en-US Sun, 13 Apr 2025 23:06:09 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 53921926
The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom enriches itself and deprives its rivals, including Lara's homeland. So when she’s sent as a bride under the guise of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture its impenetrable defenses. And the defenses of its king.

Yet as she infiltrates her new home and gains a deeper understanding of the war to possess the bridge, Lara begins to question whether she’s the hero or the villain. And as her feelings for Aren transform from frosty hostility to fierce passion, Lara must choose which kingdom she’ll save� and which kingdom she’ll destroy.

Passionate and violent, The Bridge Kingdom is a seductive fantasy perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.]]> 356 Danielle L. Jensen Caitlin 5 4.02 2018
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2021/12/04
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves:
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]]> 211481283 The stakes are even higher in this epic, romantic conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Crimson Moth duology

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

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

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

In Kristen Ciccarelli's Rebel Witch, the exciting conclusion to The Crimson Moth duology, love has never been so deadly.]]> 456 Kristen Ciccarelli 1250866936 Caitlin 0 to-read 4.30 2025
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/06
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]]> 223239524
But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride�) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.

Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.]]> 400 Bonnie Garmus 0593314484 Caitlin 0 to-read 4.34 2022
author: Bonnie Garmus
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: to-read
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]]> 36423145 From a psychiatrist on the frontlines of addiction medicine and an expert on the history of drug use, comes the "authoritative, engaging, and accessible" (Booklist) history of the flower that helped to build -- and now threatens -- modern society.

Opioid addiction is fast becoming the most deadly crisis in American history. In 2017, it claimed nearly fifty thousand lives -- more than gunshots and car crashes combined, and almost as many Americans as were killed in the entire Vietnam War. But even as the overdose crisis ravages our nation -- straining our prison system, dividing families, and defying virtually every legislative solution to treat it-- few understand how it came to be.

Opium tells the extraordinary and at times harrowing tale of how we arrived at today's crisis, "mak[ing] timely and startling connections among painkillers, politics, finance, and society" (Laurence Bergreen). The story begins with the discovery of poppy artifacts in ancient Mesopotamia, and goes on to explore how Greek physicians and obscure chemists discovered opium's effects and refined its power, how colonial empires marketed it around the world, and eventually how international drug companies developed a range of powerful synthetic opioids that led to an epidemic of addiction.

Throughout, Dr. John Halpern and David Blistein reveal the fascinating role that opium has played in building our modern world, from trade networks to medical protocols to drug enforcement policies. Most importantly, they disentangle how crucial misjudgments, patterns of greed, and racial stereotypes served to transform one of nature's most effective painkillers into a source of unspeakable pain-and how, using the insights of history, state-of-the-art science, and a compassionate approach to the illness of addiction, we can overcome today's overdose epidemic.

This urgent and masterfully woven narrative tells an epic story of how one beautiful flower became the fascination of leaders, tycoons, and nations through the centuries and in their hands exposed the fragility of our civilization.]]> 352 John H. Halpern 0316417661 Caitlin 0 to-read 3.68 2019
author: John H. Halpern
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/06
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]]> 43582376 A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson achieved the seemingly impossible by making the science of our world both understandable and entertaining to millions of people around the globe.

Now he turns his attention inwards to explore the human body, how it functions and its remarkable ability to heal itself. Full of extraordinary facts and astonishing stories, The Body: A Guide for Occupants is a brilliant, often very funny attempt to understand the miracle of our physical and neurological make up.

A wonderful successor to A Short History of Nearly Everything, this book will have you marvelling at the form you occupy, and celebrating the genius of your existence, time and time again.]]> 450 Bill Bryson 0385539304 Caitlin 0 to-read 4.30 2019
author: Bill Bryson
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: to-read
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]]> 21 544 Bill Bryson 076790818X Caitlin 0 to-read 4.21 2003
author: Bill Bryson
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2003
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: to-read
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]]> 217473498
But I have been dragged back into his gilded cage, trapped beneath his rule, and bound to a fate I had tried to escape.

My body is his to break, my magic his to wield. And no matter how many nights I dream of Dacre storming these halls, of his hands pulling me from the darkness—dreams are nothing against the greed of a king.

Even if my mate comes for me, even if I am freed from my father’s grip, I’m not sure there will be anything left of me to save.

The kingdom is dying. The land withers beneath the weight of stolen magic, and my father’s reign will not end without bloodshed.

But I have lived in the dark for too long.

And I was not made to wither, I was made to burn.]]> 488 Holly Renee Caitlin 0 currently-reading 3.63 2025
author: Holly Renee
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> 59417076 An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.

A stunning new reprint of a classic Lisa Kleypas love story about a man who's decided to forgo all romantic entanglements... until he meets a beautiful woman with a secret...

They call him the Monk of Bow Street

Sir Ross Cannon, magistrate and head of the Bow Street Runners, has spent the past few years apprehending the most dangerous criminals in London. He’s driven and disciplined, a man to be feared. His personal needs have been set aside, his days and nights consumed by the determined pursuit of justice.

