of her students can also hear��the��hum,��the��two strike up an unlikely and intimate friendship.��Finding themselves increasingly isolated from their families and colleagues, they fall in with��a disparate group of people who also perceive��the��sound. What starts out as a kind of neighbourhood self-help group gradually transforms into something much more extreme, with far-reaching, devastating consequences.��

The Listeners��is an electrifying novel that treads the thresholds of��faith, conspiracy and mania. Compelling and exhilarating, it forces us to consider how strongly we hold on to what we perceive, and the way different views can tear a family apart.

���ձ�> 294 Jordan Tannahill 1443464147 Zarah 0 audio-books, stuck-on-pause 3.42 2021
author: Jordan Tannahill
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: audio-books, stuck-on-pause
review:

]]> 63202287
Hell is empty and all the devils are here.

The Chatelaine has come.

The year is 1328 and Hell has overrun Bruges. Demons stalk the streets and revenants swarm the walls. The city’s men have fallen and only widows remain.

But Hell should fear them.

Margriet de Vos killed her first soldier when she was eleven. She has buried six children and will fight for the daughter left to her. Their only wealth is gone, taken into the inferno. And she will not be stolen from. The Devil be damned.

Together with a man-at-arms with unfinished business, a widow and her forgehammer, and a alderman's wife who escapes with her children, Margriet will raise a raiding party like Hell has never seen.

Originally published as Armed in Her Fashion.]]> 370 Kate Heartfield 0008567859 Zarah 4 audio-books
What I love:
Strong and diverse characters who grow and evolve. I especially love how it’s not CIS-male-centric, which books of this genre tend to be.
Not set in the usual US or even UK. I adore a book that actually acknowledges that the world has more than 3-5 countries (and languages).
Great quotes.
The narrator has a lovely voice.

What I don’t love:
The narrator doesn’t make her pauses long enough between changing narratives, and sometimes I had to skip back to realise that the audio hadn’t been corrupted, when the pauses indicated just a normal ”within one setting-pause�� but instead skipped to another set of characters and another scenery.
The Chatelaine seems so weak and strangely powerless despite ruling the inhabitants of hell, constantly deferring to the French king and hoping to gain favour�� why?!
The story is a bit messy and I tended to get a bit confused as to what happened and who was who�� that might be in part because of the narrator tho. (But I really struggled to remember that Monocharos and Char…the other one�� whatshisface? That they were different characters. I actually don’t think I even noticed until quite far into the story.

I liked this but I feel it needed another round of polishing before being released, to make it a shining five star book.]]> 3.36 2018
author: Kate Heartfield
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/21
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves: audio-books
review:
3,5 stars and an extra 0,5 for uniqueness.

What I love:
Strong and diverse characters who grow and evolve. I especially love how it’s not CIS-male-centric, which books of this genre tend to be.
Not set in the usual US or even UK. I adore a book that actually acknowledges that the world has more than 3-5 countries (and languages).
Great quotes.
The narrator has a lovely voice.

What I don’t love:
The narrator doesn’t make her pauses long enough between changing narratives, and sometimes I had to skip back to realise that the audio hadn’t been corrupted, when the pauses indicated just a normal ”within one setting-pause�� but instead skipped to another set of characters and another scenery.
The Chatelaine seems so weak and strangely powerless despite ruling the inhabitants of hell, constantly deferring to the French king and hoping to gain favour�� why?!
The story is a bit messy and I tended to get a bit confused as to what happened and who was who�� that might be in part because of the narrator tho. (But I really struggled to remember that Monocharos and Char…the other one�� whatshisface? That they were different characters. I actually don’t think I even noticed until quite far into the story.

I liked this but I feel it needed another round of polishing before being released, to make it a shining five star book.
]]> 58622053
Finalist for the Ottawa Book Award.

‘Power is not something you are given. Power is something you take. When you are a woman, it is a little more difficult, that’s all��

1768. Charlotte, daughter of the Habsburg Empress, arrives in Naples to marry a man she has never met. Her sister Antoine is sent to France, and in the mirrored corridors of Versailles they rename her Marie Antoinette.

The sisters are alone, but they are not powerless. When they were only children, they discovered a book of spells �� spells that work, with dark and unpredictable consequences.

In a time of vicious court politics, of discovery and dizzying change, they use the book to take control of their lives.

But every spell requires a sacrifice. And as love between the sisters turns to rivalry, they will send Europe spiralling into revolution.

Brimming with romance, betrayal, and enchantment, The Embroidered Book reimagines a dazzling period of history as you have never seen it before.]]> 655 Kate Heartfield Zarah 0 to-read 3.63 2022
author: Kate Heartfield
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 29737083
Boston, 1926. Jenny “Wren�� Lockhart is a bold eccentric—even for a female vaudevillian. As notorious for her inherited wealth and gentleman’s dress as she is for her unsavory upbringing in the back halls of a vaudeville theater, Wren lives in a world that challenges all manner of conventions.

In the months following Houdini’s death, Wren is drawn into a web of mystery surrounding a spiritualist by the name of Horace Stapleton, a man defamed by Houdini’s ardent debunking of fraudulent mystics in the years leading up to his death. But in a public illusion that goes terribly wrong, one man is dead and another stands charged with his murder. Though he’s known as one of her teacher’s greatest critics, Wren must decide to become the one thing she never wanted to be: Stapleton’s defender.

Forced to team up with the newly formed FBI, Wren races against time and an unknown enemy, all to prove the innocence of a hated man. In a world of illusion, of the vaudeville halls that showcase the flamboyant and the strange, Wren’s carefully constructed world threatens to collapse around her.

Layered with mystery, illusion, and the artistry of the Jazz Age’s bygone vaudeville era, The Illusionist’s Apprentice is a journey through love and loss and the underpinnings of faith on each life’s stage.]]> 356 Kristy Cambron 071804150X Zarah 0 to-read 3.78 2017
author: Kristy Cambron
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 207567744 Desperate to undo the curse binding them to each other, an impulsive sorcerer and his curmudgeonly rival venture deep into a magical forest in search of a counterspell—only to discover that magic might not be the only thing pulling them together.

