Karen's bookshelf: all en-US Wed, 07 Aug 2024 19:55:28 -0700 60 Karen's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Bollywood Bride (Bollywood, #2)]]> 18938929
Ria and Vikram spent childhood summers together, a world away from Ria's exclusive boarding school in Mumbai. Their friendship grew seamlessly into love--until Ria made a shattering decision. As far as Vikram is concerned, Ria sold her soul for stardom and it's taken him years to rebuild his life. But beneath his pent-up anger, their bond remains unchanged. And now, among those who know her best, Ria may find the courage to face the secrets she's been guarding for everyone else's benefit--and a chance to stop acting and start living.

Rich with details of modern Indian-American life, here is a warm, sexy, and witty story of love, family, and the difficult choices that arise in the name of both.]]> 304 Sonali Dev 1617730157 Karen 0 to-read 3.54 The Bollywood Bride (Bollywood, #2)
author: Sonali Dev
name: Karen
average rating: 3.54
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Tempting (Buchanans, #4) 658440 384 Susan Mallery 0373772106 Karen 3 4.01 Tempting (Buchanans, #4)
author: Susan Mallery
name: Karen
average rating: 4.01
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2013/09/01
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:
Good, but not as good as the other three in the series. I didn't find the two leads quite as charismatic and didn't understand their motivations quite as well.
]]> <![CDATA[Crash into You (Pushing the Limits, #3)]]> 17233800
The girl with straight A's and the perfect life—that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy family…and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker—a guy she has no business even talking to. But after the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

The last thing Isaiah needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks. But when their shared love of street racing puts their lives in jeopardy, Isaiah and Rachel will have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.]]> 474 Katie McGarry 037321099X Karen 3
“Crash into You� meets all the criteria above. In this book, Rachel is struggling with panic attacks and a family who refuses see her for who she really is. Isaiah is dealing with being a foster kid and with his mom coming back in his life. And they both are trying to find a way to get a few thousand dollars that this shady guy thinks they owe him—which means racing to win money. So as you can guess, dramatic situations happen all over the place in this book. I pretty much spent the whole time cringing as one thing after another goes wrong for Rachel and Isaiah. They do not have it easy, that’s for sure.

Isaiah is hot, so that’s kinda all that matters to me on that front. Plus, as mentioned above, he’s got the whole tough on the outside sensitive on the inside thing going on. Rachel was an interesting character, I thought, because her whole life everyone has seen her as weak because of her panic attacks, but with Isaiah, she gets the chance to show her strength, so it was interesting to get to see those different aspects of her character.

The two things that bugged me bugged me for similar reasons. First, I feel like Rachel’s panic attacks, which take center stage for a lot of the book, all of a sudden drop completely off the radar a towards the end when something more dramatic happens. It’s like the author got distracted by this new turn of events and forgot to give any kind of resolution or wrap-up of the panic attack part of the story. The second thing was that I feel like the resolution with Eric (the shady guy they owe money) was really weak. Like, it felt way too easy considering how much it was built up to.

Overall, if you liked McGarry’s other two books, I’m sure you’ll like this one as well, since it follows the same formula. I was a little disappointed when I saw the next book will be about West instead of about Abby, but I’m sure I’ll be reading it all the same.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Originally posted at ]]> 4.26 2013 Crash into You (Pushing the Limits, #3)
author: Katie McGarry
name: Karen
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2014/06/01
date added: 2023/07/30
shelves:
review:
I feel like at this point I know what to expect from Katie McGarry’s books: There will be two teens in messed-up situations who fall in love despite all the things working against them. Family drama will abound. The plot will veer towards the overly dramatic. The boy will be tough on the outside but more emotionally aware than any boy I’ve met in real life. Love will, of course, prevail. And you know what? I’m okay with these books being formulaic, because sometimes you just need a teen romance that you know will hit the spot without asking too much of you.

“Crash into You� meets all the criteria above. In this book, Rachel is struggling with panic attacks and a family who refuses see her for who she really is. Isaiah is dealing with being a foster kid and with his mom coming back in his life. And they both are trying to find a way to get a few thousand dollars that this shady guy thinks they owe him—which means racing to win money. So as you can guess, dramatic situations happen all over the place in this book. I pretty much spent the whole time cringing as one thing after another goes wrong for Rachel and Isaiah. They do not have it easy, that’s for sure.

Isaiah is hot, so that’s kinda all that matters to me on that front. Plus, as mentioned above, he’s got the whole tough on the outside sensitive on the inside thing going on. Rachel was an interesting character, I thought, because her whole life everyone has seen her as weak because of her panic attacks, but with Isaiah, she gets the chance to show her strength, so it was interesting to get to see those different aspects of her character.

The two things that bugged me bugged me for similar reasons. First, I feel like Rachel’s panic attacks, which take center stage for a lot of the book, all of a sudden drop completely off the radar a towards the end when something more dramatic happens. It’s like the author got distracted by this new turn of events and forgot to give any kind of resolution or wrap-up of the panic attack part of the story. The second thing was that I feel like the resolution with Eric (the shady guy they owe money) was really weak. Like, it felt way too easy considering how much it was built up to.

Overall, if you liked McGarry’s other two books, I’m sure you’ll like this one as well, since it follows the same formula. I was a little disappointed when I saw the next book will be about West instead of about Abby, but I’m sure I’ll be reading it all the same.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Originally posted at
]]> Remarkable 11775178
Everyone in Remarkable is remarkable. Everyone except Jane, that is. While the rest of the town is busy being talented, gifted, or just plain extraordinary, she's never been anything but ordinary. Then Jane finds herself in school with the mischievous Grimlet twins, and her life suddenly gets a whole lot more interesting. And when a strange pirate captain appears in town, setting of a series of adventures that put the whole town in danger, it's up to Jane to save the day. Along the way, she might just find that she can be pretty remarkable after all.

* "A rich, unforgettable story that's quite simply - amazing." � Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* " Filled with clever word play, wholly unique situations, outlandish characters...Foley's novel is a remarkable,Ěýmiddle-grade gem." Ěýâ€� Booklist , starred review]]> 336 Lizzie K. Foley 0803737068 Karen 3 3.93 2012 Remarkable
author: Lizzie K. Foley
name: Karen
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2013/02/01
date added: 2023/07/27
shelves:
review:
Cute, but nothing about it really stood out to me.
]]> <![CDATA[The Day of the Duchess (Scandal & Scoundrel, #3)]]> 31307650 The one woman he will never forget�
Malcolm Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven, has lived the last three years in self-imposed solitude, paying the price for a mistake he can never reverse and a love he lost forever. The dukedom does not wait, however, and Haven requires an heir, which means he must find himself a wife by summer’s end. There is only one problem—he already has one.

The one man she will never forgive�
After years in exile, Seraphina, Duchess of Haven, returns to London with a single goal—to reclaim the life she left and find happiness, unencumbered by the man who broke her heart. Haven offers her a deal; Sera can have her freedom, just as soon as she finds her replacement…which requires her to spend the summer in close quarters with the husband she does not want, but somehow cannot resist.

A love that neither can deny�
The duke has a single summer to woo his wife and convince her that, despite their broken past, he can give her forever, making every day The Day of the Duchess.]]> 405 Sarah MacLean 0062379461 Karen 3 3.85 2017 The Day of the Duchess (Scandal & Scoundrel, #3)
author: Sarah MacLean
name: Karen
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/01/18
shelves:
review:

]]> Little Women 1880496 Alternate cover of ISBN 9780141321080.

Come laugh and cry with the March family. Meg - the sweet-tempered one. Jo - the smart one. Beth - the shy one. Amy - the sassy one. Together they're the March sisters. Their father is away at war and times are difficult, but the bond between the sisters is strong. The family may not have much money, but that doesn't stop them from creating their own fun and forming a secret society. Through sisterly squabbles, happy times and sad, their four lives follow very different paths, and they discover that growing up is sometimes very hard to do...]]> 368 Louisa May Alcott Karen 3 4.01 1869 Little Women
author: Louisa May Alcott
name: Karen
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1869
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2022/04/06
shelves:
review:

]]> Nimona 38898402
Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from N.D. Stevenson. Featuring an exclusive epilogue not seen in the web comic, along with bonus conceptual sketches and revised pages throughout, this gorgeous full-color graphic novel is perfect for the legions of fans of the web comic and is sure to win Noelle many new ones.

Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren't the heroes everyone thinks they are.

But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona's powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.]]> 272 N.D. Stevenson Karen 4 4.44 2015 Nimona
author: N.D. Stevenson
name: Karen
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2015/07/01
date added: 2019/10/22
shelves:
review:
I'm not usually one for comics or graphic novels, but this one was a good time all around. I'd definitely read more about these characters or anything else by Noelle Stevenson.
]]> <![CDATA[I Believe in a Thing Called Love]]> 31145133
So when the hottest human specimen to have ever lived walks into her life one day, Desi decides to tackle her flirting failures with the same zest she’s applied to everything else in her life. She finds guidance in the Korean dramas her father has been obsessively watching for years—where the hapless heroine always seems to end up in the arms of her true love by episode ten. It’s a simple formula, and Desi is a quick study.

Armed with her “K Drama Steps to True Love,� Desi goes after the moody, elusive artist Luca Drakos—and boat rescues, love triangles, and staged car crashes ensue. But when the fun and games turn to true feels, Desi finds out that real love is about way more than just drama.]]> 336 Maurene Goo 0374304041 Karen 0 to-read 3.59 2017 I Believe in a Thing Called Love
author: Maurene Goo
name: Karen
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/05/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Burn Bright (Alpha & Omega, #5)]]> 35294265
With their Alpha out of the country, Charles and Anna are on call when an SOS comes in from the fae mate of one such wildling. Heading into the mountainous wilderness, they interrupt the abduction of the wolf–but can’t stop blood from being shed. Now Charles and Anna must use their skills–his as enforcer, hers as peacemaker–to track down the attackers, reopening a painful chapter in the past that springs from the darkest magic of the witchborn…]]> 308 Patricia Briggs 0356506002 Karen 4 4.19 2018 Burn Bright (Alpha & Omega, #5)
author: Patricia Briggs
name: Karen
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2018/05/06
shelves:
review:
I always love spending time in Aspen Creek and this book was no exception. I especially liked that we got to see more of Leah. This book did feel a bit like filler, since the over arching plot didn't really progress that much, but I still enjoyed it. Any book with plenty of Asil is a good book.
]]> <![CDATA[Still Life with Murder (Nell Sweeney Mysteries, #1)]]> 23116644
The Hewitts� eldest son, William, a former Union Army battle surgeon and the black sheep of the family, was reported to have died three years before in a notorious Confederate prison camp. But one snowy February afternoon, his parents learn that he is, in fact, still alive—and in jail for having murdered a man while intoxicated on opium. Infuriated by his son’s deception and convinced of his guilt, August Hewitt forbids his wife from coming to Will’s aid, so she begs Nell to help exonerate him. Nell finds that she must delve into the kind of dark and treacherous underworld she thought she’d left far behind if she is to unearth the truth before the hangman’s noose tightens around William Hewitt’s throat.]]> 324 P.B. Ryan Karen 3 3.84 2003 Still Life with Murder (Nell Sweeney Mysteries, #1)
author: P.B. Ryan
name: Karen
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 2018/04/12
date added: 2018/04/14
shelves:
review:
I didn't honestly care all that much about Nell, but the book was intriguing enough that I'll be reading the next one for sure.
]]> <![CDATA[Fatal Shadows (The Adrien English Mysteries, #1)]]> 1274861
Naturally the cops want to ask Adrien a few questions; they are none too impressed with his answers, and when a few hours later someone breaks into Adrien's shop and ransacks it, the law is inclined to think Adrien is trying to divert suspicion from himself.
Adrien knows better. Adrien knows he is next on the killer's list.]]> 232 Josh Lanyon 0979311047 Karen 3 3.93 2000 Fatal Shadows (The Adrien English Mysteries, #1)
author: Josh Lanyon
name: Karen
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2018/04/06
shelves:
review:
The book was fine, and I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't say I loved it. Still, I'm intrigued enough to read the next in the series. I've heard the series gets better as it goes along, so there's that too.
]]> Spectred Isle (Green Men, #1) 35118935
Randolph is the last of an ancient line of arcanists, commanding deep secrets and extraordinary powers as he struggles to fulfil his family duties in a war-torn world. He knows there's something odd going on with the haunted-looking man who keeps turning up in all the wrong places. The only question for Randolph is whether Saul is victim or villain.

Saul hasn’t trusted anyone in a long time. But as the supernatural threat grows, along with the desire between them, he’ll need to believe in evasive, enraging, devastatingly attractive Randolph. Because he may be the only man who can save Saul’s life—or his soul.]]> 271 K.J. Charles 0995799075 Karen 3 4.11 2017 Spectred Isle (Green Men, #1)
author: K.J. Charles
name: Karen
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2018/03/25
date added: 2018/03/25
shelves:
review:
Enjoyable, but not enough to make me inclined to finish the series. I might try another book by this author, though.
]]> Genuine Fraud 33843362 From the author of the unforgettable New York Times bestseller We Were Liars comes a masterful new psychological suspense novel--the story of a young woman whose diabolical smarts are her ticket into a charmed life. But how many times can someone reinvent themselves? You be the judge.

Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat.
Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete.
An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two.
A bad romance, or maybe three.
Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains.
A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her.
A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.