Until Lady Sophia Sydney, a beautiful young woman with a tarnished past, comes to ask for employment. Ross knows a woman like Sophia doesn’t belong in the rough-and-tumble world of Bow Street, but he gives in to temptation and hires her as his assistant. Day by day, the attraction between them grows, until neither of them can ignore the power of their mutual desire.

But Sophia has a secret... and when Ross discovers the tragic link between their pasts, any chance of being with him will vanish. All they have are a few nights of pleasure, before Sophia will be forced to leave the man she’s fallen hopelessly in love with.

What she doesn’t count on is how much Ross is willing to risk for the sake of a woman who’s awakened his heart.

]]> 384 Lisa Kleypas Caitlin 0 currently-reading 4.23 2002
author: Lisa Kleypas
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 223259676 Aurora is caught between powerful alphas as they fight for the Wolf Throne. But darker forces are rising. . .

The highly anticipated sequel to The Wolf King. Pre-order now!

Aurora may have survived the Wolf King. But his bite marks her skin, and in accordance with Wolf Law, that makes her his property. Now, he wants her back.

To beat him and take his throne, Aurora and Callum must form a dangerous alliance with one of the most feared Wolves in the Kingdom, Blake. He is their enemy, but he has entangled his life with Aurora’s—meaning she cannot harm him without forfeiting her own life.

As she fights to break their connection, she suspects Blake is keeping secrets about a dark power that rises in the north, and the unsettling nature of the bond between them. It seems there is a bigger game at play than who sits on the Wolf Throne—one that threatens both the Kingdom of Wolves, and the Kingdom of Men.

With her wolf awakening, enemies closing in, relationships tested, and secrets revealed—Aurora may be the only one who can stop an ancient evil from rising.

If she can figure out who to trust.

If she can figure out where she, and her heart, belong.

If she can stay alive.

The highly anticipated sequel to The Wolf King. A romantasy for fans of enemies to lovers, shifters, forbidden romance, villains you love to hate (or maybe just love!), and werewolves. Contains strong language and sexual situations.]]> 499 Lauren Palphreyman Caitlin 5 4.44
author: Lauren Palphreyman
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.44
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/04
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]]> 15839976 "I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them."

"I live for you," I say sadly.

Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.

Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.]]> 382 Pierce Brown 0345539788 Caitlin 0 to-read 4.26 2014
author: Pierce Brown
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: to-read
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]]> 213570821 From the bestselling author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and Midnight is the Darkest Hour comes a chilling, compulsive story of five amateur sleuths, whose hunt for an elusive killer catapults them into danger as the world watches.

It's the most famous crime in modern history. But only she knows the true story.

After the unexpected death of her father, college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime, befriending armchair detectives who teach her how to hunt killers from afar. In this morbid internet underground, Jane finds friendship, purpose, and even glory...

So when news of the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho takes the world by storm, and sleuths everywhere race to solve the crimes, Jane and her friends are determined to beat them. But the case turns out to be stranger than anyone expected. Details don't add up, the police are cagey, and there seems to be more media hype and internet theorizing than actual evidence. When Jane and her sleuths take a step closer, they find that every answer only begs more questions. Something's not adding up, and they begin to suspect their killer may be smarter and more prolific than any they've faced before. Placing themselves in the center of the story starts to feel more and more like walking into a trap...

Told one year after the astounding events that concluded the case and left the world reeling, when Jane has finally decided to break her silence about what really happened, she tells the true story of the Delphine Massacres. And what she has to confess will shock even the most seasoned true crime fans...


]]> 480 Ashley Winstead 1728270006 Caitlin 0 to-read 3.74 2025
author: Ashley Winstead
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/24
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]]> 214151565 A read-in-one-night suspense thriller narrated by a compulsive liar whose little white lies allow her to enter into the life and comfort of a wealthy married couple who are harboring much darker secrets themselves. For the millions of us still chasing those gone girls, this is perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Lucy Foley, and Laura Dave.

Sloane Caraway is a liar.

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

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

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

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

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

Careful what you lie for.]]> 336 Sophie Stava 1668079348 Caitlin 0 to-read 3.74 2025
author: Sophie Stava
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/24
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]]> 214151301 Set over the course of one day, a heart-racing story about a woman facing the unimaginable, determined to find safety

Annie is nine months pregnant and shopping for a crib at IKEA when a massive earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. With no way to reach her husband, no phone or money, and a city left in chaos, she realizes there’s nothing to do but walk.

Making her way across the wreckage of Portland, Annie experiences human desperation and kindness: strangers offering help, a riot at a grocery store, and an unlikely friendship with a young mother. As she walks, Annie reflects on her struggling marriage, her disappointing career, and her anxiety about having a baby. She’s determined to change her life if she can just make it home.]]> 229 Emma Pattee 1668055473 Caitlin 0 to-read 3.83 2025
author: Emma Pattee
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/24
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]]> 214565614 A chilling historical horror novel set in the American west in 1912 following a Lutheran priest who transcribes the life of a vampire who haunts the fields of the Blackfeet reservation looking for justice.