Leovander Loveage is a master of small magics.

He can summon butterflies with a song, or turn someone’s hair pink by snapping his fingers. Such minor charms don’t earn him much admiration from other sorcerers (or his father), but anything more elaborate always blows up in his face. Which is why Leo vowed years ago to never again write powerful magic.

That is, until a mix-up involving a forbidden spell binds Leo to obey the commands of his longtime nemesis, Sebastian Grimm. Grimm is Leo’s complete opposite—respected, exceptionally talented, and an absolutely insufferable curmudgeon. The only thing they agree on is that getting caught using forbidden magic would mean the end of their careers. They need a counterspell, and fast. But Grimm casts spells, he doesn’t undo them, and Leo doesn’t mess with powerful magic.

Chasing rumors of a powerful sorcerer with a knack for undoing curses, Leo and Grimm enter the Unquiet Wood, a forest infested with murderous monsters and dangerous outlaws alike. To dissolve the curse, they’ll have to uncover the true depths of Leo’s magic, set aside their long-standing rivalry, and—much to their horror—work together.

Even as an odd spark of attraction flares between them.]]> 400 Maiga Doocy 0316576751 Zarah 0 to-read 4.40 2024
author: Maiga Doocy
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 215020997 ALL first edition copies will be signed by the author! Signed copies available while supplies last.

From V. E. Schwab, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: a new genre-defying novel about immortality and hunger.

This is a story about hunger.
1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
A young girl grows up wild and wily—her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But María knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men. When an alluring stranger offers an alternate path, María makes a desperate choice. She vows to have no regrets.

This is a story about love.
1827. London.
A young woman lives an idyllic but cloistered life on her family’s estate, until a moment of forbidden intimacy sees her shipped off to London. Charlotte’s tender heart and seemingly impossible wishes are swept away by an invitation from a beautiful widow—but the price of freedom is higher than she could have imagined.

This is a story about rage.
2019. Boston.
College was supposed to be her chance to be someone new. That’s why Alice moved halfway across the world, leaving her old life behind. But after an out-of-character one-night stand leaves her questioning her past, her present, and her future, Alice throws herself into the hunt for answers . . . and revenge.

This is a story about life��
how it ends, and how it starts.

USA Today, 15 Most Anticipated of 2025
BookBub, Most Anticipated of 2025 (and Reader’s Pick)
Readers Digest, 20 Most Anticipated Books This Year
Paste Magazine, Most Anticipated Fantasy Books of 2025
BookRiot, Most Anticipated Books of 2025
Men's Health, 25 Best & Most Anticipated Books of 2025
The Nerd Daily, SFF to Devour in 2025
ŷ������, Readers' Most Anticipated Books of 2025]]> 560 Victoria E. Schwab 1035064642 Zarah 0 to-read 4.38 2025
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 58949796
Leadenhall Street, London, 1754.

Raised amongst the cogs and springs of his father's workshop, Zachary Cloudesley has grown up surrounded by strange and enchanting clockwork automata. He is a happy child, beloved by his father Abel and the workmen who help bring his father's creations to life.

He is also the bearer of an extraordinary gift; at the touch of a hand, Zachary can see into the hearts and minds of the people he meets.

But then a near-fatal accident will take Zachary away from the workshop and his family. His father will have to make a journey that he will never return from. And, years later, only Zachary can find out what happened.

A beautifully crafted historical mystery of love and hope, and the adventure of finding your place in the world.]]> 356 Sean Lusk 0857528068 Zarah 0 to-read 3.73 2022
author: Sean Lusk
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 62192516
Legends don’t always live up to reality.

Being reborn as an immortal defender of the realm gets awfully tiring over the years—or at least that’s what Sir Kay’s thinking as he claws his way up from beneath the earth yet again.

Kay once rode alongside his brother, King Arthur, as a Knight of the Round Table. Since then, he has fought at Hastings and at Waterloo and in both World Wars. But now he finds himself in a strange new world where oceans have risen, the army’s been privatized, and half of Britain’s been sold to foreign powers. The dragon that’s running amok—that he can handle. The rest? He’s not so sure.

Mariam’s spent her life fighting what’s wrong with her country. But she’s just one ordinary person, up against a hopelessly broken system. So when she meets Kay, she dares to hope that the world has finally found the savior it needs.

Yet as the two travel through this bizarre and dangerous land, they discover that a magical plot of apocalyptic proportions is underway. And Kay’s too busy hunting dragons—and exchanging blows with his old enemy Lancelot—to figure out what to do about it.��

In perilous times like these, the realm doesn’t just need a knight. It needs a true leader.��

Luckily, Excalibur lies within reach.��

But who will be fit to wield it?��

With a cast that includes Merlin, Morgan le Fay, the Lady of the Lake, and King Arthur himself—all reimagined in joyous, wickedly subversive fashion�� Perilous Times is an Arthurian retelling that looks forward as much as it looks back . . . and a rollicking, deadpan-funny, surprisingly touching fantasy adventure.]]> 496 Thomas D. Lee 0593499018 Zarah 0 to-read 3.83 2023
author: Thomas D. Lee
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 204237305
HELSINGØR, 1536.

Ophelia is a disgraced handmaid to the queen, the cast-off lover of Prince Hamlet.

She is also a witch, and a good one at that. And she can see that Denmark is rotting from the inside out, afflicted by dark magic.

WITTENBERG, 1536.

Hamlet is a useless son, a failed heir. He is the prince of a nation about to fight a war they won't win.

He doesn't know about magic, but if he did he would use it to destroy their enemies—no matter the consequences.

As Hamlet and Ophelia find themselves increasingly torn apart, they must decide: how much are they willing to sacrifice in order to save Denmark?

And, by the end of it all, will they be beyond saving?]]> 500 Yves Donlon Zarah 0 to-read 4.00 2024
author: Yves Donlon
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 156010259 An epic new graphic novel fantasy—a queer, feminist reimagining of the Fox Maiden legend from Korean mythology.