Praise for E. Lockhart's We Were Liars

"Haunting, sophisticated. . . . Twisty and well-told." --The Wall Street Journal

"[It] will leave you dying to talk about the book with a pal or ten." --Parade.com

"You're going to want to remember the title. Liars details the summers of a girl who harbors a dark secret, and delivers a satisfying but shocking twist ending." --Entertainment Weekly

"An ambitious novel with an engaging voice, a clever plot and some terrific writing." --The New York Times Book Review

"Thrilling, beautiful, and blisteringly smart, We Were Liars is utterly unforgettable." --John Green, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars]]> 262 E. Lockhart 0385744773 Karen 3
I didn't feel a connection with the main character, and I don't know that i was really supposed to, but I kept reading just to figure out what the heck was going on. I probably won't ever reread this book because I feel like a lot of its draw came from the element of surprise, but it was definitely engrossing the first time around!]]> 3.24 2017 Genuine Fraud
author: E. Lockhart
name: Karen
average rating: 3.24
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2018/03/24
date added: 2018/03/24
shelves:
review:
I didn't know anything about this book going in, but even so, it was nothing like I was expecting. I don't think I've read a YA quite like this before.

I didn't feel a connection with the main character, and I don't know that i was really supposed to, but I kept reading just to figure out what the heck was going on. I probably won't ever reread this book because I feel like a lot of its draw came from the element of surprise, but it was definitely engrossing the first time around!
]]> <![CDATA[When Dimple Met Rishi (Dimple and Rishi, #1)]]> 28458598 right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement� so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitating toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.]]> 380 Sandhya Menon 1481478680 Karen 3 3.68 2017 When Dimple Met Rishi (Dimple and Rishi, #1)
author: Sandhya Menon
name: Karen
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2018/02/24
date added: 2018/03/11
shelves:
review:
Cute! And I loved the cultural stuff too.
]]> Speak Easy, Speak Love 30640834 Six teenagers� lives intertwine during one thrilling summer full of romantic misunderstandings and dangerous deals in this sparkling retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.

After she gets kicked out of boarding school, seventeen-year-old Beatrice goes to her uncle’s estate on Long Island. But Hey Nonny Nonny is more than just a rundown old mansion. Beatrice’s cousin, Hero, runs a struggling speakeasy out of the basement—one that might not survive the summer.

Along with Prince, a poor young man determined to prove his worth; his brother, John, a dark and dangerous agent of the local mob; Benedick, a handsome trust-fund kid trying to become a writer; and Maggie, a beautiful and talented singer; Beatrice and Hero throw all their efforts into planning a massive party to save the speakeasy. Despite all their worries, the summer is beautiful, love is in the air, and Beatrice and Benedick are caught up in a romantic battle of wits that their friends might be quietly orchestrating in the background.

Hilariously clever and utterly charming, McKelle George’s debut novel is full of intrigue and 1920s charm. For fans of Jenny Han, Stephanie Perkins, and Anna Godbersen.]]> 368 McKelle George 0062560948 Karen 4 4.08 2017 Speak Easy, Speak Love
author: McKelle George
name: Karen
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2018/01/21
date added: 2018/01/23
shelves:
review:
Beatrice is the best. That is all.
]]> <![CDATA[The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke, #1)]]> 33259027 When girl meets Duke, their marriage breaks all the rules�

Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury’s to-do list has been short and anything but sweet: brooding, glowering, menacing London ne’er-do-wells by night. Now there’s a new item on the list. He needs an heir—which means he needs a wife. When Emma Gladstone, a vicar’s daughter turned seamstress, appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides on the spot that she’ll do.

His terms are simple:
- They will be husband and wife by night only.
- No lights, no kissing.
- No questions about his battle scars.
- Last, and most importantly� Once she’s pregnant with his heir, they need never share a bed again.

But Emma is no pushover. She has a few rules of her own:
- They will have dinner together every evening.
- With conversation.
- And unlimited teasing.
- Last, and most importantly� Once she’s seen the man beneath the scars, he can’t stop her from falling in love�]]> 389 Tessa Dare Karen 4 3.99 2017 The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke, #1)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Karen
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2018/01/23
date added: 2018/01/23
shelves:
review:
Fluffy and charming and totally enjoyable.
]]> <![CDATA[Kiss of the Spindle (Steampunk Proper Romance #2)]]> 35909698 A steampunk Sleeping Beauty story from the author ofĚýBeauty and the Clockwork Beast.

Doctor Isla Cooper is cursed. Literally. Each night, at the stroke of midnight she falls into a death-like sleep from which she cannot be awakened for six hours. To make it worse, the curse has an expiration date—after a year, it becomes permanent. And the year is almost up.

In a desperate attempt to find Malette—the witch who cursed her—Isla blackmails her way onto Daniel Pickett's private airship bound for the Caribbean, only to discover she's traveling with three illegal shapeshifters and the despicable Nigel Crowe, a government official determined to hunt down and exterminate every shapeshifter in England. Isla and Daniel must work together to keep the identities of the shapeshifters hidden while coming to terms with their own hidden secrets, and their blossoming attraction to each other.

Filled with suspense, intrigue, and plenty of romance,ĚýKiss of the SpindleĚýis steampunk Sleeping Beauty story. It is a race against the clock as Isla and Daniel try to hunt down the elusive Malette before Isla's death-like sleep becomes permanent.]]> 361 Nancy Campbell Allen 1629724149 Karen 0 to-read 4.04 2018 Kiss of the Spindle (Steampunk Proper Romance #2)
author: Nancy Campbell Allen
name: Karen
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/11/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Beauty and the Clockwork Beast (Steampunk Proper Romance, #1)]]> 27218553
When Lucy Pickett arrives at Blackwell Manor to tend to her ailing cousin, Kate, she finds more than she bargained for. A restless ghost roams the hallways, werewolves have been reported in the area, and vampires lurk across the Scottish border. Lord Miles himself is clearly hiding a secret. He is brash and inhospitable, and does not take kindly to visitors—even one as smart and attractive as Miss Pickett. He is unsettled by the mysterious deaths of his new wife, Clara, and his sister, Marie. Working together, Miles and Lucy attempt to restore peace to Blackwell Manor. But can Lucy solve the mystery of Miles? Can she love the man—beast and all?]]> 318 Nancy Campbell Allen 1629721751 Karen 3 3.97 2016 Beauty and the Clockwork Beast (Steampunk Proper Romance, #1)
author: Nancy Campbell Allen
name: Karen
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2017/11/26
date added: 2017/11/27
shelves:
review:
Entertaining. However, Lucy did have a tendency to get a bit too missish and easily frightened for my taste, especially since she's portrayed as supposedly being capable and independent. But I still had fun with the book and will be on the lookout for the next in the series.
]]> The Female of the Species 25812109
Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it.

Three years ago, when her older sister, Anna, was murdered and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best—the language of violence. While her own crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people. Not with Jack, the star athlete who wants to really know her but still feels guilty over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered. And not with Peekay, the preacher’s kid with a defiant streak who befriends Alex while they volunteer at an animal shelter. Not anyone.

As their senior year unfolds, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting these three teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.]]> 368 Mindy McGinnis Karen 3 4.14 2016 The Female of the Species
author: Mindy McGinnis
name: Karen
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2017/10/25
date added: 2017/10/26
shelves:
review:
I'm not sure how I feel about this book yet. it was engrossing, but there's a lot to process. The one thing I do know is that Jack was a douche the entire time.
]]> <![CDATA[Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)]]> 23437156 Alternate cover of ISBN 9781627792127

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.]]> 480 Leigh Bardugo 1627792120 Karen 0 4.47 2015 Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Karen
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at: 2017/10/21
date added: 2017/10/23
shelves:
review:
I enjoyed pretty much everything about this book, especially the characters.
]]> <![CDATA[A Rose in Winter (La Vie en Roses, #1.5)]]> 22818770
From No Place Like Home anthology]]> Laura Florand Karen 4 3.88 2013 A Rose in Winter (La Vie en Roses, #1.5)
author: Laura Florand
name: Karen
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2015/12/31
date added: 2017/09/13
shelves:
review:
I read this novella forever ago but apparently never reviewed it. I really loved it, though, and have re-read it quite a few times. It's such a lovely story.
]]> <![CDATA[A Kiss in Lavender (La Vie en Roses, #4)]]> 35829292
It had taken Lucien Rosier fifteen years at war to rebuild himself after he lost his family. To remake himself, he had left behind even his name. Now a captain in the Foreign Legion, the last thing he wanted was to face his past. Even for her...

A woman longing for a home

Lucien Rosier had been her hero once, when everyone else had turned away. Now it was Elena Lyon's turn to rescue him. If she could teach him to believe in love and family again, she would pay back her debts. But after a lifetime of abandonment, she wasn't about to make the mistake of believing in love herself. Not even for him...

Could two broken hearts find in each other exactly what they needed to heal?

From international bestselling author Laura Florand, a sensual and heart-warming tale of love, family, and redemption. Explore the south of France, a world of heat and fragrance and tales as old as time, through the stories of the five Rosier cousins, and the women who win their hearts.]]> 306 Laura Florand 1943168180 Karen 4 4.04 2017 A Kiss in Lavender (La Vie en Roses, #4)
author: Laura Florand
name: Karen
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/09/13
date added: 2017/09/13
shelves:
review:
Enjoyable, as always. I particularly appreciated how Lucien was willing to make real sacrifices at the end to keep Elena and didn't feel bitter or emasculated doing so.
]]> Words in Deep Blue 31952703
Now Rachel has returned to the city—and to the bookshop—to work alongside the boy she’d rather not see, if at all possible, for the rest of her life. But Rachel needs the distraction, and the escape. Her brother drowned months ago, and she can’t feel anything anymore. She can't see her future.

Henry's future isn't looking too promising, either. His girlfriend dumped him. The bookstore is slipping away. And his family is breaking apart.

As Henry and Rachel work side by side—surrounded by books, watching love stories unfold, exchanging letters between the pages—they find hope in each other. Because life may be uncontrollable, even unbearable sometimes. But it’s possible that words, and love, and second chances are enough.]]> 273 Cath Crowley 1101937645 Karen 4 3.97 2016 Words in Deep Blue
author: Cath Crowley
name: Karen
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2017/08/03
date added: 2017/08/03
shelves:
review:
Cath Crowley has yet to let me down. I really liked this one.
]]> Beau Crusoe 222806
Susannah Park had been shunned by Society. She lived content with her calm existence--until Beau Crusoe determinedly cut up her peace! The beautiful widow wanted to help him heal the wounds of the past--but what secrets was this glorious man hiding?]]> 304 Carla Kelly 0373294395 Karen 3 3.71 2007 Beau Crusoe
author: Carla Kelly
name: Karen
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2017/07/23
date added: 2017/07/28
shelves:
review:
Man, Carla Kelly is willing to go places with her characters where other romance authors fear to tread. Kudos for that.
]]> Marriage of Mercy 13263352
A marriage of convenience with a complete stranger� Could this arrangement ever work?]]> 281 Carla Kelly 0373296924 Karen 4 3.41 2012 Marriage of Mercy
author: Carla Kelly
name: Karen
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2017/07/28
date added: 2017/07/28
shelves:
review:
It's hard to go wrong with a Carla Kelly book. This wasn't necessarily one of my favorites of hers, but I still enjoyed it.
]]> <![CDATA[The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband (Rokesbys, #2)]]> 31931722 An alternate cover edition for ISBN 9780062388186 can be found here.

While you were sleeping...

With her brother Thomas injured on the battlefront in the Colonies, orphaned Cecilia Harcourt has two unbearable choices: move in with a maiden aunt or marry a scheming cousin. Instead, she chooses option three and travels across the Atlantic, determined to nurse her brother back to health. But after a week of searching, she finds not her brother but his best friend, the handsome officer Edward Rokesby. He's unconscious and in desperate need of her care, and Cecilia vows that she will save this soldier's life, even if staying by his side means telling one little lie...

I told everyone I was your wife

When Edward comes to, he's more than a little confused. The blow to his head knocked out six months of his memory, but surely he would recall getting married. He knows who Cecilia Harcourt is—even if he does not recall her face—and with everyone calling her his wife, he decides it must be true, even though he'd always assumed he'd marry his neighbor back in England.

If only it were true...

Cecilia risks her entire future by giving herself—completely—to the man she loves. But when the truth comes out, Edward may have a few surprises of his own for the new Mrs. Rokesby.]]> 393 Julia Quinn Karen 4 3.84 2017 The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband (Rokesbys, #2)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Karen
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/07/06
date added: 2017/07/06
shelves:
review:
Cute. And Edward was a breath of fresh air. I like a brooding hero as much as the next girl, but I really enjoyed how kind and straightforward Edward was. I was a bit surprised that the whole thing with Cecilia's brother resolved so quickly and easily, though. I spent the whole book waiting for a double cross that never came, which was a bit anticlimactic. I was expecting there to be way more of a mystery involved. But other than that, I had a rather good time with the book on the character level.
]]> <![CDATA[Silence Fallen (Mercy Thompson, #10)]]> 30687916 Mercy Thompson has found her voice in the werewolf pack. But when Mercy’s bond with the pack—and her mate—is broken, she’ll learn what it truly means to be alone...
Ěý
Attacked and abducted in her home territory, Mercy finds herself in the clutches of the most powerful vampire in the world, taken as a weapon to use against alpha werewolf Adam and the ruler of the Tri-Cities vampires. In coyote form, Mercy escapes—only to find herself without money, without clothing, and alone in the heart of Europe...
Ěý
Unable to contact Adam and the rest of the pack, Mercy has allies to find and enemies to fight, and she needs to figure out which is which. Ancient powers stir, and Mercy must be her agile best to avoid causing a war between vampires and werewolves, and between werewolves and werewolves. And in the heart of the ancient city of Prague, old ghosts rise...]]> 371 Patricia Briggs 0425281272 Karen 4 4.34 2017 Silence Fallen (Mercy Thompson, #10)
author: Patricia Briggs
name: Karen
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/05/28
date added: 2017/05/30
shelves:
review:
I mean, was there any doubt I'd enjoy this book? 10 books in, and this series has never done me wrong once.
]]> Trust Me (Paris Nights, #3) 33784070 Top Parisian pastry chef Lina Farah is used to fighting for her success. But when a violent attack shatters her security, she needs a new tactic to battle her dragons. What better way to banish the monsters under her bed than by inviting a sexy SEAL to tangle the sheets?