A diary, written in 1912 by a Lutheran pastor is discovered within a wall. What it unveils is a slow massacre, a chain of events that go back to 217 Blackfeet dead in the snow. Told in transcribed interviews by a Blackfeet named Good Stab, who shares the narrative of his peculiar life over a series of confessional visits. This is an American Indian revenge story written by one of the new masters of horror, Stephen Graham Jones.]]> 448 Stephen Graham Jones 1668075083 Caitlin 0 to-read 4.28 2025
author: Stephen Graham Jones
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read
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]]> 211004089
Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers. But with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants, packing up the seeds before they are transported to safer ground. Despite the wild beauty of life here, isolation has taken its toll on the Salts. Raff, eighteen and suffering his first heartbreak, can only find relief at his punching bag; Fen, seventeen, has started spending her nights on the beach among the seals; nine-year-old Orly, obsessed with botany, fears the loss of his beloved natural world; and Dominic can’t stop turning back toward the past, and the loss that drove the family to Shearwater in the first place.

Then, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman washes up on shore. As the Salts nurse the woman, Rowan, back to life, their suspicion gives way to affection, and they finally begin to feel like a family again. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting her heart, begins to fall for the Salts, too. But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers the sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own dark secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, the characters must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late—and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together.]]> 303 Charlotte McConaghy 1250827957 Caitlin 0 to-read 4.32 2025
author: Charlotte McConaghy
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read
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]]> 22738563 We Should All Be Feminists, a personal, eloquently-argued essay—adapted from her much-viewed TEDx talk of the same name—by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the award-winning author of Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun.

With humor and levity, here Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century—one rooted in inclusion and awareness. She shines a light not only on blatant discrimination, but also the more insidious, institutional behaviors that marginalize women around the world, in order to help readers of all walks of life better understand the often masked realities of sexual politics. Throughout, she draws extensively on her own experiences—in the U.S., in her native Nigeria, and abroad—offering an artfully nuanced explanation of why the gender divide is harmful for women and men, alike.

Argued in the same observant, witty and clever prose that has made Adichie a bestselling novelist, here is one remarkable author’s exploration of what it means to be a woman today—and an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists.]]> 65 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Caitlin 0 to-read 4.42 2012
author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read
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]]> 52656911
The bride � The plus one � The best man � The wedding planner � The bridesmaid � The body

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?]]> 319 Lucy Foley Caitlin 3 3.82 2020
author: Lucy Foley
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves:
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]]> 165940202
Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.

Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.

Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.]]> 419 Danielle L. Jensen 0593599837 Caitlin 4 3.91 2024
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/03/16
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]]> 214097134 In the beloved tradition of Howl’s Moving CastleĚý˛ą˛Ô»ĺĚýThe House in the Cerulean Sea, a whimsical and unforgettable cozy fantasy about adventure, common sense, and the power of love, as a cheeky butcher's daughter, a befuddlingly handsome sorcerer, and his clever talking cat unlock magical secrets in the dark heart of their kingdomâ€�

“Down-to-earth and completely irresistible, Foss is fantastic, as is her talking cat! A Harvest of Hearts is that rare story that feels both classic and unique at the same time. I loved it!”�—Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop

Everyone in Foss Butcher’s village knows what happens when the magic-workers come; they harvest human hearts to use in their spells. That’s just how life in her kingdom works. But Foss, plain, clumsy, and practical as a boot, never expected anyone would want hers.Ěý

When a sorcerer snags a piece of Foss’s heart without meaning to, she is furious. For once a heart is snagged, the experience is . . . well, unpleasant. So, Foss finds herself stomping toward the grand City to keep his enchanted House and demands that he fixes her before she keels over and dies, or whatever happens when hearts are Snagged.Ěý

But the sorcerer, Sylvester, is not what she expected. Petulant, idle, and new to his powers, Sylvester has no clue how to undo the heart-taking, or how to do much of anything really, apart from sulk. Foss’s only friend is a talking cat and even the House’s walls themselves have moods.Ěý

As Foss searches for a cure, she accidentally uncovers that there is much more to the heart-taking—and to the magic-workers themselves—than she could have ever imagined . . .]]> 419 Andrea Eames 164566192X Caitlin 0 currently-reading 3.93 2025
author: Andrea Eames
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> 65214365
Long ago, the world was destroyed by gods. Only nine cities were spared. Separated by vast wilderness teeming with monsters and unimaginable dangers, each city is now ruled by a guardian―royalty who feed on mortal pleasure.

Born with an intuition that never fails, Calista knows her talents are of great value to the power-hungry of the world, so she lives hidden as a courtesan of the Baron of Archwood. In exchange for his protection, she grants him information.