Kai Song dreams of being a warrior. She wants to follow in the footsteps of her beloved father, the commander of the Royal Legion. But while her father believes in Kai and trains her in martial arts, their society isn’t ready for a girl warrior.

Still, Kai is determined. But she is plagued by rumors that she is the granddaughter of Gumiho, the infamous nine-tailed fox demon who was killed by her father years before.

Everything comes crashing down the day Kai learns the deadly secret about her mother’s past. Now she must come to terms with the truth about her identity and take her destiny into her own hands. As Kai desperately searches for a way to escape her fate, she comes to find compassion, and even love, in the most unexpected places.

Set in 16th century Korea and richly infused with Korean folklore, The Fox Maidens is a timeless and powerful story about fighting for your place in the world, even when it seems impossible.]]> 320 Robin Ha 0062685139 Zarah 0 to-read 3.84 2024
author: Robin Ha
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 51925604
In these dangerous days, no one can be trusted, everyone is to be feared. As Camille learns the truth, she's forced to choose between loyalty to those she loves and the future.]]> 432 Kat Dunn 1789543649 Zarah 0 to-read 3.48 2020
author: Kat Dunn
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 59575976
Sylvie de Rosiers,��as the daughter of a rich planter and an enslaved��woman, enjoys the��comforts��of a lady in 1791 Saint-Domingue society. But while she was��born to��privilege, she was never fully accepted by island elites.��After a violent rebellion begins the Haitian Revolution, Sylvie and her brother leave their family and old lives behind to flee unwittingly into another uprising—in austere and radical Paris. Sylvie quickly becomes enamored with the aims of the Revolution, as well as with the revolutionaries themselves—most notably Maximilien Robespierre and his mistress, Cornélie Duplay.
��
As a rising leader and abolitionist, Robespierre sees an opportunity to exploit Sylvie’s race and abandonment of her aristocratic roots as an example of his ideals, while the strong-willed Cornélie offers Sylvie��safe harbor and guidance in free thought. Sylvie battles with her past complicity in a slave society and her future within this new world order as she finds herself increasingly torn between Robespierre's ideology and Cornélie's love.
��
When the Reign of Terror descends, Sylvie must decide whether to become an accomplice while a new empire rises on the bones of innocents…or risk losing her head.]]> 432 Zoe Sivak 0593336038 Zarah 0 to-read 3.48 2022
author: Zoe Sivak
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 50892360 The first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic.

A god will return
When the earth and sky converge
Under the black sun

In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world.

Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain.]]> 454 Rebecca Roanhorse 1534437673 Zarah 0 to-read 4.17 2020
author: Rebecca Roanhorse
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 56978097 In the Remixed Classics series, authors from marginalized backgrounds reinterpret classic works through their own cultural lens to subvert the overwhelming cishet, white, and male canon. This thrilling female-led Robin Hood remix reframes the legend’s tales of the Third Crusade from a Muslim perspective, rewriting its origin’s male and overwhelmingly white Euro-centric narrative.

Jerusalem, 1192. The Third Crusade rages on. Rahma al-Hud loyally followed her elder sister Zeena into the war over the Holy Land, but now that the Faranji invaders have gotten reinforcements from Richard the Lionheart, all she wants to do is get herself and her sister home alive.

But Zeena, a soldier of honor at heart, refuses to give up the fight while Jerusalem remains in danger of falling back into the hands of the false Queen Isabella. And so, Rahma has no choice but to take on one final mission with her sister.

On their journey to Jerusalem, Rahma and Zeena come across a motley collection of fellow travelers—including a kind-hearted Mongolian warrior, an eccentric Andalusian scientist, a frustratingly handsome spy with a connection to Rahma's childhood, and an unfortunate English chaplain abandoned behind enemy lines. The teens all find solace, purpose and camaraderie—as well as a healthy bit of mischief—in each other's company.

But their travels soon bring them into the orbit of Queen Isabella herself, whose plans to re-seize power in Jerusalem would only guarantee further war and strife in the Holy Land for years to come. And so it falls to the merry band of misfits to use every scrap of cunning and wit (and not a small amount of thievery) to foil the usurper queen and perhaps finally restore peace to the land.

Praise for Travelers Along the Way:

"Travelers Along the Way is the Robin Hood retelling I did not know I wanted. Deeply researched and masterfully written, here is a story that’s not only thrilling, but also delightfully clever!" —Tanaz Bhathena, author of A Girl Like That and Hunted by the Sky

"If you love heists, found family, and stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, then put Aminah Mae Safi's heartfelt and humorous take on Robin Hood at the very top of your TBR." —Jodi Meadows, New York Times bestselling co-author of My Lady Jane]]> 352 Aminah Mae Safi 1250771277 Zarah 0 to-read 3.88 2022
author: Aminah Mae Safi
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 41150474
Rachel Recht is a wannabe director who's obsesssed with movies and ready to make her own masterpiece. As she's casting her senior film project, she knows she's found the perfect lead - Sana.

There's only one problem. Rachel hates Sana. Rachel was the first girl Sana ever asked out, but Rachel thought it was a cruel prank and has detested Sana ever since.

Told in alternative viewpoints and inspired by classic romantic comedies, this engaging and edgy YA novel follows two strongwilled young women falling for each other despite themselves.]]> 312 Aminah Mae Safi 1250299489 Zarah 0 to-read 3.64 2019
author: Aminah Mae Safi
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 59366260
In 1473, fourteen-year-old Blanca dies in a hilltop monastery in Mallorca. Nearly four hundred years later, when George Sand, her two children, and her lover Frederic Chopin arrive in the village, Blanca is still there: a spirited, funny, righteous ghost, she’s been hanging around the monastery since her accidental death, spying on the monks and the townspeople and keeping track of her descendants.

Blanca is enchanted the moment she sees George, and the magical novel unfolds as a story of deeply felt, unrequited longing—a teenage ghost pining for a woman who can’t see her and doesn’t know she exists. As George and Chopin, who wear their unconventionality, in George’s case, literally on their sleeves, find themselves in deepening trouble with the provincial, 19th-century villagers, Blanca watches helplessly and reflects on the circumstances of her own death (which involved an ill-advised love affair with a monk-in-training).