He's a professional dragon slayer...
Elite operative Jake Adams has never stayed in one place long enough to form a lasting relationship. Lina’s fire and beauty tempt him to give her the hot affair she craves. But her spirit and courage make him long for more. Can he convince a woman seeking forgetfulness to dream of ever after...with him?
]]> 262 Laura Florand 1943168156 Karen 4 3.88 2017 Trust Me (Paris Nights, #3)
author: Laura Florand
name: Karen
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/04/11
date added: 2017/04/11
shelves:
review:
This book felt incredibly timely, with it's themes of resilience and strength and how life goes on in the face of acts of terror. I love everything Florand writes, but I feel like this was one of her better ones out of her recent batch. The only thing I had an issue with was that the ending felt strangely anticlimactic. I can't even really put my finger on why it felt that way exactly. All I know is that when I hit the proposal scene, I was like, "Wait, what? Already?" I don't know. Maybe it was just that Linah's aboutface on whether she wanted a relationship or just wanted sex felt underdeveloped, so I had a harder time believing she was ready for a proposal. Anyway, that aside, I really enjoyed the story.
]]> <![CDATA[Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer, #1)]]> 28449207 The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around�and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

Welcome to Weep.]]> 532 Laini Taylor 0316341681 Karen 4 4.27 2017 Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer, #1)
author: Laini Taylor
name: Karen
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/04/09
date added: 2017/04/09
shelves:
review:
Real good, but real long. There was a lot of setting up, backstory, and world building, so I felt like there was relatively little plot considering how long the book was. But Laini Taylor's writing was as flawless as ever, so I was happy to go along with it. The main characters were perhaps a little bland, but they have potential, and I trust the author to make the most out of them in the next book (books?). I saw the miracle Laini Taylor worked with second two books of the Daughter of Smoke and Bones series, and I have no doubt she can do it with this one too.
]]> Places No One Knows 26067507 For fans of Lauren Oliver and E. Lockhart, here is a dreamy love story set in the dark halls of contemporary high school, from New York Times bestselling author Brenna Yovanoff.

Waverly Camdenmar spends her nights running until she can’t even think. Then the sun comes up, life goes on, and Waverly goes back to her perfectly hateful best friend, her perfectly dull classes, and the tiny, nagging suspicion that there’s more to life than student council and GPAs.

Marshall Holt is a loser. He drinks on school nights and gets stoned in the park. He is at risk of not graduating, he does not care, he is no one. He is not even close to being in Waverly’s world.

But then one night Waverly falls asleep and dreams herself into Marshall’s bedroom—and when the sun comes up, nothing in her life can ever be the same. In Waverly’s dreams, the rules have changed. But in her days, she’ll have to decide if it’s worth losing everything for a boy who barely exists.]]> 373 Brenna Yovanoff 0553522639 Karen 3 3.74 2016 Places No One Knows
author: Brenna Yovanoff
name: Karen
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2017/03/25
date added: 2017/03/29
shelves:
review:
Paranormal element aside, this was a fairly cookie-cutter YA romance. I liked it overall, but I could also come up with quite a few things I was critical of.
]]> <![CDATA[A Study in Scarlet Women (Lady Sherlock, #1)]]> 28588390 Ěý
With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper class society. But even she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London.
Ěý
When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name. She’ll have help from friends new and old—a kind-hearted widow, a police inspector, and a man who has long loved her.

But in the end, it will be up to Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, to challenge society’s expectations and match wits against an unseen mastermind.

An NPR Best Book of 2016]]> 323 Sherry Thomas 042528140X Karen 3 3.84 2016 A Study in Scarlet Women (Lady Sherlock, #1)
author: Sherry Thomas
name: Karen
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2017/03/28
date added: 2017/03/28
shelves:
review:
This series has me intrigued, and while this book was quite a bit of set up, I'm eagerly anticipating the next one.
]]> <![CDATA[The Duke (Victorian Rebels, #4)]]> 29875921 He is noble, notorious, and takes no prisoners...

Strong as a Viking. Handsome as Adonis. Rich as Midas. Collin "Cole" Talmage, Duke of Trewyth, is the stuff that legends are made of. He's the English Empire's golden son--until fate has its way with him. Cole's family is killed and his closest comrade betrays him on the battlefield, leaving him gravely injured. But Cole is not one to dwell on misfortune. He is a man of duty, honor--and desire. And now he's ready for the fight of his lifetime...

Imogen Pritchard is a beautiful lass who works in a hospital by day and as a serving maid at night. Years ago, when she was young and penniless, she ended up spending a scandalous night with Cole, whose tormented soul was matched only by his earth-shattering passion. Imogen entered a marriage of convenience―one that left her a wealthy widow―but she never forgot Cole. Now that her long-lost lover has turned up in her hospital, injured and with no memory of her, Imogen is torn: Is it a blessing or a curse that their past remains a secret to Cole, even as his new passion for her leaves him wanting to protect and possess her...at all costs, in The Duke, the next Victorian Rebels novel by Kerrigan Byrne.]]> 377 Kerrigan Byrne 1250118247 Karen 2 3.92 2017 The Duke (Victorian Rebels, #4)
author: Kerrigan Byrne
name: Karen
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2017
rating: 2
read at: 2017/03/18
date added: 2017/03/28
shelves:
review:
While there were some moments that were quite moving and truly well done, there were too many things that I took issue with.
]]> <![CDATA[My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies, #1)]]> 22840421 This comical, fantastical, romantical, New York Times bestselling, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey is “an uproarious historical fantasy that’s not to be missed� (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

In My Lady Jane, coauthors Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows have created a one-of-a-kind YA fantasy in the tradition of The Princess Bride, featuring a reluctant king, an even more reluctant queen, a noble steed, and only a passing resemblance to actual history—because sometimes history needs a little help.

At sixteen, Lady Jane Grey is about to be married off to a stranger and caught up in a conspiracy to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But those trifling problems aren’t for Jane to worry about. Jane gets to be Queen of England.

Like that could go wrong.]]> 474 Cynthia Hand 0062391798 Karen 3 4.00 2016 My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies, #1)
author: Cynthia Hand
name: Karen
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2017/02/25
date added: 2017/02/25
shelves:
review:
This one was a ton of fun, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was more superficial in some aspects than I prefer, which is why I didn't give it 4 stars, but it was definitely a very high 3.
]]> <![CDATA[A Promise of Fire (Kingmaker Chronicles, #1)]]> 27015399 BUT NOT IF SHE CAN HELP IT

Catalia "Cat" Fisa lives disguised as a soothsayer in a traveling circus. She is perfectly content avoiding the danger and destiny the Gods-and her homicidal mother-have saddled her with. That is, until Griffin, an ambitious warlord from the magic-deprived south, fixes her with his steely gaze and upsets her illusion of safety forever.

Griffin knows Cat is the Kingmaker, the woman who divines the truth through lies. He wants her as a powerful weapon for his newly conquered realm-until he realizes he wants her for much more than her magic. Cat fights him at every turn, but Griffin's fairness, loyalty, and smoldering advances make him increasingly hard to resist and leave her wondering if life really does have to be short, and lived alone.]]> 441 Amanda Bouchet 1492626015 Karen 3 4.02 2016 A Promise of Fire (Kingmaker Chronicles, #1)
author: Amanda Bouchet
name: Karen
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2017/02/08
date added: 2017/02/08
shelves:
review:
A fun mix of both fantasy and romance. I give it a very high 3 rating, but not quite a 4, just because the last quarter or so of the book fell flat for me.
]]> <![CDATA[Den of Wolves (Blackthorn & Grim, #3)]]> 22567184 Feather bright and feather fine, None shall harm this child of mine...

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

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

Back at Winterfalls, the evil touch of Blackthorn’s sworn enemy reopens old wounds and fuels her long-simmering passion for justice. With danger on two fronts, Blackthorn and Grim are faced with a heartbreaking choice—to stand once again by each other’s side or to fight their battles alone...]]> 435 Juliet Marillier 0451467035 Karen 4 4.32 2016 Den of Wolves (Blackthorn & Grim, #3)
author: Juliet Marillier
name: Karen
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2017/02/03
date added: 2017/02/03
shelves:
review:
I love Blackthorn and Grim. I really, really do. I almost feel like they faded into the background a little in this book, but maybe that's just because I was interested in the other characters and their storyline more than I was in the first two books. I did feel like the resolution with Mathuin was a bit too quick and easy, though. After all the grief he's given them, I wanted Blackthorn to have a bigger role in bringing him to justice. But that aside, I enjoyed the book, and I especially enjoyed the last 4 pages :)
]]> <![CDATA[A Crown of Bitter Orange (La Vie en Roses, #3)]]> 17832873 Tristan Rosier might have asked Malorie Monsard to marry him when he was five years old, but things had only gone downhill from there. She’d spent the rest of their lives ignoring him, abandoning him, and destroying his perfumes. Now she was back, to wreak who knew what havoc on his life.

Lifelong enemies.
Tristan might choose to dismiss the generations-long enmity between their two families, but Malorie didn’t have that privilege. Like all the other privileges wealthy, gorgeous Tristan took for granted that she couldn’t. But if she was going to restore her family company to glory, she might just need his help.

Or the perfect match?
They’d known each other all their lives. Could these childhood friends and lifelong enemies ever uncross their stars and find happily ever after?

Laura Florand, bestselling author of The Chocolate Kiss, combines lush description, smart dialogue, provocative sensuality, and the perfume of love itself in A Crown of Bitter Orange, an irresistibly lush novel that is an ode to the scents and pleasures of the south of France and the beauty of falling in love.
]]> 319 Laura Florand 1943168121 Karen 4 3.99 2017 A Crown of Bitter Orange (La Vie en Roses, #3)
author: Laura Florand
name: Karen
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/01/29
date added: 2017/01/29
shelves:
review:
It's not like I'm ever going to *not* like a Laura Florand book, but I do feel like her recent ones, especially the Vie en Roses ones, are starting to all feel the same. I do love the Rosiers, though, and I enjoy reading about a family who really cares about one another.
]]> The Serpent King 22752127 ASIN B00ZNE17D2

Dill has had to wrestle with vipers his whole life—at home, as the only son of a Pentecostal minister who urges him to handle poisonous rattlesnakes, and at school, where he faces down bullies who target him for his father’s extreme faith and very public fall from grace.

The only antidote to all this venom is his friendship with fellow outcasts Travis and Lydia. But as they are starting their senior year, Dill feels the coils of his future tightening around him. The end of high school will lead to new beginnings for Lydia, whose edgy fashion blog is her ticket out of their rural Tennessee town. And Travis is happy wherever he is thanks to his obsession with the epic book series Bloodfall and the fangirl who may be turning his harsh reality into real-life fantasy. Dill’s only escapes are his music and his secret feelings for Lydia—neither of which he is brave enough to share. Graduation feels more like an ending to Dill than a beginning. But even before then, he must cope with another ending—one that will rock his life to the core.

Debut novelist Jeff Zentner provides an unblinking and at times comic view of the hard realities of growing up in the Bible Belt, and an intimate look at the struggles to find one’s true self in the wreckage of the past.]]> 384 Jeff Zentner Karen 3 4.15 2016 The Serpent King
author: Jeff Zentner
name: Karen
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2017/01/21
date added: 2017/01/21
shelves:
review:
It made me cry. Twice. But it was good. My only problem with it was that I never quite connected with any of the characters in a meaningful way. I don't know if that's my fault or the book's fault.
]]> The Madwoman Upstairs 25814154
But everything changes when Samantha enrolls at Oxford University and long lost objects from the past begin rematerializing in her life, beginning with an old novel annotated in her father’s handwriting. With the help of a handsome but inscrutable professor, Samantha plunges into a vast literary mystery and an untold family legacy, one that can only be solved by decoding the clues hidden within the Brontës� own works]]> 339 Catherine Lowell 1501124218 Karen 2 3.60 2016 The Madwoman Upstairs
author: Catherine Lowell
name: Karen
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2017/01/10
date added: 2017/01/10
shelves:
review:
I found all the Bronte stuff fascinating, but I couldn't stand the main character. Samantha starts off awkward and annoying and pretentious, and by the end she's still awkward and annoying and pretentious. There was zero character arc. And don't even get me started on her relationship with her professor.
]]> Chase Me (Paris Nights, #2) 29453150
Or so she thought.

Elite counterterrorist operative Chase “Smith� had been through things that made Hell Week look easy. But nothing had prepared him for a leather-clad blonde who held him at bay at knifepoint and dared him to take her on.

Now if only saving the world didn’t require he ruin her life.

Two people who thought they could handle anything now have to take on each other.

It's a battle neither one expected. But with their futures on the line, they have nothing to lose...but their hearts.

Warning: This book contains one arrogant Navy SEAL, nights of Paris passion, and a woman who wants to have it all.]]> 245 Laura Florand 1943168067 Karen 4 3.81 2016 Chase Me (Paris Nights, #2)
author: Laura Florand
name: Karen
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/04/06
date added: 2016/12/31
shelves:
review:
I thought I'd reviewed this book when I read it back in April, but apparently not? Anyway, I enjoyed it, as I do all of Florand's books. It has a slightly different feel than her others, I thought--a little more rom-com and a little less character exploration. It's a lot of fun, though.
]]> <![CDATA[Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil]]> 23566896
The press has now revealed that she is the youngest member of one of London's most notorious families. Thirteen years earlier, her grandfather set off a suicide bomb in a grocery store, a bomb her mother confessed to building. Has the girl decided to follow in their footsteps?