When her intuition leads her to save a traveling prince in dire trouble, the voice inside her blazes with warning―and promise. Today he’ll bring her joy. One day he'll be her doom.

When the Baron takes an interest in the traveling prince and the prince takes an interest in Calista, she becomes the prince’s temporary companion. But the city simmers with rebellion, and with knights and monsters at her city gates and a hungry prince in her bed, intuition may not be enough to keep her safe.

Calista must follow her intuition to safety or follow her heart to her downfall.]]> 416 Jennifer L. Armentrout 1250750199 Caitlin 4 3.94 2023
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/08
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]]> 41104077
Celebrated feminist advocate Caroline Criado Perez investigates the shocking root cause of gender inequality and research in Invisible Women�, diving into women’s lives at home, the workplace, the public square, the doctor’s office, and more. Built on hundreds of studies in the US, the UK, and around the world, and written with energy, wit, and sparkling intelligence, this is a groundbreaking, unforgettable exposé that will change the way you look at the world.]]> 448 Caroline Criado Pérez 1419729071 Caitlin 0 to-read 4.35 2019
author: Caroline Criado PĂ©rez
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
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]]> 211003829 Timely and thought-provoking, Nancy Reddy unpacks and debunks the bad ideas that have for too long defined what it means to be a "good" mom.

When Nancy Reddy had her first child she found herself suddenly confronted with the ideal of a perfect mother—a woman who was constantly available, endlessly patient, and immediately invested in her child to the exclusion of all else. Reddy had been raised by a single working mother, considered herself a feminist, and was well on her way to a PhD. Why did doing motherhood "right" feel so wrong?

For answers Reddy turned to the mid-20th century social scientists and psychologists whose work still forms the basis of so much of what we believe about parenting. It seems ludicrous to imagine modern moms taking advice from mid-century researchers, yet their bad ideas about so-called “good� motherhood have seeped pervasively into our cultural norms. In The Good Mother Myth, Reddy debunks the flawed lab studies, sloppy research, and straightforward misogyny of researchers from Harry Harlow, who claimed to have discovered love by observing monkeys in his lab, to the famous Dr. Spock, whose bestselling parenting guide included just one illustration of a father interacting with his child. Blending history of science, cultural criticism, and memoir, The Good Mother Myth pulls back the curtain on the flawed social science behind our contemporary understanding of what makes a good mom.]]> 256 Nancy Reddy 1250336643 Caitlin 0 to-read 3.72 2025
author: Nancy Reddy
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/02
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]]> 203751764
More than a million women lose a pregnancy each year, whether through miscarriage, stillbirth, or termination for medical reasons. For most, the experience often casts a shadow of isolation, shame, and blame. In the aftermath of the 2022 decision to overturn Roe v Wade, 25 million women of childbearing age live in states with laws that restrict access to abortion, including for those who never wanted to end their pregnancies. How did we get here?

Rebecca Little and Colleen Long, childhood friends who grew up to be journalists, both experienced late-term loss, and together they take an incisive, deeply reported look at the issue, working to shatter taboos that have made so many pregnant women feel ashamed and alone. They trace the experience of pregnancy loss and reproductive care from America's founding to the present day, exposing the deep impact made by a dangerous tangle of laws, politics, medicine, racism, and misogyny. Combining powerful personal narratives with exhaustive research, I'm Sorry for My Loss is a comprehensive examination on how pregnancy loss came to be so stigmatized and politicized, and why a system of more compassionate care is critical for everyone.]]> 496 1728292751 Caitlin 0 to-read 4.42 2024
author: Rebecca Little and Colleen Long
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/02
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]]> 42270835 Author of The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys sentenced to a hellish reform school in 1960s Florida.

Elwood Curtis has taken the words of Dr Martin Luther King to heart: he is as good as anyone. Abandoned by his parents, brought up by his loving, strict and clear-sighted grandmother, Elwood is about to enroll in the local black college. But given the time and the place, one innocent mistake is enough to destroy his future, and so Elwood arrives at The Nickel Academy, which claims to provide 'physical, intellectual and moral training' which will equip its inmates to become 'honorable and honest men'.

In reality, the Nickel Academy is a chamber of horrors, where physical, emotional and sexual abuse is rife, where corrupt officials and tradesmen do a brisk trade in supplies intended for the school, and where any boy who resists is likely to disappear 'out back'. Stunned to find himself in this vicious environment, Elwood tries to hold on to Dr King's ringing assertion, 'Throw us in jail, and we will still love you.' But Elwood's fellow inmate and new friend Turner thinks Elwood is naive and worse; the world is crooked, and the only way to survive is to emulate the cruelty and cynicism of their oppressors.

The tension between Elwood's idealism and Turner's skepticism leads to a decision which will have decades-long repercussions.