Charming, original, and emotionally moving -- gorgeous and surprising exploration of artistry, desire, and life after death.]]> 304 Nell Stevens 1982190949 Zarah 0 to-read 3.75 2022
author: Nell Stevens
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 198973388 The Princess Bride meets Six of Crows in this uproarious fantasy debut set in 18th century Scandinavia full of assassins, magic potions, romance and rivalry.

Valour and Petrichor are esteemed members of the Order of Axsten, an assassin’s guild tasked with keeping order in the rough city of Vinterstock. Plucked from the streets as children and raised to compete for their guild’s approval, Valour uses her brawn to survive, while Petrichor strives to be a gentleman assassin. When they’re given their biggest job yet—to kill Brandquist, the mysterious leader of the city's illegal magic trade—it’s a recipe for disaster. If they can quell their rivalry long enough, the reward will be enough to settle their debts with the Order and start new lives.

If this job wasn’t dangerous enough, Valour is saddled with protecting the aristocrat, Ingrid Rytterdahl. Valour finds her dangerously attractive, but Petrichor can’t wait to be rid of them both. He begrudgingly accepts Ingrid’s knowledge and connections as they navigate the city’s criminal underbelly in pursuit of Brandquist.

As secrets bubble to the surface, the duo must outwit the thugs on their tail, keep Ingrid alive, and—hardest of all—work together without murdering each other.]]> 460 Emma Sterner-Radley 1837860688 Zarah 0 to-read 3.64 2024
author: Emma Sterner-Radley
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 122756972 Ariel Kaplan’s The Pomegranate Gate is the lyrical first installment of the Mirror Realm Cycle, a vibrant and heartfelt Inquisition-era Jewish epic fantasy in the vein of Naomi Novik, Katherine Arden, and Tasha Suri.

Toba Peres can speak, but not shout; she can walk, but not run. She can write with both hands, in different languages, but has not had a formal education. The only treasure Toba has dared to keep is a precious star sapphire, set in a necklace she must never take off.

Naftaly Cresques sees things that aren’t real, and dreams things that are. He is a well-trained tailor, but a middling one, and he is risking his life to smuggle a strange family heirloom: a centuries-old book he must never read, and must never lose.

The Queen of the Sefarad has ordered all Jews to convert, or be exiled with nothing. Toba, Naftaly, and thousands of others are forced to flee their homes. Toba, accidentally separated from their caravan of refugees, stumbles through a strange pomegranate grove into the magical realm of the Maziks: mythical, terrible beings with immense power. There, she discovers latent abilities that put her in the crosshairs of bloodthirsty immortals, but may be key to her survival. On the other side of the gate, Naftaly, intent on rescuing Toba, finds his new companions harbor dangerous secrets of their own.

Now, hunted by an Inquisition in both worlds, Toba and Naftaly must unravel ancient histories and ancient magics in order to understand the link between the two realms. More than their own lives might be at stake.

Brimming with folkloric wonder, The Pomegranate Gate weaves history, myth, and magic into an exquisite tale of fate, legacy, and friendship that will leave readers spellbound.]]> 560 Ariel Kaplan 1645660753 Zarah 0 to-read 4.24 2023
author: Ariel Kaplan
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 200555176
"Miracles, marvels, saints, sinners, love, plague, and treachery! M. T. Anderson has laid out a medieval feast of a novel, stuffed with everything I could have wished for. If I could canonize him for it, I would. But I’ll settle for shouting about how much I love this book."—Kelly Link, author of The Book of Love

"M. T. Anderson is one of our greatest and most precious voices. His books aren't just brilliantly witty and vastly entertaining, they're fixed stars of wisdom and sanity in our increasingly unhinged universe. When lost, I use them to steer by."—Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians Trilogy

The year is 1087, and a pox is sweeping through the Italian city of Bari. When a lowly monk is visited by Saint Nicholas in his dreams, he interprets the vision as a call to serve the sick. But his superiors, and the power brokers they serve, have different plans for the tender-hearted Brother Nicephorus.

Enter Tyun, a charismatic treasure hunter renowned for “liberating�� holy relics from their tombs. The seven-hundred-year-old bones of Saint Nicholas are rumored to weep a mysterious liquid that can heal the sick, Tyun says. For the humble price of a small fortune, he will steal the bones and deliver them to Bari, curing the plague and restoring glory to the fallen city. And Nicephorus, the “dreamer,�� will be his guide.

What follows is a heist for the ages, as Nicephorus is swept away on strange tides, and alongside even stranger bedfellows, to commit sacrilegious theft. Based on real historical accounts, Nicked is a swashbuckling saga, a medieval novel noir, a meditation on the miraculous, and a monastic meet-cute, filled with wide-eyed wonder at the world that awaits beyond our own borders.]]> 223 M.T. Anderson 0593701607 Zarah 0 to-read 3.67 2024
author: M.T. Anderson
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 34850295 I can feel it swimming through my veins like glitter ... it's liquid gold.

When socialite Lexi Volkov almost overdoses, she thinks she's hit rock bottom.

She's wrong. Rock bottom is when she's forced into an exclusive rehab facility.

From there, the only way is up for Lexi and her fellow inmates, including the mysterious Brady.

As she faces her demons, Lexi realises love is the most powerful drug of all ...

It's a dirty business getting clean ...]]> 399 Juno Dawson 1786540363 Zarah 0 to-read 4.11 2018
author: Juno Dawson
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 200555208
BOW DOWN WITCHES

It’s 1536 and the Queen has been beheaded.

Lady Grace Fairfax, witch, knows that something foul is at play �� that someone had betrayed Anne Boleyn and her coven.

Wild with the loss of their leader �� and her lover, a secret that if spilled could spell Grace’s own end �� she will do anything in her power to track down the traitor.