To find her, Bish must earn the trust of her friends and family, including her infamous mother, now serving a life sentence in prison--but as he delves into the deadly bus attack that claimed five lives, the ghosts of older crimes become impossible to ignore.

A gripping fusion of literary suspense and family drama, Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil is a fast-paced puzzle of a novel that will keep readers feverishly turning pages.]]> 407 Melina Marchetta 0316349291 Karen 4 3.97 2016 Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil
author: Melina Marchetta
name: Karen
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/12/23
date added: 2016/12/23
shelves:
review:
I was so nervous about this book that I had to renew it twice at the library, but Christmas vacation meant I had no excuse not to read it. And I'm glad I finally did because it was pretty great. I grow more and more convinced that Melina Marchetta can do no wrong no matter which genre she takes on.
]]> <![CDATA[Dragon Rose (Tales of the Latter Kingdoms, #1)]]> 16096167 276 Christine Pope 0615718523 Karen 3 3.59 2012 Dragon Rose (Tales of the Latter Kingdoms, #1)
author: Christine Pope
name: Karen
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2016/12/04
date added: 2016/12/08
shelves:
review:
The set up was a lot like "Uprooted," honestly. Just not as good. The story had potential, but everything toward the end felt rushed. I feel like it could used an extra 75 pages in the second half to flesh things out.
]]> Hello, I Love You 18484807 Anna and the French Kiss.

Grace Wilde is running—from the multi-million dollar mansion her record producer father bought, the famous older brother who’s topped the country music charts five years in a row, and the mother who blames her for her brother’s breakdown. Grace escapes to the farthest place from home she can think of, a boarding school in Korea, hoping for a fresh start.

She wants nothing to do with music, but when her roommate Sophie’s twin brother Jason turns out to be the newest Korean pop music superstar, Grace is thrust back into the world of fame. She can't stand Jason, whose celebrity status is only outmatched by his oversized ego, but they form a tenuous alliance for the sake of her friendship with Sophie. As the months go by and Grace adjusts to her new life in Korea, even she can't deny the sparks flying between her and the KPOP idol.

Soon, Grace realizes that her feelings for Jason threaten her promise to herself that she'll leave behind the music industry that destroyed her family. But can Grace ignore her attraction to Jason and her undeniable pull of the music she was born to write? Sweet, fun, and romantic, this young adult novel explores what it means to experience first love and discover who you really are in the process.]]> 304 Katie M. Stout 1250052599 Karen 0 to-read 3.47 2015 Hello, I Love You
author: Katie M. Stout
name: Karen
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/11/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)]]> 23395680
The year is 2575, and two rival mega-corporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than a speck at the edge of the universe. Now with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra � who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to evacuate with a hostile warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A plague has broken out and is mutating with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a web of data to find the truth, it’s clear the only person who can help her is the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents � including emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more � Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.]]> 608 Amie Kaufman 0553499114 Karen 3 4.23 2015 Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)
author: Amie Kaufman
name: Karen
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2016/10/28
date added: 2016/11/05
shelves:
review:
I liked it, but not enough to care about reading the next book.
]]> Hold Me (Cyclone, #2) 24348034
Maria has always been cautious. Now that her once-tiny, apocalypse-centered blog is hitting the mainstream, she’s even more careful about preserving her online anonymity. She hasn’t sent so much as a picture to the commenter she’s interacted with for eighteen months—not even after emails, hour-long chats, and a friendship that is slowly turning into more. Maybe one day, they’ll meet and see what happens.

But unbeknownst to them both, Jay is Maria’s commenter. They’ve already met. They already hate each other. And two determined enemies are about to discover that they’ve been secretly falling in love…]]> 303 Courtney Milan Karen 3 3.93 2016 Hold Me (Cyclone, #2)
author: Courtney Milan
name: Karen
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2016/11/01
date added: 2016/11/04
shelves:
review:
Cute. Not necessarily my favorite Courtney Milan book, but I enjoyed it.
]]> <![CDATA[Do You Want to Start a Scandal (Spindle Cove, #5; Castles Ever After, #4)]]> 27067876 � Was it Lord Canby, with the maid, on the divan?
� Or Miss Fairchild, with a rake, against the wall?
� Perhaps the butler did it.

All Charlotte Highwood knows is this: it wasn’t her. But rumors to the contrary are buzzing. Unless she can discover the lovers� true identity, she’ll be forced to marry Piers Brandon, Lord Granville—the coldest, most arrogantly handsome gentleman she’s ever had the misfortune to embrace. When it comes to emotion, the man hasn’t got a clue.

But as they set about finding the mystery lovers, Piers reveals a few secrets of his own. The oh-so-proper marquess can pick locks, land punches, tease with sly wit... and melt a woman’s knees with a single kiss. The only thing he guards more fiercely than Charlotte’s safety is the truth about his dark past.

Their passion is intense. The danger is real. Soon Charlotte’s feeling torn. Will she risk all to prove her innocence? Or surrender it to a man who’s sworn to never love?]]> 272 Tessa Dare 0062465856 Karen 4 4.00 2016 Do You Want to Start a Scandal (Spindle Cove, #5; Castles Ever After, #4)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Karen
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/10/16
date added: 2016/10/16
shelves:
review:
Cute! I always enjoy it when the two main characters get along from early on. There was a twist near the end that felt a bit random and out of character for Piers, but overall I had a lot of fun with it.
]]> <![CDATA[Flame of Sevenwaters (Sevenwaters, #6)]]> 16087861 Ěý
Sevenwaters is in turmoil. The fey prince Mac Dara is desperate to see his only son, married to Maeve’s sister, return to the Otherworld. To force Lord Sean’s hand, Mac Dara has caused a party of innocent travelers on the Sevenwaters border to vanish—only to allow their murdered bodies to be found one by one.
Ěý
When Maeve finds a body in a remote part of the woods, she and her brother, Finbar, embark on a journey that could bring about the end of Mac Dara’s reign—or lead to a hideous death. If she is successful, Maeve may open the door to a future she has not dared to believe possible....]]> 432 Juliet Marillier 045141487X Karen 4
What really pushed this book up from a 3- to a 4-star rating for me was Ciaran (the half-brother druid, who I *think* shows up a little in book #1 but definitely makes an appearance by #2). He's been one of my absolute favorite characters from the beginning, through all his ups and downs, and it was so rewarding in this book to see the man he's struggled so hard to become. His final role in the resolution of the events that unfold only made me love him all the more. It makes me want to reread the entire series again just to focus on Ciaran and the development of his character. ]]> 4.13 2012 Flame of Sevenwaters (Sevenwaters, #6)
author: Juliet Marillier
name: Karen
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2013/02/01
date added: 2016/10/10
shelves:
review:
I would say that I liked this addition to the series more than Seer of Sevenwaters (#5) and Child of the Prophecy (#3), but less than the other three. Basically, I think it falls somewhere in the middle in terms of the quality of the books in the series. It felt a little slower and less romance-centered than the other books, but the writing was gorgeous and the story, while taking quite a bit of time to unfold, was engrossing.

What really pushed this book up from a 3- to a 4-star rating for me was Ciaran (the half-brother druid, who I *think* shows up a little in book #1 but definitely makes an appearance by #2). He's been one of my absolute favorite characters from the beginning, through all his ups and downs, and it was so rewarding in this book to see the man he's struggled so hard to become. His final role in the resolution of the events that unfold only made me love him all the more. It makes me want to reread the entire series again just to focus on Ciaran and the development of his character.
]]> <![CDATA[Billionaire on the Loose (Billionaires and Bridesmaids, #5)]]> 27833189 The New York Times bestselling author of the Billionaire Boys Club novels is back with a sexy, sweet romance that proves opposites definitely attract...

Taylor is a genius when it comes to computers, but understanding the opposite sex is beyond her. Because she always fumbles her flirtations, she needs help in finding her Prince Charming. So when her friend, Gretchen, sets her up as a tour guide for a new guy in town, she says yes despite her misgivings.

She just doesn’t expect Mr. Charming to actually be royalty...

A faction in his country wants him to be king, but Loch has no intention of taking the crown. To keep from being named as the next successor, he hatches a scheme to marry a totally unacceptable American woman. Quirky Taylor seems like the perfect person for the job, until Loch realizes he likes more about her than her ability to keep him off the throne.

When Loch’s secret schemes come out, his chance of happiness with Taylor are blown—unless he can find a way to get the nerdy object of his affection to believe she’s truly the queen of his heart...]]> 221 Jessica Clare Karen 2 3.61 2016 Billionaire on the Loose (Billionaires and Bridesmaids, #5)
author: Jessica Clare
name: Karen
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2016/10/07
date added: 2016/10/07
shelves:
review:
Meh. Jessica Clare can do better than this.
]]> <![CDATA[A Scot in the Dark (Scandal & Scoundrel, #2)]]> 27067875 Lonesome Lily Turned Scandalous Siren
Miss Lillian Hargrove has lived much of her life alone in a gilded cage, longing for love and companionship. When an artist offers her pretty promises and begs her to pose for a scandalous portrait, Lily doesn't hesitate...until the lying libertine leaves her in disgrace. With the painting now public, Lily has no choice but to turn to the one man who might save her from ruin.

Highland Devil turned Halfhearted Duke
The Duke of Warnick loathes all things English, none more so than the aristocracy. It does not matter that the imposing Scotsman has inherited one of the most venerable dukedoms in Britain—he wants nothing to do with it, especially when he discovers that the unwanted title comes with a troublesome ward, one who is far too old and far too beautiful to be his problem.

Tartan Comes to Town
Warnick arrives in London with a single goal: get the chit married and see her become someone else's problem, then return to a normal, quiet life in Scotland. It's the perfect plan, until Lily declares she'll only marry for love...and the Scot finds that there is one thing in England he likes far too much...]]> 342 Sarah MacLean 0062465848 Karen 4 3.68 2016 A Scot in the Dark (Scandal & Scoundrel, #2)
author: Sarah MacLean
name: Karen
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/09/10
date added: 2016/09/10
shelves:
review:
I enjoyed this one quite a bit, even though Alec beat the "I'm not worthy of her" horse just about to death.
]]> <![CDATA[Talk Sweetly to Me (Brothers Sinister, #4.5)]]> 23000024
All of England knows who Stephen Shaughnessy is. He's an infamous advice columnist and a known rake. When he moves into the house next door to Rose, she discovers that he's also wickedly funny, devilishly flirtatious, and heart-stoppingly handsome. But when he takes an interest in her mathematical work, she realizes that Mr. Shaughnessy isn't just a scandal waiting to happen. He's waiting to happen to her...and if she's not careful, she'll give in to certain ruination.]]> 100 Courtney Milan 1937248224 Karen 3 3.70 2014 Talk Sweetly to Me (Brothers Sinister, #4.5)
author: Courtney Milan
name: Karen
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2014/09/01
date added: 2016/09/05
shelves:
review:
Like I have with all of Milan's works, I enjoyed this one. But I just didn't fully buy Rose and Stephen's relationship. It didn't seem to have much of a basis, and I felt like it was lacking a bit of the depth I've come to expect from Milan. And although I loved Stephen, he just never really developed as a character for me--Rose felt much more fleshed out. Still an enjoyable story, though.
]]> <![CDATA[The Highlander (Victorian Rebels, #3)]]> 26114184 Can the fiercest master of battle conquer a woman’s heart?

They call him the Demon Highlander. The fearsome Lieutenant Colonel Liam MacKenzie is known for his superhuman strength, towering presence, and fiery passion in the heat of battle. As Laird to the MacKenzie clan, the undefeated Marquess has vanquished his foes with all rage and wrath of his barbaric Highland ancestors. But when an English governess arrives to care for his children, the master of war finds himself up against his greatest opponent... in the game of love.

Defying all expectations, Miss Philomena is no plain-faced spinster but a ravishing beauty with voluptuous curves and haughty full lips that rattle the Laird to his core. Unintimidated by her master’s raw masculinity and savage ways, the headstrong lass manages to tame not only his wild children but the beast in his soul. With each passing day, Liam grows fonder of Miss Mena—and more suspicious. What secret is she hiding behind those emerald eyes? What darkness brought her to his keep? And how can he conquer this magnificent woman’s heart... without surrendering his own?]]> 364 Kerrigan Byrne 1250076072 Karen 3 4.03 2016 The Highlander (Victorian Rebels, #3)
author: Kerrigan Byrne
name: Karen
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2016/09/03
date added: 2016/09/03
shelves:
review:
Oh, the drama. There is no hero so tortured as a Kerrigan Byrne hero. Liam Mackenzie is the very definition of an alpha male, and I had all the issues and problems with him that I expected. And yet, as with Kerrigan Byrnes' other books, this one sucked me in, and I stayed up waaay too late reading it. I don't know how to describe my realationship with this author's books. It's like, I objectively know the characters act in ways that should be deal breakers for me--and that *would* be in any other book--and yet, I'm too engrossed in the story and writing to really care.
]]> <![CDATA[A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1)]]> 22055262
Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.]]> 400 Victoria E. Schwab 0765376458 Karen 3 4.04 2015 A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1)
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Karen
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2016/07/02
date added: 2016/07/02
shelves:
review:
It was fine for the most part, but Kell and Lilah took turns driving me crazy with dumb decisions--Lilah in the first half, then Kell on the second.
]]> <![CDATA[The Billionaire’s Favorite Mistake (Billionaires and Bridesmaids, #4)]]> 27833178 A hot one night stand between friends might spark true love in the latest Billionaires and Bridesmaids novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Billionaire Takes a Bride.