Based on the history of a real reform school in Florida that operated for one hundred and eleven years and warped and destroyed the lives of thousands of children, The Nickel Boys is a devastating, driven narrative by a great American novelist whose work is essential to understanding the current reality of the United States.]]> 213 Colson Whitehead Caitlin 0 to-read 4.25 2019
author: Colson Whitehead
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/02
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]]> 181344829 A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was�.

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.]]> 410 Ali Hazelwood Caitlin 5 3.98 2024
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/02
date added: 2025/03/02
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]]> 58784475 In this exhilarating novel, two friends—often in love, but never lovers—come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn't heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won't protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.]]> 401 Gabrielle Zevin 0735243344 Caitlin 0 to-read 4.12 2022
author: Gabrielle Zevin
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/14
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]]> 59361148
Amara was once a beloved daughter, until her father's death plunged her family into penury. Now she is a slave in Pompeii's infamous brothel, owned by a man she despises. Sharp, clever and resourceful, Amara is forced to hide her talents. For as a she-wolf, her only value lies in the desire she can stir in others.

But Amara's spirit is far from broken.

By day, she walks the streets with her fellow she-wolves, finding comfort in the laughter and dreams they share. For the streets of Pompeii are alive with opportunity. Out here, even the lowest slave can secure a reversal in fortune. Amara has learnt that everything in this city has its price. But how much is her freedom going to cost her?

Set in Pompeii's lupanar, The Wolf Den reimagines the lives of women who have long been overlooked.]]> 422 Elodie Harper 1454946555 Caitlin 5 3.99 2021
author: Elodie Harper
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/13
date added: 2025/02/13
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]]> 215086473 Welcome to Madame Allegria’s, where your Krave will satisfy your every desire�

At 25-years-old, unmarried, and untouched, Eve Tesler is an outcast in the Everton colony’s society. Loneliness plagues her daily life and fearing that will she never know true intimacy, she does something uncharacteristically reckless: she pays the steep price for an unforgettable night with one of the Krave, legendary alien lovers with unparalleled skills and non-human abilities in the bedroom. Only, she never expected him�

When Khiva’s home planet was destroyed during the Great War, his race scattered among the stars and survived any way they could…including selling their infamous �services� for credits. Now, residing and working at Madame Allegria’s elite brothel on a human colony, Khiva’s only goal is to earn enough for passage off Everton. But when a beautiful, lonely human female visits him one night...everything changes. Suddenly, he craves her with an intensity that should frighten him while her lush curves drive him to madness.

It was supposed to be only one night, but Eve finds she can’t stay away from her mysterious and forbidden alien lover…even if she has to pay for him.
]]> 302 Zoey Draven Caitlin 2 3.78
author: Zoey Draven
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.78
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/08
date added: 2025/02/08
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]]> 75669924
Dawsyn’s miraculous escape from the Ledge was just the beginning. In the queens� dungeon, Dawsyn awaits her execution while reliving the death of her lover, Ryon. There is no chance of mercy.

But hope finds her in the form of rescue by her village friends. Now on the run and struggling to tame her newly-gained and greatly unstable powers, Dawsyn's journey continues. Facing betrayal anew, she must learn patience and trust as she builds strength on all fronts, while she and her comrades recover and ready themselves for what's to come.

As they ascend the perilous mountain slopes to the Glacian kingdom once again in a desperate attempt to save those remaining on the Ledge, Dawsyn must battle wills as well as weapons, before discovering an entirely new evil awaiting her…]]> 502 Stacey McEwan 1915202663 Caitlin 5 3.95 2023
author: Stacey McEwan
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/26
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]]> 59738611
In a place known as the Ledge, a civilization is trapped by a vast chasm and sheer mountain face. There is no way for anyone to escape the frozen wasteland without befalling a deathly drop. They know nothing of the outside world except that it is where the Glacians reside � mystical and vicious winged creatures who bring meagre rations in exchange for a periodic human sacrifice.   Dawsyn, ax wielder and only remaining member of her family, has so far avoided the annual culling, but her luck has run out. She is chosen and ripped from her icy home, the only world she knows. No one knows what will happen to her on the other side, least of all Dawsyn. Murdered? Enslaved? Worse? Fortunately, a half-Glacian called Ryon offers to help them both escape, but how can she trust one of the very creatures that plagued her life? Dawsyn is a survivor, and she is not afraid to cut anyone down to live.

With a slow-burning romance, high stakes and even higher rewards, this richly created new fantasy series by popular TikToker Stacey McEwan will keep you gripped to the very end.]]> 370 Stacey McEwan 1915202175 Caitlin 5 3.87 2021
author: Stacey McEwan
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/21
date added: 2025/01/21
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]]> 16054217 The #1 New York Times bestselling series finale and sequel to A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night

Bringing the magic and suspense of the All Souls Trilogy to a deeply satisfying conclusion, this highly anticipated finale went straight to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. In The Book of Life, Diana and Matthew time-travel back from Elizabethan London to make a dramatic return to the present—facing new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home, Sept-Tours, they reunite with the beloved cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency.]]> 561 Deborah Harkness 0670025593 Caitlin 0 to-read 4.15 2014
author: Deborah Harkness
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/18
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]]> 215085999 The final book of the Horde Kings of Dakkar series is here�

High in the icy northlands of Dakkar, I’ve lived a sheltered, predictable, and safe life. My days are spent caring for an ancient temple and staying out of the priestesses� way. My nights are spent pouring over the great stories of warrior kings and the queens that stole their hearts.