But there’s more at stake than revenge: it was one of their own, a witch, that betrayed them, and Grace isn’t the only one looking for her. King Henry VIII has sent witchfinders after them, and they’re organized like they’ve never been before under his new advisor, the impassioned Sir Ambrose Fulke, a cold man blinded by his faith. His cruel reign could mean the end of witchkind itself.

If Grace wants to find her revenge and live, she will have to do more than disappear.

She will have to be reborn.

In this gripping, propulsive, sultry novella, Juno Dawson takes us back to the bloody beginnings of Her Majesty’s Royal Coven to show us the strength, steel and sacrifice it takes to make a sisterhood.
©2024 Juno Dawson (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers]]> 224 Juno Dawson 0143138340 Zarah 4 audio-books This is a short one but it was lovely all the same. :)]]> 3.63 2024
author: Juno Dawson
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/17
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: audio-books
review:
I do love Juno Dawson, and this book is just proof that you CAN write beautifully sapphic stories about witchcraft, and meddle with history, and still make it both fresh/new and cleverly fitting to what the history books tell us.
This is a short one but it was lovely all the same. :)
]]> 68005500 A darkly comic, boundary-pushing debut following an adrift Pakistani translator in London who attends a mysterious language school which boasts complete fluency in just ten days, but at a secret, sinister cost.

Anisa Ellahi dreams of being a translator of ‘great works of literature��, but instead mostly spends her days subtitling Bollywood films in her flat in London while living off her parents�� generous allowance and discussing the ‘underside of life�� with her best friend, Naima. Then she meets Adam, who has successfully leveraged his savant-level aptitude for languages into an enviable career. At first, this only adds to her sense of inadequacy, but when Adam learns to speak Urdu with native fluency practically overnight, Anisa forces him to reveal his secret.

Adam tells Anisa about the Centre, an elite, invite-only program that guarantees absolute fluency in any language in just ten days. Sceptical but intrigued, Anisa enrols. Stripped of her belongings and all contact with the outside world, she undergoes the Centre's strange and rigorous processes. But as she enmeshes herself further within the organisation, seduced by all that it’s made possible, she soon realizes the disturbing, hidden cost of its services.

By turns dark, funny, and surreal, and with twists page-turning and shocking, The Centre takes the reader on a journey through Karachi, London, and New Delhi, interrogating the sticky politics of language, translation, and appropriation with biting specificity, and ultimately asking: what price would you be willing to pay for success?]]> 288 Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi Zarah 5 audio-books
Holy brainf**k!!
I CAN’T not give this book five stars!
It’s clever and unique, funny and extremely on point, down-to-earth human and sci-fiey��
As a glistening cherry (or is it��?) on top, it for SURE is a feminist book in every single letter.
It makes fun of itself, it makes fun of it’s introspection, it makes fun of the reader (if you are willing to see it) and it is simultaneously extremely serious.
I love it, I love it, I love it!!
I want to be best friends with this author.
:)]]> 3.37 2023
author: Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: audio-books
review:
Okay so I write this the second the book peters out in my ears and it won’t be clever or eloquent�� I might update later but for now:

Holy brainf**k!!
I CAN’T not give this book five stars!
It’s clever and unique, funny and extremely on point, down-to-earth human and sci-fiey��
As a glistening cherry (or is it��?) on top, it for SURE is a feminist book in every single letter.
It makes fun of itself, it makes fun of it’s introspection, it makes fun of the reader (if you are willing to see it) and it is simultaneously extremely serious.
I love it, I love it, I love it!!
I want to be best friends with this author.
:)
]]> 1232 487 Carlos Ruiz Zafón Zarah 2 audio-books I don’t get what the fuss is about, and I found this book to be rather boring and not written in a way that appealed to me at all.
Oh, and in case you missed it: I WILL be spoiling parts of the plot in this review so�� be warned.

In the beginning of reading this, I was so excited and sure it would be a new favourite book (in early January, too! Wohoo! Bodes well for the reading year.)
However, my opinion changed rather quickly and I kept speeding up my audiobook app to cut down on the time it would take me to get through. I know, that’s not really a good sign. Especially as the narrator had a lovely voice that I truly enjoy listening to.

My gripes with it? Glad you asked. To me, it is a mish mash of way too many farfetched descriptions of everything and then some, mixed with a hefty dose of sexism that unfortunately can’t be entirely chalked up to the characters and the time.
Women mainly exist to fulfill either the Madonna role or that of the wh*re (either literally or figuratively) and there is plenty of fridging going on too, if you were in the market for even more sexism.

Other issues I had with the book, to name a few:
The characters, with the exception of Fermin, all ”speak�� with the same voice and are extremely hard to tell apart, which has nothing to do with Jonas Karlssons excellent narration and everything to do with the writing.

The plot is 50% way too farfetched for me, and even the writer it seems (see next paragraph, about the letter) and 50% too obvious and just�� meh.

Nuria’s letter is a cheap cop out way to explain the secrets of the book AND it’s both way too long and way too detailed, meandering off into little side tracks where she explains things she could in no possible world EVER have any idea about.
Fumero starts out so menacing and horrible, but towards the end he just feels like an extreme overkill. No pun intended�� ;) I DID, however, like the brief detour into his childhood but the issue with that is that it clearly states, on more than one occasion, that he doesn’t feel ANYTHING about killing. So why does he suddenly get aroused at the idea of stabbing Nuria??
And did I mention that the book is VERY long and VERY wordy? (Thus my very long and wordy review, haha!)

If you are in the majority of readers and love this book, I am truly happy for you! Me, however, not so much. And I will definitely not pick up the second book of the series.]]> 4.26 2001
author: Carlos Ruiz Zafón
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2001
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/11
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves: audio-books
review:
Less than popular opinion:
I don’t get what the fuss is about, and I found this book to be rather boring and not written in a way that appealed to me at all.
Oh, and in case you missed it: I WILL be spoiling parts of the plot in this review so�� be warned.