Greer has always been there for Asher, but she wishes she could break through her shyness and show how much she truly loves him. But after a steamy, mindless fling at Hunter and Gretchen’s engagement party, Greer finds herself tossed aside and forced to admit that you can’t love someone who doesn’t acknowledge you exist.

It’s a shame he got her pregnant.

After his fiancée betrayed him and tanked his business in one fell swoop, Asher has spent his time trying to rebuild his wealth and forget the past. But he doesn’t understand why Greer blew him off after their night together—until he catches a glimpse of her belly.

Now Asher is willing to do whatever it takes to convince Greer she belongs with him. And he’s very skilled at the art of persuasion.]]> 206 Jessica Clare 1101989130 Karen 2 3.59 2015 The Billionaire’s Favorite Mistake (Billionaires and Bridesmaids, #4)
author: Jessica Clare
name: Karen
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2016/06/26
date added: 2016/06/27
shelves:
review:
No. All manner of no and terrible and what the hell. Jessica Clare can write better than this.
]]> <![CDATA[A Little Bit Wild (York Family, #1)]]> 7124037
Jude Bertrand is not an excellent dancer. Nor does he wear the most fashionable coats. But when Marissa York's brother approaches him, desperate to preserve Marissa's tenuous reputation, Jude does prove heroic enough to offer to marry the girl. In fact, the union should more than make up for his lack of social graces --- and his own scandalous past ...

BUT MINDS CHANGE ...

Marissa knows that betrothal to the son of a duke --- even one as raw and masculine as Jude --- will save her from ruin, but that doesn't mean she's happy about it. Soon, though, she finds that Jude has a surprisingly gentle touch --- and plans to use it to persuade Marissa that their wedding day cannot come soon enough ...]]> 329 Victoria Dahl 1420104837 Karen 4 Unexpectedly charming. 3.70 2010 A Little Bit Wild (York Family, #1)
author: Victoria Dahl
name: Karen
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2016/06/26
date added: 2016/06/26
shelves:
review:
Unexpectedly charming.
]]> Jane Steele 25868918 Reader, I murdered him.

A Gothic retelling of Jane Eyre.

Like the heroine of the novel she adores, Jane Steele suffers cruelly at the hands of her aunt and schoolmaster. And like Jane Eyre, they call her wicked - but in her case, she fears the accusation is true. When she flees, she leaves behind the corpses of her tormentors.

A fugitive navigating London's underbelly, Jane rights wrongs on behalf of the have-nots whilst avoiding the noose. Until an advertisement catches her eye. Her aunt has died and the new master at Highgate House, Mr Thornfield, seeks a governess. Anxious to know if she is Highgate's true heir, Jane takes the position and is soon caught up in the household's strange spell. When she falls in love with the mysterious Charles Thornfield, she faces a terrible dilemma: can she possess him - body, soul and secrets - and what if he discovers her murderous past?]]> 432 Lyndsay Faye 1472217551 Karen 3 3.86 2016 Jane Steele
author: Lyndsay Faye
name: Karen
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2016/06/23
date added: 2016/06/23
shelves:
review:
It's a truth universally acknowledged that I will read anything "Jane Eyre" inspired. And this book was worth the read--if maybe not worth a re-read. Though the bones of this story are "Jane Eyre's," the way it's fleshed out is entirely its own. Miss Steele is decidedly NOT Miss Eyre, and besides the skeleton of the plot, there are few similarities to the book that inspired it. In fact, this was one of the most unique takes on "Jane Eyre" I've come across so far, and for the most part I enjoyed it in all its morbidity. Where I struggled with it is in the character of Jane Steele. She felt inconsistent to me in a lot of ways, and I had a hard time reconciling some of the facets of her character. The body count got a little ridiculous as well. Overall, though, I think it's worth a read, even if I didn't end up loving it. I mean, how can you beat this line from page 3? "Reader, I murdered him."
]]> <![CDATA[The Hunter (Victorian Rebels, #2)]]> 25398324 They're rebels, scoundrels, and blackguards—dark, dashing men on the wrong side of the law. But for the proper Victorian-era ladies who love them, a hint of danger only makes their hearts beat faster...

A scandalous proposal.

As one of London't most elite hunters, Christopher Argent never misses his mark and always gets his man. But when his latest target turns out to be a woman—the popular, and stunningly beautiful, actress Millie LeCour—it turns his whole world upside-down. Overwhelmed by the heat that simmers between them, Christopher can't complete his mission. On the contrary, he'll do anything to save Millie's life—even if it means risking his own...

A dangerous passion...

When she learns what Christopher was hired to do, Millie is torn between the fear in her heart and the fire in her soul. Putting herself in this dangerous man's arms may be her only path to safety—but giving in to her desire may be the deadliest mistake she's ever made. With both of their lives in jeopardy, Millie and Christopher must learn to trust the real feelings they're hiding—to find the true love they're looking for...]]> 412 Kerrigan Byrne 1250076064 Karen 3 4.02 2016 The Hunter (Victorian Rebels, #2)
author: Kerrigan Byrne
name: Karen
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2016/06/19
date added: 2016/06/19
shelves:
review:
As with the first book in this series, there were so many things that I could've (and maybe should've) taken issue with, but it was just so engrossing that I decided not to care. I'm sure I'll be reading the next book when it comes out.
]]> Dumplin' (Dumplin', #1) 18304322
Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroineâ€�¶ŮłÜłľ±č±ôľ±˛Ôâ€� is guaranteed to steal your heart.]]> 375 Julie Murphy 0062327186 Karen 3 3.88 2015 Dumplin' (Dumplin', #1)
author: Julie Murphy
name: Karen
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2016/06/18
date added: 2016/06/19
shelves:
review:
I can't decide. Parts of it were cute. Other parts I found myself skimming. Sometimes I sympathized with Willowdean. Other times I found her unbearably frustrating. All around, it was a bit of a mixed bag.
]]> <![CDATA[What the Duke Desires (The Duke's Men, #1)]]> 16130107
Fearful that the powerful duke will retaliate, clever Lisette convinces Max to accompany her to Paris to jointly search for their loved ones. Posing as husband and wife- not an English duke with a tarnished family name, and the illegitimate daughter of a viscount- they find an exhilarating passion that has enticingly blurred the line between danger and desire. And they discover that some mysteries, like those of the heart, are answered tenfold in the bliss of a true and trusting love.]]> 416 Sabrina Jeffries 145169346X Karen 3 4.00 2013 What the Duke Desires (The Duke's Men, #1)
author: Sabrina Jeffries
name: Karen
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2016/06/08
date added: 2016/06/08
shelves:
review:
In some ways this book was refreshing. The characters were willing to admit they like each other fairly early on, and while there were the usual miscommunications and secrets, I feel like they resolved pretty quickly--all of which made their relationship relatively drama-free. But I never felt like the author achieved all that much depth in either of the characters. The attempt was definitely there, but it never quite came to fruition.
]]> Holier Than Thou 13480258 'What do you want, Hol?' Abby looks into my eyes.

'I ... I want to know that I'm using my powers for good and -'

'You want to make a dead man proud.'

'Whoa!'

'You want to put bandages over severed arteries that really need to be sewn shut. You want the moral high ground.'

Holly Yarkov has a boyfriend who is a gift from the universe. She has a job that fulfils her even as it wears her down. She has a core group of friends from high school. And she has a layer of steel around her heart that is beginning to tarnish. Just as she is reaching for a future she can't quite see, Holly is borne back into the past by memories of her beloved father, and of the boy-who-might-have-been...]]> 291 Laura Buzo 1741759986 Karen 0 to-read 3.71 2012 Holier Than Thou
author: Laura Buzo
name: Karen
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/06/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, #4)]]> 17378527
All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love's death. She doesn't believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.]]> 439 Maggie Stiefvater 0545424984 Karen 5 4.26 2016 The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, #4)
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Karen
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2016/05/10
date added: 2016/06/05
shelves:
review:
Heavens. These Raven Boys. I can't even. It's been a long time since I was this nervous about starting a book, and my heart was in my throat the entire time I read. But it was so worth it. Honestly, I was *this* close to crying when I finished it--not because of anything in particular that happened, but because...emotions. So many emotions about this being the end of the series. Blue and Gansey. Adam and Ronan. Noah. They're kind of everything.
]]> <![CDATA[A Desperate Fortune (Mary & Hugh, #1)]]> 22221136
For nearly 300 years, the mysterious journal of Jacobite exile Mary Dundas has lain unread-its secrets safe from prying eyes. Now, amateur codebreaker Sara Thomas has been hired by a once-famous historian to crack the journal's cipher.

But when she arrives in Paris, Sara finds herself besieged by complications from all sides: the journal's reclusive owner, her charming Parisian neighbor, and Mary, whose journal doesn't hold the secrets Sara expects. As Mary's tale grows more and more dire, Sara, too, must carefully choose which turning to take... to find the road that will lead her safely home.]]> 528 Susanna Kearsley 1492602027 Karen 3 3.97 2015 A Desperate Fortune (Mary & Hugh, #1)
author: Susanna Kearsley
name: Karen
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2016/06/05
date added: 2016/06/05
shelves:
review:
I generally enjoyed this book, though the plot of Mary's story felt a bit aimless to me. And I would've liked more time in both storylines for the relationships to develop. But dang, that last scene between Mary and Hugh was sheer perfection.
]]> Divergent (Divergent, #1) 8306857 In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

]]> 487 Veronica Roth 0062024027 Karen 5 favorites 4.28 2011 Divergent (Divergent, #1)
author: Veronica Roth
name: Karen
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/05/27
shelves: favorites
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Potent Pleasures (Pleasures, #1)]]> 658351
Reckless desire sends Charlotte Daicheston into the garden with a dashing masked stranger. He's powerful, unforgettable, a devastatingly handsome footman who lures her--not against her will--into a grand indiscretion at a masquerade ball. Then he vanishes.

Several years later, after Charlotte has made her dazzling debut in London society, they meet again. But the rogue is no footman. He's rich, titled, and he doesn't remember Charlotte. Worse, he's the subject of some scandalous rumor has it, the earl's virility is in question.

Charlotte, who knows all too intimately the power of his passion, is stunned by the gossip that has set society ablaze. At last, there can be a storybook ending...unless, of course, Charlotte's one mad indiscretion had not been with him at all....]]> 480 Eloisa James 0440234565 Karen 1 3.57 1999 Potent Pleasures (Pleasures, #1)
author: Eloisa James
name: Karen
average rating: 3.57
book published: 1999
rating: 1
read at: 2016/05/19
date added: 2016/05/19
shelves:
review:
Nope. Just nope. Alex is literally the worst.
]]> <![CDATA[Like No Other Lover (Pennyroyal Green, #2)]]> 3164070 371 Julie Anne Long 0061341592 Karen 3 3.84 2008 Like No Other Lover (Pennyroyal Green, #2)
author: Julie Anne Long
name: Karen
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2016/05/07
date added: 2016/05/07
shelves:
review:
Better than some Julie Anne Long books, definitely not as good as others...just solidly mediocre. It definitely had potential, but Cynthia stayed two dimensional the whole book--the reader never really gets to know her.
]]> Intercepted 27993184 Jake was once a water polo Olympic Gold Medal Winner.
Now he is an Escort. The lucky few women he selects as clients pay small fortunes for a weekend with Jake.
Natalia just graduated from culinary school in Buenos Aires. She works the ski season in Aspen. She needs the money.
The moment they meet a sudden attraction grips them.
It can’t be: She’s engaged. He’s a hooker.
A story about passion, deception and what lies hidden in the darkest corners of love.]]> 279 J.Q. Anderson 0692585133 Karen 2 3.26 2015 Intercepted
author: J.Q. Anderson
name: Karen
average rating: 3.26
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2016/04/25
date added: 2016/04/24
shelves:
review:
As far as I could tell, Jake and Natalia's relationship isn't based on anything besides mutual attraction. Also, Jake is a douche. Nati could've done was waaay better than him.
]]> <![CDATA[The Winner's Kiss (The Winner's Trilogy, #3)]]> 20443235 Some kisses come at a price.

War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it with untrustworthy new allies and the empire as his enemy. Though he has convinced himself that he no longer loves Kestrel, Arin hasn’t forgotten her, or how she became exactly the kind of person he has always despised. She cared more for the empire than she did for the lives of innocent people—and certainly more than she did for him.

At least, that’s what he thinks.

In the frozen north, Kestrel is a prisoner in a brutal work camp. As she searches desperately for a way to escape, she wishes Arin could know what she sacrificed for him. She wishes she could make the empire pay for what they’ve done to her.

But no one gets what they want just by wishing.

As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover that the world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and they are caught in between. With so much to lose, can anybody really win?]]> 486 Marie Rutkoski 0374384738 Karen 4 4.19 2016 The Winner's Kiss (The Winner's Trilogy, #3)
author: Marie Rutkoski
name: Karen
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/04/20
date added: 2016/04/18
shelves:
review:
So good! I was *this* close to giving it 5 stars. It was by far the best of the series. I don't think I can say enough good things about it. It was everything I wanted out of the last book in the trilogy, and the writing was gorgeous to boot. It's probably my favorite of the YAs I've read so far this year.
]]> <![CDATA[Because of Miss Bridgerton (Rokesbys, #1)]]> 25657772 Sometimes you find love in the most unexpected of places...

This is not one of those times.

Everyone expects Billie Bridgerton to marry one of the Rokesby brothers. The two families have been neighbors for centuries, and as a child the tomboyish Billie ran wild with Edward and Andrew. Either one would make a perfect husband... someday.

Sometimes you fall in love with exactly the person you think you should...

Or not.

There is only one Rokesby Billie absolutely cannot tolerate, and that is George. He may be the eldest and heir to the earldom, but he's arrogant, annoying, and she's absolutely certain he detests her. Which is perfectly convenient, as she can't stand the sight of him, either.