But I have a secret.

I’m a hybrid female. Half-Dakkari, half-human, the first of my kind. The priestesses have risked everything to keep me hidden from the dangerous hordes that roam the wild lands and the greedy king that sits on the throne in Dothik. I am the secret they could never let free.

Then a horde king—with molten eyes and the body of a battle god—shows up at the temple’s gates, demanding entry.

He’s the one I see in my dreams, all ruthless, merciless strength and a tempting smirk to match. Only, he’s not the gentle male I always imagined. He’s cunning, sensual, cruel…and he thinks that everything has a price. Even me.

With a growing danger in the east and a precarious throne in the west, he steals me away from the sacred temple with daring plans all his own.

He thinks I’m a naive temple girl, who will bend easily to his demands. Instead, I fight him at every turn, showing him claws of my own. Instead of fear, lust begins to rise between us—hot, addicting, and forbidden. His teasing touch makes me tremble. His stolen kisses make me weak.

But the horde king of Rath Serok is as mysterious as he is devilish.

And he has his own secret…one that will forever change the future of Dakkar.]]> Zoey Draven Caitlin 5 4.22 2022
author: Zoey Draven
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/15
date added: 2025/01/15
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]]> 215086143
As a fatal curse continues to spread over the planet of Dakkar, I make a deal with an alien witch who claims she can stop it.

Her price?

The heart of a horde king.

Only the horde king in question is the fiercest male I’ve ever seen, with glowing demon eyes, a god-like body crafted in battle, and a cold, cruel grin that promises destruction.

Yet when I offer myself to him, all under the premise of luring him back to the witch, his touch sets my blood on fire. His dizzying kiss makes the world spin. Instead of fear, I feel hot and unwanted desire, awakening instincts that tell me I’m his.

When he discovers my ultimate betrayal, the enraged horde king vows he will take me as his prize, that I will wear his chains, and that I will serve him in whatever way he wishes.

And as the dangers on Dakkar loom, I find myself craving my wicked, wicked ruin...all at the hands of a horde king I should’ve never crossed.]]> Zoey Draven Caitlin 4 4.13 2022
author: Zoey Draven
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/01
date added: 2025/01/01
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]]> 213270683
When I was a child, I fell in love with a Dakkari boy. The prince of our clan. Rukkar, we called him. For he was destined to become the greatest horde king of our time.

He was Kiran of Rath Okkili. My friend. My strong, unyielding protector. His mischievous smile and golden eyes made my heart flutter and my soul sing. And just when I began to believe he returned my love…he shattered me so completely and never once looked back to see how I’d survived.

Nine years later, he’s returned.

Only, he’s not a prince anymore.

He’s a horde king. Cold and cruel. With molten eyes like sin and a body made for war.

I promised myself I’d never love him again.

He intends to make a liar out of me.

Because he not only wants my love again…he also demands me as his queen.]]> 466 Zoey Draven Caitlin 4 4.03 2021
author: Zoey Draven
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2024/12/29
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]]> 26202289 They're rebels, scoundrels, and blackguards-dark, dashing men on the wrong side of the law. But for the women who love them, a hint of danger only makes the heart beat faster... A scandalous proposal. Christopher Argent lives in the shadows as the empire's most elite assassin. Emotion is something he tossed away years ago, making him one of the most clear-eyed, cold-hearted, wealthiest, and therefore untouchable men in London. But when his latest target turns out to be London's own darling, Millicent LeCour, Christopher's whole world is turned upside down. Overwhelmed by her stunning combination of seduction and innocence, Christopher cannot complete the mission. She has made him feel again. Now, he will do anything to save her life, so that he can claim her as his own... A perilous passion... When Millie learns what Christopher was hired to do, she is torn between the fear in her heart and the fire in her soul. Putting herself in this notorious hunter's arms may be her only path to safety-even if doing so could be the deadliest mistake she's ever made. But how can she resist him? As the heat between her and Christopher burns out of control, danger lurks in the shadows. Is their desire worth the risk? Only the enemy knows what fate has in store...Read the Victorian RebelsThe HighwaymanThe HunterThe HighlanderThe DukeThe Scot Beds His WifeThe Duke With the Dragon TattooA Dark and Stormy Knight]]> 429 Kerrigan Byrne 1466887419 Caitlin 4 4.31 2016
author: Kerrigan Byrne
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/27
date added: 2024/12/27
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]]> 55628986 A step-by-step plan clinically proven to break the cycle of worry and fear that drives anxiety and addictive habits

We are living through one of the most anxious periods any of us can remember. Whether facing issues as public as a pandemic or as personal as having kids at home and fighting the urge to reach for the wine bottle every night, we are feeling overwhelmed and out of control. But in this timely book, Judson Brewer explains how to uproot anxiety at its source using brain-based techniques and small hacks accessible to anyone.