In the beginning of reading this, I was so excited and sure it would be a new favourite book (in early January, too! Wohoo! Bodes well for the reading year.)
However, my opinion changed rather quickly and I kept speeding up my audiobook app to cut down on the time it would take me to get through. I know, that’s not really a good sign. Especially as the narrator had a lovely voice that I truly enjoy listening to.

My gripes with it? Glad you asked. To me, it is a mish mash of way too many farfetched descriptions of everything and then some, mixed with a hefty dose of sexism that unfortunately can’t be entirely chalked up to the characters and the time.
Women mainly exist to fulfill either the Madonna role or that of the wh*re (either literally or figuratively) and there is plenty of fridging going on too, if you were in the market for even more sexism.

Other issues I had with the book, to name a few:
The characters, with the exception of Fermin, all ”speak�� with the same voice and are extremely hard to tell apart, which has nothing to do with Jonas Karlssons excellent narration and everything to do with the writing.

The plot is 50% way too farfetched for me, and even the writer it seems (see next paragraph, about the letter) and 50% too obvious and just�� meh.

Nuria’s letter is a cheap cop out way to explain the secrets of the book AND it’s both way too long and way too detailed, meandering off into little side tracks where she explains things she could in no possible world EVER have any idea about.
Fumero starts out so menacing and horrible, but towards the end he just feels like an extreme overkill. No pun intended�� ;) I DID, however, like the brief detour into his childhood but the issue with that is that it clearly states, on more than one occasion, that he doesn’t feel ANYTHING about killing. So why does he suddenly get aroused at the idea of stabbing Nuria??
And did I mention that the book is VERY long and VERY wordy? (Thus my very long and wordy review, haha!)

If you are in the majority of readers and love this book, I am truly happy for you! Me, however, not so much. And I will definitely not pick up the second book of the series.
]]> 88041145 Winner of the Choix Goncourt Prize, Anne Berest’s The Postcard is a vivid portrait of twentieth-century Parisian intellectual and artistic life, an enthralling investigation into family secrets, and poignant tale of a Jewish family devastated by the Holocaust and partly restored through the power of storytelling.

January, 2003. Together with the usual holiday cards, an anonymous postcard is delivered to the Berest family home. On the front, a photo of the Opéra Garnier in Paris. On the back, the names of Anne Berest’s maternal great-grandparents, Ephraïm and Emma, and their children, Noémie and Jacques—all killed at Auschwitz.

Fifteen years after the postcard is delivered, Anne, the heroine of this novel, is moved to discover who sent it and why. Aided by her chain-smoking mother, family members, friends, associates, a private detective, a graphologist, and many others, she embarks on a journey to discover the fate of the Rabinovitch family: their flight from Russia following the revolution, their journey to Latvia, Palestine, and Paris. What emerges is a moving saga that shatters long-held certainties about Anne’s family, her country, and herself.]]> 487 Anne Berest 1609458397 Zarah 0 to-read 4.40 2021
author: Anne Berest
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217163697 #1��New York Times��bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a stranger’s life twenty-five years later.

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an artist herself, knows otherwise and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their difficult home lives by spending their days laughing and telling stories out on a pier. There’s Joar, who never backs down from a fight; quiet and bookish Ted who is mourning his father; Ali, the daughter of a man who never stays in one place for long; and finally, there’s the artist, a boy who hoards sleeping pills and shuns attention, but who possesses an extraordinary gift that might be his ticket to a better life. These four lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream.

Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be put into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. As she struggles to decide what to do with this bequest, she embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn the story of how the painting came to be. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more she feels compelled to unleash her own artistic spirit, but happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this fresh testament to the transformative power of friendship and art.]]> 448 Fredrik Backman 1982112824 Zarah 0 to-read 4.58 2025
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 208840739 We Were Liars meets The Raven Boys in this mind-bending YA debut about dark revenge, twisted desire, and the sinister secrets lurking behind the walls of an elite boarding school.

Seventeen-year-old Marin James has spent her entire life living in the shadow of the exclusive Huntsworth Academy. And when her cousin’s dead body is found in a creek on school property, Marin knows exactly who’s to blame: Adrian Hargraves and Henry Wu, the enigmatic yet dangerously alluring leaders of the school's social elite.

Swapping her ripped jeans for a crisp prep school skirt, Marin infiltrates Huntsworth to seek justice. But her quest is quickly muddied by a confusing attraction to her new life, and to the two dysfunctional and depraved boys who somehow understand her better than anyone ever has.

When Marin uncovers an otherworldly secret the boys are hiding within Huntsworth's ivied gates, the lines between right and wrong, love and hate, and nightmare and reality begin to crumble -- and nothing is as it seems.

Welcome to Huntsworth Academy.]]> 400 Jenni Howell 1250334594 Zarah 0 to-read 3.40 2025
author: Jenni Howell
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 33026840 Everyone wants that special someone��.

Annie Higgins has given up on love: she’s too busy trying to get her tiny business off the ground. Infuriated by the advertising agency across the hall making fun of her job, Annie accepts their crazy challenge �� to make a random stranger Instagram-famous in just thirty days.

And even when they choose Dr Samuel Page PhD, historian and hater of social media, as her target, Annie’s determined to win the bet �� whether Sam likes it or not.

But getting to know Sam means getting to know more about herself. And before the thirty days are out, Annie has to make a decision about what’s really important��

Funny, real and heart-meltingly romantic, Annie and Sam’s story is My Fair Lady for the social media age �� and the perfect feel-good read.]]> 416 Lindsey Kelk 0008239045 Zarah 3 audio-books 3.82 2018
author: Lindsey Kelk
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/04
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves: audio-books
review:

]]> 58684163 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World.

Two teenagers, a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot, meet at a taverna on the island they both call home. In the taverna, hidden beneath garlands of garlic, chili peppers and creeping honeysuckle, Kostas and Defne grow in their forbidden love for each other. A fig tree stretches through a cavity in the roof, and this tree bears witness to their hushed, happy meetings and eventually, to their silent, surreptitious departures. The tree is there when war breaks out, when the capital is reduced to ashes and rubble, and when the teenagers vanish. Decades later, Kostas returns. He is a botanist looking for native species, but really, he’s searching for lost love.