But sometimes fate has a wicked sense of humor...

Because when Billie and George are quite literally thrown together, a whole new sort of sparks begins to fly. And when these lifelong adversaries finally kiss, they just might discover that the one person they can't abide is the one person they can't live without...]]> 375 Julia Quinn 0062388142 Karen 3 to-read 3.90 2016 Because of Miss Bridgerton (Rokesbys, #1)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Karen
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2016/04/11
date added: 2016/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:
Pure fluff, but pure fluff by Julia Quinn so I enjoyed it. Plus it had Bridgerton Pall Mall, which is always a delight to behold. I almost bumped my rating up another star just for that scene.
]]> Chase Me (Paris Nights #2) 26542581
Or so she thought.

Elite counterterrorist operative Chase “Smith� had been through things that made Hell Week look easy. But nothing had prepared him for a leather-clad blonde who held him at bay at knifepoint and dared him to take her on.

Now if only saving the world didn’t require he ruin her life.

Two people who thought they could handle anything now have to take on each other.

It's a battle neither one expected. But with their futures on the line, they have nothing to lose...but their hearts.

Warning: This book contains one arrogant Navy SEAL, nights of Paris passion, and a woman who wants to have it all.]]> 246 Laura Florand 1943168040 Karen 4 to-read 4.11 2016 Chase Me (Paris Nights #2)
author: Laura Florand
name: Karen
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/04/10
date added: 2016/04/10
shelves: to-read
review:
This book felt different to me than Florand's others. It was more of a fun romp (it feels a bit weird to be saying that about a book that deals somewhat with terrorism) and thus lacked some of the character development and depth I'm used to with Florand. But I still enjoyed this book quite a bit. The banter was fantastic, and the characters were ridiculously likeable.
]]> <![CDATA[Fire Touched (Mercy Thompson, #9)]]> 25776210
Defying the most powerful werewolf in the country, the humans, and the fae, Mercy, Adam, and their pack choose to protect the boy no matter what the cost. But who will protect them from a boy who is fire touched?]]> 342 Patricia Briggs 0425256766 Karen 4 to-read 4.33 2016 Fire Touched (Mercy Thompson, #9)
author: Patricia Briggs
name: Karen
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/04/09
date added: 2016/04/09
shelves: to-read
review:
This one felt more scattered than usual, but I always enjoy spending time with Mercy and Adam. And I REALLY want more of Margaret and Thomas.
]]> Maybe Someday (Maybe, #1) 24445517
Sydney is living in an idyllic bubble—she's a dedicated student with a steady job on the side. She lives with her best friend, has a great boyfriend, and the music coming from the balcony opposite hers is fast becoming the soundtrack to her life. But when Sydney finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her, the bubble bursts. The mysterious and attractive man behind the music, Ridge, gives Sydney hope that she can move on and they begin to write songs together. But moving on is harder than she expects, Sydney can only hope�.

Maybe someday�

Colleen Hoover draws you in to this passionate tale of music, love and betrayal…]]> 385 Colleen Hoover Karen 0 to-read 4.06 2014 Maybe Someday (Maybe, #1)
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Karen
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/04/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Emerald Green (The Precious Stone Trilogy #3)]]> 20518884 ĚýĚýĚý ĚýShe’s only recently learned that she is the Ruby, the final member of the time-traveling Circle of Twelve, and since then nothing has been going right. She suspects the founder of the Circle, Count Saint-German, is up to something nefarious, but nobody will believe her. And she’s just learned that her charming time-traveling partner, Gideon, has probably been using her all along.
ĚýĚýĚý ĚýEmerald Green is theĚýstunning conclusion to Kerstin Gier's Ruby Red Trilogy,Ěýpicking up where Sapphire Blue left off, reaching new heights of intrigue and romance as Gwen finally uncovers the secrets of the time-traveling society and learns her fate.]]> 480 Kerstin Gier 1250050812 Karen 3
I’d say Emerald Green was a satisfying end to the series. I definitely liked it better than Sapphire Blue, but not quite as much as Ruby Red (that book just seriously rocked my socks). All the things that needed to be tied up in the series were tied up, and everything was happily resolved in pretty much the way I was expecting it to be. While being fairly predictable, Emerald Green was entertaining enough that I didn’t really mind. For me, it was more about enjoying the journey to the resolution rather than the nitty-gritty of how I got there, mostly because Kerstin Grier is a really amusing storyteller.

Gideon, who you may remember fell from my graces in book 2, did mostly redeem himself in this book. However, his redemption was tempered by the fact that his and Gwen’s relationship gets a bit too schmaltzy for my taste by the end. I had to roll my eyes just about every time they declared their undying love for each other. Because I mean, they’ve known each other 2 weeks and in that time learned nothing about the other person besides they’re a good kisser. So yes, I was skeptical about the true love angle.

But overall, I had a really good time with this book. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Gwen is just totally hilarious. And the secondary characters, like Aunt Maddie, Lesley, Mr. Bernard, Nick, and Caroline, were in especially fine form in this book, so it was even more of an entertaining experience.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Originally posted at ]]> 4.07 2010 Emerald Green (The Precious Stone Trilogy #3)
author: Kerstin Gier
name: Karen
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2014/06/01
date added: 2016/04/03
shelves:
review:
So if you’ve read this blog lately, you know I’ve been diggin� the Ruby Red series. While I like the first book better than the second, I’ve just really enjoyed how light and funny these books are while still being an adventure.

I’d say Emerald Green was a satisfying end to the series. I definitely liked it better than Sapphire Blue, but not quite as much as Ruby Red (that book just seriously rocked my socks). All the things that needed to be tied up in the series were tied up, and everything was happily resolved in pretty much the way I was expecting it to be. While being fairly predictable, Emerald Green was entertaining enough that I didn’t really mind. For me, it was more about enjoying the journey to the resolution rather than the nitty-gritty of how I got there, mostly because Kerstin Grier is a really amusing storyteller.

Gideon, who you may remember fell from my graces in book 2, did mostly redeem himself in this book. However, his redemption was tempered by the fact that his and Gwen’s relationship gets a bit too schmaltzy for my taste by the end. I had to roll my eyes just about every time they declared their undying love for each other. Because I mean, they’ve known each other 2 weeks and in that time learned nothing about the other person besides they’re a good kisser. So yes, I was skeptical about the true love angle.

But overall, I had a really good time with this book. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Gwen is just totally hilarious. And the secondary characters, like Aunt Maddie, Lesley, Mr. Bernard, Nick, and Caroline, were in especially fine form in this book, so it was even more of an entertaining experience.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Originally posted at
]]> <![CDATA[Treat her Right (Treats to Tempt You, #2)]]> 28360970
Joss isn’t keen on taking part. He has far too much on his plate with his demanding job and family problems. And the thought of everyone in town staring at pictures of his chocolate-covered crown jewels doesn’t appeal either. Plus, her brother has threatened to kill him if he so much as kisses Maisey. But the crackpot chocolatier is surprisingly persuasive.

Maisey does her best to resist the best-looking guy in the whole of New Zealand. But when the chocolate starts to melt on Joss’s warm body, it seems only polite to offer to lick it off� And that’s where the problems start.

Warning: contains enough laughter and loving to keep you up all night. Chocoholics beware—this story will make you want to lick melted chocolate off the nearest good looking guy.]]> Serenity Woods Karen 3 3.93 2014 Treat her Right (Treats to Tempt You, #2)
author: Serenity Woods
name: Karen
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2016/04/01
shelves:
review:

]]> Dead Heat (Alpha & Omega, #4) 22571699
For once, mated werewolves Charles and Anna are not traveling because of Charles’s role as his father’s enforcer. This time, their trip to Arizona is purely personal, as Charles plans to buy Anna a horse for her birthday. Or at least it starts out that way...

Charles and Anna soon discover that a dangerous Fae being is on the loose, replacing human children with simulacrums. The Fae’s cold war with humanity is about to heat up—and Charles and Anna are in the cross fire.]]> 324 Patricia Briggs 0425256758 Karen 3
Rating: 3.5 ]]> 4.26 2015 Dead Heat (Alpha & Omega, #4)
author: Patricia Briggs
name: Karen
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2015/03/01
date added: 2016/03/31
shelves:
review:
While I generally like the Mercy Thompson series better, I always enjoy the Alpha and Omega books. In this one, I felt like Anna and Charles were finally truly comfortable with each other, so I felt more comfortable with them too. Less anxiety. But even though that tension was gone, they were still learning things about each other, so their relationship didn't feel stagnant. They both grew on me a little more in this book, and by the end, I found myself wanting to go back and re-read that first novella in the series, just so I could spend more time with them. Maybe I'll go do that.

Rating: 3.5
]]> <![CDATA[Sapphire Blue (Precious Stone Trilogy, #2)]]> 17254055
Gwen’s life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she’s been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean.
Ěý
At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he’s very warm indeed; the next he’s freezing cold. Gwen’s not sure what’s going on there, but she’s pretty much destined to find out.
]]> 358 Kerstin Gier 0805092668 Karen 3
Like with “Ruby Red,� the main thing that carried the book for me was Gwen. I just find her so refreshingly normal. I feel like with her, I’m in the head of a 16-year-old and not like I’m in the head of a 30-something-year-old author trying to sound like a 16-year-old. Of course, this does mean I get frustrated with Gwen sometimes for acting like a teenager, especially around Gideon, but she always redeems herself. Plus, she cracks me up.

Gideon was pretty much a tool in this book, and I’m really not sure why Gwen thinks she’s in love with him. By the end of the book, his reason for being such a jerk sometimes is revealed (not that it casts him in any better of a light), but still—I was not a fan of Gideon in this book at all.

Also like with “Ruby Red,� this book felt light. I was usually too busy having a fun time reading these books to mind, but they definitely tend to lack depth in terms of character or plot. I’m also starting to get the feeling that this series could actually have all been one book if some of the superfluous scenes had been taken out (seriously, I don’t know why that soiree scene needed to be so long).

Overall, a book that, while lacking in some areas, was still fun to read. On to “Emerald Green�!

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Originally posted at ]]> 4.02 2010 Sapphire Blue (Precious Stone Trilogy, #2)
author: Kerstin Gier
name: Karen
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2014/06/01
date added: 2016/03/31
shelves:
review:
So being as giddy about “Ruby Red� as I was, I pretty much immediately went to the library to check out the next book in the series and dove right in. The verdict? While I didn’t enjoy “Sapphire Blue� quite as much as “Ruby Red,� I still had a pretty good time with it.

Like with “Ruby Red,� the main thing that carried the book for me was Gwen. I just find her so refreshingly normal. I feel like with her, I’m in the head of a 16-year-old and not like I’m in the head of a 30-something-year-old author trying to sound like a 16-year-old. Of course, this does mean I get frustrated with Gwen sometimes for acting like a teenager, especially around Gideon, but she always redeems herself. Plus, she cracks me up.

Gideon was pretty much a tool in this book, and I’m really not sure why Gwen thinks she’s in love with him. By the end of the book, his reason for being such a jerk sometimes is revealed (not that it casts him in any better of a light), but still—I was not a fan of Gideon in this book at all.

Also like with “Ruby Red,� this book felt light. I was usually too busy having a fun time reading these books to mind, but they definitely tend to lack depth in terms of character or plot. I’m also starting to get the feeling that this series could actually have all been one book if some of the superfluous scenes had been taken out (seriously, I don’t know why that soiree scene needed to be so long).

Overall, a book that, while lacking in some areas, was still fun to read. On to “Emerald Green�!

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Originally posted at
]]> <![CDATA[Treat with Caution (Treats to Tempt You, #1)]]> 28254217 FIVE TREATS TO TEMPT YOU

Book 1: Treat with Caution
Book 2: Treat her Right
Book 3: A Rare Treat
Book 4: Trick or Treat
Book 5: A Festive Treat

Treat with Caution (#1)

An enemies-to-lovers romance with heat and heart.

Tasha Wilde has spotted the perfect site for the Treats to Tempt You confectionery shop she's planning to run with her best friend, Maisey. It's the ideal size and location, right on the waterfront in Doubtless Bay, New Zealand. The only fly in the melted chocolate is Maisey's brother, Kole. He wants the shop for his photography business, and he's about to sign the lease.

Tasha and Kole Graham have trod the wafer-thin line between friends and enemies since they were teenagers. Privately, she acknowledges Kole has grown up into a fine figure of a man. Okay, to be honest, he's so sexy he often dismantles the speech center of her brain. But he's still the most irritating guy on Earth.

Kole tries to think of Tasha as just his sister's best friend, but it's getting harder and harder. Literally. And he's having trouble hiding it. So when their friends suggest a bet with the shop as the prize, and it means he can get his hands on Tasha, he's quick to agree. The Shakespearean-style scheme? To get the other person to fall in love with them. In eight days.

Both are confident their attraction is only physical. Both are going to get into trouble. But who will win the bet on Midsummer night?

Warning: Sultry and steamy, with rising temperatures. And the sub-tropical weather's pretty hot too. Adults only.]]> Serenity Woods Karen 3 3.95 2014 Treat with Caution (Treats to Tempt You, #1)
author: Serenity Woods
name: Karen
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2016/03/30
date added: 2016/03/30
shelves:
review:
Meh. Didn't love it, but didn't hate it either. The author writes well enough that I'd give something else by her a shot. The book does have New Zealand going for it, though.
]]> <![CDATA[Beautiful Entourage (Beautiful Entourage, #1)]]> 25453121
Being a professional escort comes with its vices. To keep women from getting too clingy, stop them from dropping their panties, and silence them before they can blurt the L word, Rhett has made certain rules. He never breaks them.

Ever.