We think of anxiety as everything from mild unease to full-blown panic. But it's also what drives the addictive behaviors and bad habits we use to cope (e.g. stress eating, procrastination, doom scrolling and social media). Plus, anxiety lives in a part of the brain that resists rational thought. So we get stuck in anxiety habit loops that we can't think our way out of or use willpower to overcome. Dr. Brewer teaches us map our brains to discover our triggers, defuse them with the simple but powerful practice of curiosity, and to train our brains using mindfulness and other practices that his lab has proven can work.

Distilling more than 20 years of research and hands-on work with thousands of patients, including Olympic athletes and coaches, and leaders in government and business, Dr. Brewer has created a clear, solution-oriented program that anyone can use to feel better - no matter how anxious they feel.]]> 287 Judson Brewer 0593330447 Caitlin 0 to-read 3.88 2020
author: Judson Brewer
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/27
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]]> 58318632 What a girl wants
Miss Viola Darling always gets what she wants. Always. And what she wants more than anything is to marry James Kilbrenner, the Earl of Tannenbrook. She’s fallen hard for the giant, taciturn, surly brute, and she positively will have no other. The problem? He’s not interested. Not even a little. But Viola cannot afford to lose. And she has her heart set on James. If only he will bend to a bit of persuasion.

Is an earl like no other
James Kilbrenner knows how determined the entirely-too-beautiful Miss Darling can be—the daft woman cornered him at a perfectly respectable dinner and mangled his cravat before he could escape. He has no desire to marry, less desire to be pursued, and will certainly not kiss her kissable lips until they are both breathless, no matter how tempted he may be.

And only the right one will do
Thrown in her path by a meddling marchioness, James finds himself under sensual siege from a tiny, flirtatious sprite who puts both his heart and his vow to remain unwed at risk. And when scandal looms, he learns the hard way that a man can resist only so long before the indomitable Miss Darling gets her way.]]> 300 Elisa Braden Caitlin 4 4.25 2016
author: Elisa Braden
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/12
date added: 2024/12/12
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]]> 58318172 His revenge will be her seduction.

The night that changes everything�

Life for Victoria Lacey should be perfect. And it is—perfectly boring. Agree to marry a lord who has yet to inspire a single, solitary tingle? Why, of course. Smile as though this is not the thousandth time he’s mentioned hounds and hunting? It’s all in a day’s work for the oh-so-proper sister of the Duke of Blackmore. Surely no one would suspect her secret longing for heart-racing, head-spinning passion. Except, perhaps, a dark stranger� on a terrace� at a ball where she should definitely not be kissing a man she has only just met.

The obsession that leads to ruin�

Hatred, not love, drives Lucien Wyatt, Viscount Atherbourne, to tempt the “Flower of Blackmore� into sin. Her brother has done unthinkable damage to Lucien’s family, and he intends to exact revenge in the only way left to him: Ruining his enemy’s sister, then stealing her from Blackmore by making her his own.

The woman who will set fire to her husband’s heart�

As Lucien carries out his ruthless plan, tutoring his new bride in the finer points of pleasure, her surrender leaves him breathless� and soon a new obsession awakens—a scandalous fascination with his irresistible wife.]]> 328 Elisa Braden Caitlin 4 4.18 2015
author: Elisa Braden
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/06
date added: 2024/12/06
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]]> 220389458 New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood.

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

Ali Hazelwood’s Cruel Winter with You is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]> 73 Ali Hazelwood 1662528396 Caitlin 5 3.68 2024
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/03
date added: 2024/12/03
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]]> 220802289
Now in the hands of a shadow fae priest with an agenda of his own, Murgha mistrusts his motives and the secrets he keeps. But she realizes quickly that her unexpected fall into the keeping of Vallon isn't so surprising after all. The gods have plans for them both, and their new path together is just the beginning.]]> 170 Juliette Cross Caitlin 4 3.98 2024
author: Juliette Cross
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/03
date added: 2024/12/03
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]]> 58319210 She’s not one for half measures
Lady Annabelle Huxley believes anything worth doing is worth doing boldly, and that includes adoring Robert Conrad. As a girl, she chased him with reckless abandon, and he always rescued her when she pushed too far � until the day rescuing her cost him everything—and lost her the boy she loved as no other.

He’s not the boy she remembers
The accident that shattered his body and his future left Robert Conrad fighting a battle only the hardest men win. After seven hellish years, even his tough soldier of a grandfather thinks he needs a wife to “civilize� him. But the season’s sole temptation is Annabelle, no longer a worshipful girl, now a siren with a womanly laugh, sarcastic mouth, and curves to make an uncivilized man sweat.