Years later, a Ficus carica grows in the back garden of a house in London where Ada Kazantzakis lives. This tree is her only connection to an island she has never visited - her only connection to her family’s troubled history and her complex identity as she seeks to untangle years of secrets to find her place in the world.

A moving, beautifully written and delicately constructed story of love, division, transcendence, history and eco-consciousness, The Island of Missing Trees is Elif Shafak’s best work yet.]]> 350 Elif Shafak 1635578604 Zarah 0 to-read 4.19 2021
author: Elif Shafak
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199531989 Knives Out gets a rom-com twist in this rivals-to-lovers Christmas romance-mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter

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 Wyatt:
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 world: 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 wonder: 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.]]> 293 Ally Carter 0063276682 Zarah 4 audio-books 3.92 2024
author: Ally Carter
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/18
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves: audio-books
review:

]]> 52531026 Sometimes we need our friends to help us find our feet��

When Keira first receives her breast cancer diagnosis, she doesn’t want to have to tell her family, or step back from work. She doesn’t want to sit in a hospital, or be part of a group of fellow cancer patients. Cancer is not her club.

But as she accepts that her health is no longer something she can rely on, Keira finds herself embracing running. And running in the company of a group of brilliant, funny women each going through treatment unexpectedly gives Keira the hope she needs.

Because the C-word is not going to define Keira’s identity. And with the Cancer Ladies�� Running Club cheering her on, she’s going to reclaim her life.
One step at a time.

Life isn’t always the race we expected to run but this moving and uplifting novel is full of hope and about love, family, friendship and the power of finding your tribe.]]> 400 Josie Lloyd 0008373655 Zarah 5 audio-books Most of all, I loved it so much because it made me feel closer to my mom, and I understood so much of her experience with cancer (that I never were able to, before) - which is both very painful and very lovely.
I highly recommend this book, but I also caution everybody to read it knowing that they will probably need tissues. ]]> 4.28 2020
author: Josie Lloyd
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/01
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves: audio-books
review:
This book�� is amazing. It’s so raw and beautiful and funny, and it deals with some SERIOUSLY heavy topics without ever becoming clicheed or unrealistic.
Most of all, I loved it so much because it made me feel closer to my mom, and I understood so much of her experience with cancer (that I never were able to, before) - which is both very painful and very lovely.
I highly recommend this book, but I also caution everybody to read it knowing that they will probably need tissues.
]]> 63310912
It's the middle of the night in the middle of Paris and a woman just woke up with no memory.

She only knows three things for certain:

1. She has a splitting headache.

2. The hottest guy she has (probably) ever seen is standing over her, telling her to run.

And oh yeah...

3. People keep trying to kill her.

She doesn't know who. Or why. But when she sees footage of herself fighting off a dozen men there's only one explanation: obviously. . . she's a spy!

Except, according to Mr. Hot Guy, she's not. She's a spy's identical twin sister.

Too bad the only person who knows she's not the woman they're looking for is this very grouchy, very sexy, very secret agent who (reluctantly) agrees to help her disappear.

That's easier said than done when a criminal organization wants you dead and every intelligence service in the world wants you caught. Luckily, no one is looking for a pair of lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon. And soon they're lying their way across Europe--dodging bullets and faking kisses as they race to unravel a deadly conspiracy and clear her sister's name.

But with every secret they uncover, the truth shifts, until she no longer knows who to trust: the twin she can't remember or the mysterious man she can't let herself forget...]]> 304 Ally Carter 006327664X Zarah 0 3.73 2023
author: Ally Carter
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves: audio-books, insufferable-characters, this-author-is-so-not-my-cup-of-tea, unfinished-affairs
review:

]]> 217267448 Falling in love with your husband is anything but convenient in this steamy romance from the New York Times bestselling author of Business or Pleasure.

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

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

Wouter van Leeuwen was a Dutch exchange student Dani’s family hosted, a forbidden love that ended in a painful breakup. Years later, there’s still sizzling chemistry between them, and okay, maybe a little animosity. More importantly, Wouter needs to be married to inherit a gorgeous family home on a canal—and when Dani's job falls apart, she needs a visa.��As the marriage of convenience pushes them together in unexpected ways, Dani must decide whether her new life is yet another mistake—or if it's worth taking a risk on a second chance.]]> 378 Rachel Lynn Solomon 0593548566 Zarah 0 to-read 4.00 2025
author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213806480
For the past two years, I've been traveling the country in my tiny house, building a substantial social media following and recovering from the death of my fiancé, who died three weeks before our wedding day. Now I'm feeling more myself, and I want to find out who has been writing me anonymously for more than a year. Our online correspondence has become one of the best things in my life, and I'm determined to follow the clues to unravel this mystery.

My plans keep getting disrupted by Theo. He was the best friend of my former fiancé, but he's never liked me. He always thought I was too frivolous and superficial to be a good match for his friend. Now he's always around, glowering and muttering sarcastic comments and generally making a nuisance of himself.

My priority should be revealing my secret pen pal, but instead all I can think about is Theo.]]> 154 Noelle Adams Zarah 0 to-read 4.17
author: Noelle Adams
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.17
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 210362050 Love Actually meets Elf in this Christmas affirming, laugh-out-loud comedy from the bestselling author of The Wife Who Got a Life and No One Has Sex on a Tuesday

A name drawn from a hatSomeone you barely knowA Christmas you’ll never forget It’s the 1st December and it’s Jolene’s first day as a graduate trainee at Lambeth City Council. She’s so excited to be joining the accounting team just in time for all those joyous Christmas festivities that all work mates share, the world over!

Only no-one in her new department wants to know. In fact they are all hellbent on doing everything they can to cancel Christmas.

And so Jolene sets about bringing Christmas back to her joyless new colleagues with a Secret Santa to end all Secret Santa’s that could not only make their Christmas but it could also change their lives. ]]> 351 Tracy Bloom 0008619158 Zarah 0 4.20
author: Tracy Bloom
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.20
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/19
shelves: audio-books, unfinished-affairs
review:

]]> 57915993 Magic has made the city of Tiran an industrial utopia, but magic has a cost—and the collectors have come calling.