1. No Kissing.
2. No Feelings.
3. And definitely, absolutely, no sex.

But when Aspen, a beautiful brunette, hires him to help repair her image to her family, things get complicated. Rhett's never had a problem separating work from pleasure. But now work and pleasure seem to be one and the same.]]> 312 E.L. Todd 151171459X Karen 3 3.97 2015 Beautiful Entourage (Beautiful Entourage, #1)
author: E.L. Todd
name: Karen
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2016/03/26
date added: 2016/03/26
shelves:
review:
Well, the ending was a rushed disaster, but I was enjoying it well enough up til then.
]]> <![CDATA[Where Their Hearts Collide (Wardham, #2)]]> 23126174 Librarian's Note: This is an alternate/new cover for ASIN B00GO6B9Q8

Karen’s finally decided what she wants to do when she grows up. Too bad it’ll mean leaving behind her new neighbour, who’s stirred up a different kind of grown up feelings. But when he rebuffs her attempt to have a fling before she leaves Wardham, Karen knows it's for the best. A clean break, no messy emotional entanglements.

Intense and private, Paul has recently moved to Wardham for a more family friendly job, leaving behind a career as a homicide detective in the city. He only has his ten year old daughter a few nights a week, and he doesn’t want any distractions or drama while he tries to repair their relationship.

But Karen is right next door, and everywhere he goes. His resolve to keep his distance only lasts until she needs a true friend in her corner, and he realizes he can’t imagine life without her.]]> 224 Zoe York Karen 2 3.66 2013 Where Their Hearts Collide (Wardham, #2)
author: Zoe York
name: Karen
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at: 2016/03/24
date added: 2016/03/25
shelves:
review:
This book wasn't terrible, but it struggled with character development and pacing of the plot.
]]> <![CDATA[Kaleidoscope Hearts (Hearts, #1)]]> 23545800 He was never supposed to be mine.Ěý
I thought we would get it out of our system and move on.Ěý

One of us did.Ěý
One of us left.Ěý

Now he’s back, looking at me like he wants to devour me. And all those feelings I’d turned into anger are brewing into something else, something that terrifies me.Ěý
He broke my heart last time.Ěý
This time he'll obliterate it.

This is a standalone.]]> 295 Claire Contreras Karen 2 4.00 2015 Kaleidoscope Hearts (Hearts, #1)
author: Claire Contreras
name: Karen
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2016/03/20
date added: 2016/03/20
shelves:
review:
It wasn't so terrible that I couldn't finish reading it, but dang, Estelle got on my nerves. She was so immature, and I feel like she overreacted to just about everything Oliver did.
]]> <![CDATA[An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes, #1)]]> 27774758 Alternative Cover Edition #1

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.
Ěý
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
Ěý
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.
Ěý
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
Ěý
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

From the Hardcover edition.]]> 446 Sabaa Tahir Karen 3 4.23 2015 An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes, #1)
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: Karen
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2016/03/16
date added: 2016/03/16
shelves:
review:
I wouldn't jump straight to saying I liked this book, but it was definitely engrossing. Laia was annoying, but Elias was interesting--I found myself getting sucked into his chapters. I did kind of appreciate how brutal this book was; the world of the story is supposed to be harsh and cruel, and it definitely was portrayed that way. There wasn't any glossing over the hard stuff. I probably won't read the next book, but I'm interested enough to hunt down spoiler-y summaries when it comes out.
]]> <![CDATA[Act Like It (London Celebrities, #1)]]> 25750546
This just in: romance takes center stage as West End theater's Richard Troy steps out with none other than castmate Elaine Graham

Richard Troy used to be the hottest actor in London, but the only thing firing up lately is his temper. We all love to love a bad boy, but Richard's antics have made him Enemy Number One, breaking the hearts of fans across the city.

Have the tides turned? Has English rose Lainie Graham made him into a new man?

Sources say the mismatched pair has been spotted at multiple events, arm in arm and hip to hip. From fits of jealousy to longing looks and heated whispers, onlookers are stunned by this blooming romance.

Could the rumors be right? Could this unlikely romance be the real thing? Or are these gifted stage actors playing us all?]]> 199 Lucy Parker Karen 4 3.85 2015 Act Like It (London Celebrities, #1)
author: Lucy Parker
name: Karen
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2016/03/07
date added: 2016/03/07
shelves:
review:
A lot of fun. I really liked Lainie and how straightforward she was. I enjoyed Richard too, but in that way reserved for fictional characters--no one would be able to tolerate someone that relentlessly arrogant in real life. But within the pages of this book, he grew on me quite a bit.
]]> <![CDATA[The Billionaire Takes a Bride (Billionaires and Bridesmaids, #3)]]> 22707175
By day, Chelsea Hall is a happy-go-lucky, rough and tumble roller derby skater. By night, she's still living in fear of her past. Most of all, she just doesn't want to be alone. And she really, really doesn't want to date.
So when their mutual friends' upcoming wedding turns Chelsea and Sebastian into fast friends, they realize they can solve both of their problems with one life-changing lie: a quick trip down the aisle.

But with one kiss, Chelsea and Sebastian suddenly realize that their pretend relationship is more real than either of them expected...]]> 256 Jessica Clare 0698186958 Karen 4 3.89 2015 The Billionaire Takes a Bride (Billionaires and Bridesmaids, #3)
author: Jessica Clare
name: Karen
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2016/02/24
date added: 2016/02/28
shelves:
review:
I've read just about all of Jessica Clare's Billionaire books from both series, but this one is my favorite so far. I just really loved Chelsea and Sebastian and how relatively drama free their relationship is, at least until the end. I liked how understanding Sebastian was and how Chelsea fights to keep her past from ruining her life. All of Jessica Clare's books are like crack, but this one especially did it for me.
]]> Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale 12721987 240 Rebecca H. Jamison 1599559471 Karen 2 3.73 2012 Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale
author: Rebecca H. Jamison
name: Karen
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2016/02/24
date added: 2016/02/24
shelves:
review:
It's not that there wasn't anything to like about this book. Neil, for instance, was quite charming. But, heavens, I can NOT do LDS fiction, and this book has so many of the things I can't stand about the genre. Plus, Anne annoyed the crap out of me. She was judgemental and whiney and inconsistent. So...nice try, but overall it was a no go for me.
]]> The Blue Castle 95693
Valancy Stirling is 29, unmarried, and has never been in love. Living with her overbearing mother and meddlesome aunt, she finds her only consolation in the "forbidden" books of John Foster and her daydreams of the Blue Castle--a place where all her dreams come true and she can be who she truly wants to be. After getting shocking news from the doctor, she rebels against her family and discovers a surprising new world, full of love and adventures far beyond her most secret dreams.]]> 218 L.M. Montgomery 0553280511 Karen 3 Rather charming all around. 4.29 1926 The Blue Castle
author: L.M. Montgomery
name: Karen
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1926
rating: 3
read at: 2016/02/20
date added: 2016/02/20
shelves:
review:
Rather charming all around.
]]> <![CDATA[Tower of Thorns (Blackthorn & Grim, #2)]]> 22567177 The Blackthorn & Grim series continues as a mysterious creature holds an enchanted and imperiled ancient Ireland in thrall.

Disillusioned healer Blackthorn and her companion, Grim, have settled in Dalriada to wait out the seven years of Blackthorn’s bond to her fey mentor, hoping to avoid any dire challenges. But trouble has a way of seeking out Blackthorn and Grim.

Lady Geiléis, a noblewoman from the northern border, has asked for the prince of Dalriada’s help in expelling a howling creature from an old tower on her land—one surrounded by an impenetrable hedge of thorns. Casting a blight over the entire district, and impossible to drive out by ordinary means, it threatens both the safety and the sanity of all who live nearby. With no ready solutions to offer, the prince consults Blackthorn and Grim.

As Blackthorn and Grim begin to put the pieces of this puzzle together, it’s apparent that a powerful adversary is working behind the scenes. Their quest is about to become a life and death struggle—a conflict in which even the closest of friends can find themselves on opposite sides.]]> 415 Juliet Marillier 0451467019 Karen 4 4.15 2015 Tower of Thorns (Blackthorn & Grim, #2)
author: Juliet Marillier
name: Karen
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2016/02/20
date added: 2016/02/18
shelves:
review:
I'm really liking this series. Sometimes I forget how much I love Juliet Marillier.
]]> <![CDATA[It Started With a Scandal (Pennyroyal Green, #10)]]> 22472886
An afternoon of bliss brings a cascade of consequences for Elise Fountain. Shunned by her family and ousted from a job she loves, survival means a plummet down the social ladder to a position no woman has yet been able to keep: housekeeper to a frighteningly formidable prince.

The bold and gentle Elise sees past his battered body into Philippe's barricaded heart...and her innate sensuality ignites his blood. Now a man who thought he could never love and a woman who thought she would never again trust must fight an incendiary passion that could be the ruin of them both.]]> 384 Julie Anne Long 0062334824 Karen 4 4.01 2015 It Started With a Scandal (Pennyroyal Green, #10)
author: Julie Anne Long
name: Karen
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2016/02/01
date added: 2016/02/01
shelves:
review:
A good story all around, but I particularly enjoyed Philippe. An alpha-male, yes, but one with more than the usual amount of humanity.
]]> <![CDATA[The Legend of Lyon Redmond (Pennyroyal Green, #11)]]> 24392720 Bound by centuries of bad blood, England’s two most powerful families maintain a veneer of civility...until the heir to the staggering Redmond fortune disappears, reviving rumors of an ancient curse: a Redmond and an Eversea are destined to fall disastrously in love once per generation.

An enduring legend

Rumor has it she broke Lyon Redmond’s heart. But while many a man has since wooed the dazzling Olivia Eversea, none has ever won her—which is why jaws drop when she suddenly accepts a viscount’s proposal. Now London waits with bated breath for the wedding of a decade…and wagers on the return of an heir.

An eternal love

It was instant and irresistible, forbidden...and unforgettable. And Lyon—now a driven, dangerous, infinitely devastating man—decides it’s time for a reckoning. As the day of her wedding races toward them, Lyon and Olivia will decide whether their love is a curse destined to tear their families part...or the stuff of which legends are made.]]> 384 Julie Anne Long 0062334875 Karen 0 dnf-2016 3.91 2015 The Legend of Lyon Redmond (Pennyroyal Green, #11)
author: Julie Anne Long
name: Karen
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/01/31
shelves: dnf-2016
review:
DNF. Waaay too much backstory at the beginning. I got tired of waiting for the actual plot to start.
]]> <![CDATA[Cold-Hearted Rake (The Ravenels, #1)]]> 24431358 A twist of fate.

Devon Ravenel, London's most wickedly charming rake, has just inherited an earldom. But his powerful new rank in society comes with unwanted responsibilities . . . and more than a few surprises. His estate is saddled with debt, and the late earl's three innocent sisters are still occupying the house—along with Kathleen, Lady Trenear, a beautiful young widow whose sharp wit and determination are a match for Devon's own.

A clash of wills.

Kathleen knows better than to trust a ruthless scoundrel like Devon. But the fiery attraction between them is impossible to deny—and from the first moment Devon holds her in his arms, he vows to do whatever it takes to possess her. As Kathleen finds herself yielding to his skillfully erotic seduction, only one question remains: can she keep from surrendering her heart to the most dangerous man she's ever known?]]> 419 Lisa Kleypas Karen 2 3.82 2015 Cold-Hearted Rake (The Ravenels, #1)
author: Lisa Kleypas
name: Karen
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2016/01/28
date added: 2016/01/28
shelves:
review:
Kathleen annoyed the crap out of me. I don't think there was anything I liked about her. And she and Devon have a relationship based entirely on lust and obcession, as far as I can see. And as intriguing as the scenes between Helen and Winterborne were, I felt like they dominated the second half of the book too much. I'm kind of beginning to think that Lisa Kleypas just isn't for me.
]]> Under a Painted Sky 22501055 Ěý
This beautifully written debut is an exciting adventure and heart-wrenching survival tale. But above all else, it’s a story about perseverance and trust that will restore your faith in the power of friendship.]]> 374 Stacey Lee 0399168036 Karen 3 3.97 2015 Under a Painted Sky
author: Stacey Lee
name: Karen
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2016/01/27
date added: 2016/01/27
shelves:
review:
I really liked that friendship was at the center of this book, and the old west setting was interesting and different. Plus, you can't really go wrong with cowboys. There were quite a few things to like about this book, actually. That said, I never really felt invested in Sammy, so the story never quite pulled me in, and the ending felt a bit rushed and loose-endy.
]]> <![CDATA[What I Did for a Duke (Pennyroyal Green, #5)]]> 8430098
But everything about Genevieve is unexpected: the passion simmering beneath her cool control, the sharp wit tempered by gentleness...And though Genevieve has heard the whispers about the duke's dark past, and knows she trifles with him at her peril, one incendiary kiss tempts her deeper into a world of extraordinary sensuality. Until Genevieve is faced with a fateful choice...is there anything she won't do for a duke?]]> 365 Julie Anne Long 0061885681 Karen 4 4.14 2011 What I Did for a Duke (Pennyroyal Green, #5)
author: Julie Anne Long
name: Karen
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2016/01/24
date added: 2016/01/24
shelves:
review:
It was completely charming. I liked how it avoided over-blown melodrama even though with the setup there could've been a lot if it. Genevieve and Alex communicated surprisingly well. And the age difference didn't faze me as much as it sometimes does--it was actually kind of adorable.
]]> <![CDATA[Rock Redemption (Rock Kiss, #3)]]> 26134300 From New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh comes the next contemporary romance in the Rock Kiss series�

Kit Devigny could have loved rock guitarist Noah St. John. Their friendship burned with the promise of intense passion and searing tenderness…until the night Noah deliberately shattered her heart.