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

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

Through their fractious relationship, mage and outsider uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever—if it doesn’t get them killed first. Sciona has defined her life by the pursuit of truth, but how much is one truth worth with the fate of civilization in the balance?

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

(Content warnings for gore, sexual assault, and suicidal ideation)]]> 527 M.L. Wang Zarah 0 to-read 4.44 2023
author: M.L. Wang
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 123257687
ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem and terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.

With ailing family to support, Evie Sage's employment status isn't just important, it's vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer―naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.

But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain―and his entire nefarious empire―out.

Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.

After all, a good job is hard to find.]]> 342 Hannah Nicole Maehrer 1649375808 Zarah 0 to-read 3.88 2023
author: Hannah Nicole Maehrer
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 8913370
One day, the most beloved thief of all arrives—Gentleman, an elegant con man, who carries with him an enticing proposition for Sue: If she wins a position as the maid to Maud Lilly, a naïve gentlewoman, and aids Gentleman in her seduction, then they will all share in Maud’s vast inheritance. Once the inheritance is secured, Maud will be disposed of—passed off as mad, and made��to live out the rest of her days in a lunatic asylum.

With dreams of paying back the kindness of her adopted family, Sue agrees to the plan. Once in, however, Sue begins to pity her helpless mark and care for Maud Lilly in unexpected ways...But no one and nothing is as it seems in this Dickensian novel of thrills and reversals.]]> 592 Sarah Waters 1101057025 Zarah 0 to-read 4.05 2002
author: Sarah Waters
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 55458739
Then

At fifteen, George is the foster brother Leah never asked for. As the angry, troubled boy struggles to come to terms with his circumstances, Leah finds herself getting drawn closer to him.

Theo’s wealthy family have mysteriously pulled him out of boarding school and he’s now enrolled at the local state school with Leah and George. When their worlds collide that summer, the three teenagers form a bond they believe will be unbreakable. But life doesn’t always go to plan...

Now

Shocking news brings Leah back to Yorkshire, baby daughter in tow. But Emilie’s father Theo isn’t with them, and George has unexpectedly returned. After half a lifetime, have they healed the scars of their pasts? Will coming back home set their hearts in a different direction?]]> 384 Paige Toon 1471198529 Zarah 4 audio-books Beside that, this book also has a lot of beautifully written characters and a lovely story. I rooted for Leah with all my heart and I adored the way she was allowed to move on without anyone being a villain (which is too often a cheap way out, I find.)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will look for more books by the author. Four gleaming alpaca scarves out of five, and a headband too. ]]> 4.16 2021
author: Paige Toon
name: Zarah
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: audio-books
review:
As someone whose in-laws have fostered a lot of kids, and worked in child care as well as the school system, I APPLAUD Paige Toon for writing about foster kids and the intricate system behind it, truly pointing out the trauma for the kids - as well as actually standing up for the birth parents! I hiiighly recommend this book for a book club or for a friend read.
Beside that, this book also has a lot of beautifully written characters and a lovely story. I rooted for Leah with all my heart and I adored the way she was allowed to move on without anyone being a villain (which is too often a cheap way out, I find.)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will look for more books by the author. Four gleaming alpaca scarves out of five, and a headband too.
]]> 49362138 A refreshingly timely and relatable debut novel about a young woman whose life plans fall apart when she meets her wife.

With her newly completed PhD in astronomy in hand, twenty-eight-year-old Grace Porter goes on a girls�� trip to Vegas to celebrate. She’s a straight A, work-through-the-summer certified high achiever. She is not the kind of person who goes to Vegas and gets drunkenly married to a woman whose name she doesn’t know…until she does exactly that.

This one moment of departure from her stern ex-military father’s plans for her life has Grace wondering why she doesn’t feel more fulfilled from completing her degree. Staggering under the weight of her father’s expectations, a struggling job market and feelings of burnout, Grace flees her home in Portland for a summer in New York with the wife she barely knows.

In New York, she’s able to ignore all the annoying questions about her future plans and falls hard for her creative and beautiful wife, Yuki Yamamoto. But when reality comes crashing in, Grace must face what she’s been running from all along—the fears that make us human, the family scars that need to heal and the longing for connection, especially when navigating the messiness of adulthood.]]> 352 Morgan Rogers 1488077509 Zarah 4 audio-books 3.65 2021
author: Morgan Rogers
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: audio-books
review:

]]> 202327826
Alice Beeton never meant to wind up single and childless on the wrong side of fifty. Like her distant relative Mrs Beeton �� yes, that Mrs Beeton �� she had hoped to have her own spic-and-span household by now. In reality, she lives in an immaculate but dingy basement flat in a rather shabby block in Kensington with Agatha, her fiercely intelligent, if rather over-territorial, corgi-Jack Russell cross.

Now Alice runs the Good Household Management Agency, providing discreet domestic staff to extravagant townhouses and sprawling country piles. So when Camille Messant calls in urgent need of a new housekeeper, Miss Beeton sends out new hire Enya. She’s rather forward but she does come with impeccable references and is fluent en français.

But in the early hours of New Year’s Day, Alice is rudely awakened with the news that Enya has been found dead. As the police struggle to drum up an adequate investigation and the wealthy family and their party guests close rank, Miss Beeton takes it upon herself to solve the crime…]]> 400 Josie Lloyd 0008550743 Zarah 4 audio-books Loved the characters and the writing, and really hope for more books in the same setting.
(Also: funny to me that I was more than halfway through the book before I realized I had read books by this author before, maaany years ago, and loved them.)]]> 3.83
author: Josie Lloyd
name: Zarah
average rating: 3.83
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/28
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves: audio-books
review:
Cosy crime: this is what it’s about!!
Loved the characters and the writing, and really hope for more books in the same setting.
(Also: funny to me that I was more than halfway through the book before I realized I had read books by this author before, maaany years ago, and loved them.)
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