Noah knows he destroyed something precious the night he chose to betray Kit, but he’d rather she hate him than learn his darkest secret. All he has left is his music. It’s his saving grace, but it doesn’t silence the voices that keep him up at night. Chasing oblivion through endless one-night-stands, he earns a few hours� sleep and his bad boy reputation.

When a media error sees Noah and Kit dubbed the new “it� couple, Kit discovers her chance at the role of a lifetime hinges on riding the media wave. Wanting—needing—to give Kit this, even if he can’t give her everything, Noah agrees to play the adoring boyfriend. Only the illusion is suddenly too real, too painful, too beautiful…and it may be too late for the redemption of Noah St. John.]]> 424 Nalini Singh Karen 4 4.05 2015 Rock Redemption (Rock Kiss, #3)
author: Nalini Singh
name: Karen
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2016/01/01
date added: 2016/01/21
shelves:
review:
I read this one after re-reading both "Rock Courtship" and "Rock Hard" (but having NOT re-read "Rock Kiss" because that one is just dumb), and actually while I liked both "Rock Courtship" and "Rock Hard" the first time around, I liked them better this second time. But anyway, back to the subject at hand, I enjoyed "Rock Redemption." Yes, Noah was difficult. He does some really messed up things that I probably wouldn't let slide in real life. But, well, I liked the story anyway. I think it was something about the basic foundation of caring and fledgling hope between Noah and Kit that made me a total sucker. And I appreciated that Nalini Singh was willing to tackle some really tough issues and that she did it in a way that felt pretty realistic. Noah still needs therapy, though. For reals.
]]> <![CDATA[The Rogue Not Taken (Scandal & Scoundrel, #1)]]> 23617709
The youngest of the infamous Talbot sisters scandalized society at the Liverpool Summer Soiree, striking her sister’s notoriously philandering husband and landing him backside-first in a goldfish pond. And we thought Sophie was the quiet one�

When she finds herself the target of very public aristocratic scorn, Sophie Talbot does what she must to escape the city and its judgment—she flees on the back of a carriage, vowing never to return to London…or to society. But the carriage isn’t saving her from ruin. It’s filled with it.


ROYAL ROGUE'S REIGN OF RAVISHMENT!

The Marquess of Eversley was espied descending a rose trellis—escaping an irate Earl and his once-future countess. No lady is safe from Eversley’s Engagement Ending Escapades!

Kingscote, the Marquess of Eversley, has never met a woman he couldn’t charm, a quality that results in a reputation far worse than the truth, a furious summons home, and a long, boring trip to the Scottish border. When King discovers stowaway Sophie, however, the trip becomes anything but boring.

WAR? OR MORE?

He thinks she’s trying to trick him into marriage. She wouldn’t have him if he were the last man on earth. But carriages bring close quarters, dark secrets, and unbearable temptation, and suddenly opposites are altogether too attractive…]]> 419 Sarah MacLean 0062379410 Karen 4 3.92 2015 The Rogue Not Taken (Scandal & Scoundrel, #1)
author: Sarah MacLean
name: Karen
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2016/01/16
date added: 2016/01/17
shelves:
review:
A lot of fun and totally entertaining.
]]> <![CDATA[Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4)]]> 13206900
When Winter develops feelings for the handsome palace guard, Jacin, she fears the evil Queen will crush their romance before it has a chance to begin.

But there are stirrings against the Queen across the land. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even find the power to launch a revolution and win a war that's been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter claim their happily ever afters by defeating Levana once and for all?]]> 827 Marissa Meyer 0312642989 Karen 3
1) No book should ever be this long. Period.

2) It was a struggle to make it through the first half. I seriously had to force my way through it.

3) But about halfway it picked up, and then by two-thirds of the way, it was flying. It took me a week and a half to make it through the first 500 pages or so, but only a couple of hours to read the last 300 because I was totally sucked in. So basically, the first half of the book was three stars for me, and then the last half was four stars. So . . . 3.5 stars overall?

4) The last couple chapters had all the swooniness I could desire.

5) Scarlet is still my favorite.

6) Kinney and Iko . . . that's going to be a thing, right? Better be. ]]> 4.42 2015 Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4)
author: Marissa Meyer
name: Karen
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2016/01/01
date added: 2016/01/15
shelves:
review:
Okay. So. My thoughts in numerical order:

1) No book should ever be this long. Period.

2) It was a struggle to make it through the first half. I seriously had to force my way through it.

3) But about halfway it picked up, and then by two-thirds of the way, it was flying. It took me a week and a half to make it through the first 500 pages or so, but only a couple of hours to read the last 300 because I was totally sucked in. So basically, the first half of the book was three stars for me, and then the last half was four stars. So . . . 3.5 stars overall?

4) The last couple chapters had all the swooniness I could desire.

5) Scarlet is still my favorite.

6) Kinney and Iko . . . that's going to be a thing, right? Better be.
]]> All the Bright Places 18460392 The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this exhilarating and heart-wrenching love story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Elle Fanning!
Ěý
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
Ěý
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
Ěý
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders� of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.
Ěý
This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.]]> 388 Jennifer Niven 0385755880 Karen 0 to-read 4.11 2015 All the Bright Places
author: Jennifer Niven
name: Karen
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/11/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bad Boys Do (Donovan Brothers Brewery, #2)]]> 10852689
Jamie Donovan doesn't mean to be bad. Sure, the wild streak in his wicked green eyes has lured the ladies before. Now it's time to grow up. He's even ready for a serious romance. But how can that be when Olivia, the only right woman he has ever met, already has him pegged as wrong?]]> 384 Victoria Dahl 0373776020 Karen 3 3.96 2011 Bad Boys Do (Donovan Brothers Brewery, #2)
author: Victoria Dahl
name: Karen
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2015/11/01
date added: 2015/11/11
shelves:
review:
Cute and fun, but not especially memorable. I'm starting to see a pattern with Victoria Dahl's contemporaries...
]]> <![CDATA[Only a Kiss (The Survivors' Club, #6)]]> 24453092 The Survivors� Club: Six men and one woman, injured in the Napoleonic Wars, their friendships forged in steel and loyalty. But for one, her trials are not over....

Since witnessing the death of her husband during the wars, Imogen, Lady Barclay, has secluded herself in the confines of Hardford Hall, their home in Cornwall. The new owner has failed to take up his inheritance, and Imogen desperately hopes he will never come to disturb her fragile peace.

Percival Hayes, Earl of Hardford, has no interest in the wilds of Cornwall, but when he impulsively decides to pay a visit to his estate there, he is shocked to discover that it is not the ruined heap he had expected. He is equally shocked to find the beautiful widow of his predecessor’s son living there.

Soon Imogen awakens in Percy a passion he has never thought himself capable of feeling. But can he save her from her misery and reawaken her soul? And what will it mean for him if he succeeds?]]> 400 Mary Balogh 0451469682 Karen 2 3.98 2015 Only a Kiss (The Survivors' Club, #6)
author: Mary Balogh
name: Karen
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2015/10/01
date added: 2015/10/31
shelves:
review:
For the most part it was fine and I like the idea, but it was just. so. boring.
]]> Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2) 24001095 I've found very little about private detective R. F. Jackaby to be standard in the time I've known him. Working as his assistant tends to call for a somewhat flexible relationship with reality . . .

In 1892, New Fiddleham, New England, things are never quite what they seem, especially when Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, R. F. Jackaby, are called upon to investigate the supernatural. First, members of a particularly vicious species of shape-shifters disguise themselves as a litter of kittens. A day later, their owner is found murdered, with a single mysterious puncture wound to her neck. Then, in nearby Gad's Valley, dinosaur bones from a recent dig go missing, and an unidentifiable beast attacks animals and people, leaving their mangled bodies behind. Policeman Charlie Cane, exiled from New Fiddleham to the valley, calls on Abigail for help, and soon Abigail and Jackaby are on the hunt for a thief, a monster, and a murderer.]]> 296 William Ritter 1616203544 Karen 3 3.93 2015 Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)
author: William Ritter
name: Karen
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2015/10/01
date added: 2015/10/28
shelves:
review:
Less awesome than the first book, but this one still had it's moments.
]]> <![CDATA[Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels]]> 5660117 The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name...

We do it in the dark. Under the sheets. With a penlight. We wear sunglasses and a baseball hat at the bookstore. We have a "special place" where we store them. Let's face it: Not many folks are willing to publicly admit they love romance novels. Meanwhile, romance continues to be the bestselling fiction genre. Ever. So what's with all the shame?

Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan -- the creators of the wildly popular blog Smart Bitches, Trashy Books -- have no shame! They look at the good, the bad, and the ugly in the world of romance novels and tackle the hard issues and questions:


-- The heroine's irresistible Magic Hoo Hoo and the hero's untamable Wang of Mighty Lovin'

-- Sexual trends. Simultaneous orgasms. Hymens. And is anal really the new oral?

-- Romance novel cover requirements: man titty, camel toe, flowers, long hair, animals, and the O-face

-- Are romance novels really candy-coated porn or vehicles by which we understand our sexual and gender politics?

With insider advice for writing romances, fun games to discover your inner Viking warrior, and interviews with famous romance authors, Beyond Heaving Bosoms shows that while some romance novels are silly -- maybe even tawdry -- they can also be intelligent, savvy, feminist, and fabulous, just like their readers!]]> 291 Sarah Wendell 1416571221 Karen 4 3.93 2009 Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels
author: Sarah Wendell
name: Karen
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2015/10/01
date added: 2015/10/18
shelves:
review:
A lot of fun. I skimmed some parts, but that's par for the course for me when it comes to non-fiction. Mostly, reading this book felt like hanging out with some friends and discussing romance novels--sometimes you agree, sometimes you disagree, but you end up having a good time all around.
]]> <![CDATA[Forever Your Earl (The Wicked Quills of London, #1)]]> 24515550
Eleanor Hawke loves a good scandal. And readers of her successful gossip rag live for the exploits of her favorite subject: Daniel Balfour, the notorious Earl of Ashford. So when the earl himself marches into her office one day and invites her to experience his illicit pursuits firsthand, Eleanor is stunned. Gambling hells, phaeton races, masquerades…What more could a scandal writer want than a secret look into the life of this devilishly handsome rake?

Daniel has secrets and if The Hawk’s Eye gets wind of them, a man’s life could be at stake. And what better way to distract a gossip than by feeding her the scandal she desperately craves? But Daniel never expected the sharp mind and biting wit of the beautiful writer, and their desire for each other threatens even his best laid plans.

But when Eleanor learns the truth of his deception, Daniel will do anything to prove a romance between a commoner and an earl could really last forever.]]> 354 Eva Leigh 0062358626 Karen 2 3.63 2015 Forever Your Earl (The Wicked Quills of London, #1)
author: Eva Leigh
name: Karen
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2015/10/01
date added: 2015/10/13
shelves:
review:
Usually, I'm all about historicals with intelligent, driven heroines, but this one was just . . . boring. Everything about it was predictable, and despite there being both a main plot and subplot, neither was enough to keep the story from dragging. I made it to 2/3 of the way through, waiting for it to pick up, but I finally gave up and skimmed the rest.
]]> <![CDATA[When a Scot Ties the Knot (Castles Ever After, #3)]]> 23587120
A Scottish sweetheart. One who was handsome and honorable and devoted to her, but conveniently never around. Maddie poured her heart into writing the imaginary Captain MacKenzie letter after letter . . . and by pretending to be devastated when he was (not really) killed in battle, she managed to avoid the pressures of London society entirely.

Until years later, when this kilted Highland lover of her imaginings shows up in the flesh. The real Captain Logan MacKenzie arrives on her doorstep—handsome as anything, but not entirely honorable. He's wounded, jaded, in possession of her letters . . . and ready to make good on every promise Maddie never expected to keep.]]> 390 Tessa Dare 0062349031 Karen 3
Basically, I'd rate this book somewhere above the second but below the first. ]]> 3.88 2015 When a Scot Ties the Knot (Castles Ever After, #3)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Karen
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2015/10/01
date added: 2015/10/12
shelves:
review:
Highly entertaining and chock-full of adorable moments. Also, this line from one of Maddie's letters: “My dear imaginary Captain MacKenzie, you are not real and never will be. I, however, am a true and eternal fool. Here, have a drawing of a snail.�

Basically, I'd rate this book somewhere above the second but below the first.
]]> <![CDATA[So Tough to Tame (Jackson Hole, #3)]]> 17622935
Cowboy Walker Pearce never expected a grown-up Charlie to be temptation in tight jeans. She's smart and successful-way out of league for a man like him. But he's not about to let that, or his secrets, get in the way of their blazing-hot attraction. Yet when passion turns to something more, will the truth-about both of them-send her out of his life for good...or into his arms forever?]]> 384 Victoria Dahl 0373777892 Karen 3 3.73 2013 So Tough to Tame (Jackson Hole, #3)
author: Victoria Dahl
name: Karen
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2015/10/11
shelves:
review:

]]> Carry On (Simon Snow, #1) 23734628
That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters.]]> 522 Rainbow Rowell 1250049555 Karen 4 4.14 2015 Carry On (Simon Snow, #1)
author: Rainbow Rowell
name: Karen
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2015/10/01
date added: 2015/10/08
shelves:
review:
I've shipped Simon and Baz so hard ever since "Fangirl," and I loved them to pieces in this book. So the whole Simon-Baz dynamic, I'd give 5 stars to hands down. I can't even handle myself when it comes to them. The non-Simon-and-Baz parts of the story, I liked and enjoyed, but there were to many things that felt a little underdeveloped and not quite fully sorted out (the stuff with the Mage, with Lucy, with Ebb, with Nicodemus, with the Families...), so I'd give all that a high 3 stars. So I rounded those two together and gave the whole thing 4 stars, though I feel like that rating doesn't really capture the depths of my adoration of Simon and Baz.
]]>