Love this powerful is not so easily broken
Her habit of chasing trouble hasn’t changed. Neither has his driving need to protect her. So, when a scandalous secret draws danger too close, he’ll wield his weapons ruthlessly—blackmail, betrothal, seduction—to keep her safe once more. And when his strength is all that stands between her and a perilous abyss, she’s reminded why loving Robert Conrad has always been the hardest habit to break.]]> 362 Elisa Braden Caitlin 3 4.30 2019
author: Elisa Braden
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/01
date added: 2024/12/01
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]]> 220389465 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey.

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

Tessa Bailey’s Merry Ever After is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]> 59 Tessa Bailey 1662528736 Caitlin 3 2.79 2024
author: Tessa Bailey
name: Caitlin
average rating: 2.79
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/29
date added: 2024/11/29
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]]> 5948657 They call him many names, but Angelic isn't one of them

Sebastian Ballister, the notorious Marquess of Dain, is big, bad, and dangerous to know. No respectable woman would have anything to do with "Bane and Blight of the Ballisters"—and he wants nothing to do with respectable women. He's determined to continue doing what he does best—sin and sin again—and all that's going swimmingly well, thank you... until the day a shop door opens and she walks in.

She's too intelligent to fall for the worst man in the world

Jessica Trent is a determined young woman, and she's going to drag her imbecile brother off the road to ruin, no matter what it takes. If saving him—and with him, her family and future—means taking on the devil himself, she won't back down. The trouble is, the devil in question is shockingly irresistible, and the person who needs the most saving is—herself.]]> 384 Loretta Chase Caitlin 4 4.12 1995
author: Loretta Chase
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/29
date added: 2024/11/29
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]]> 217101858
King Renwick rules the rival kingdom of Infernis, the land of the dead. When Oralia flees the palace of Aethera after her power is let loose with deadly results, he recognizes her potential as a weapon and aids her escape.

Oralia finds herself the prisoner of the man she has been taught to fear most, and Renwick is surprised to find there is more to this princess than her untamed powers. Despite the gulf of secrets and magic between them, Renwick can’t deny the pull he feels towards her, and Oralia struggles to resist the one person who cannot only survive her touch, but craves it.

As Oralia uncovers the truth of her parentage and masters her magic, she will discover that the power to raze or save either Aethera or Infernis lies in her hands. War between the two kingdoms looms and she must decide who she can trust and which she wants power or love.

Ruin is a true slow burn romance, with enemies to lovers, nods to multiple mythological stories reimagined into new lore, LGBTQIA+ representation (supporting characters). ]]> 387 Gillian Eliza West Caitlin 3 3.94
author: Gillian Eliza West
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/20
date added: 2024/11/20
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]]> 214291422
Outlander meets The Witcher and Throne of Glass. BOUND BY DECEPTION is a high-stakes Fantasy Romance with enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn delicious spice, a mail-order-bride, and a dark and lush world inspired by Celtic myth.

Bree Fellshadow is a master assassin, but when she’s sent to work as a spy in the enemy court, she finds herself out of her depth.

Killing the queen’s enemies is easy compared to pretending to be a biddable wife or dealing with her obnoxious chief-enforcer husband—a powerful warrior-druid who both enrages and unsettles her.

Cailean mac Brochan is also worryingly suspicious, and she keeps drawing his attention. But Bree must gain his trust, to learn where and when the enemy will strike.

That is � if she survives long enough.

From best-selling author Jayne Castel comes a brand new, Romantic Fantasy duology, where druids, mortals, and Fae collide with Celtic myth. If you love stories about betrayal, sacrifice, divided loyalties, and redemption—and if you like fierce, stabby heroines, and grumpy, protective heroes—you won’t be able to put down this addictive Romantasy.]]> 340 Jayne Castel 1991280076 Caitlin 5 3.79
author: Jayne Castel
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.79
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/05
date added: 2024/11/05
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]]> 73071451 Sinner. Villain. Wicked.

The Prince of Envy has never claimed to be a saint. But when a cryptic note arrives, signaling the beginning of a deadly game, he knows it will take more than a hint of sin to win and save his falling demon court. Riddles, hexed objects, anonymous players, nothing will stand in his way, though none of his meticulous plans prepare him for her, the frustrating artist who ignites his sin like no other�

Virtuous. Darling. Liar.

The trouble with scoundrels and blackguards is that they haven’t a modicum of honor, a fact Miss Camilla Antonius learns after one desperate mistake allows Waverly Green’s most notorious rake to blackmail her. To avoid a ruinous scandal, Camilla is forced to enter a devil’s bargain with Envy, little expecting his game will awaken her true nature...

Together, Envy and Camilla must embark on a perilous journey through the Underworld—from glittering demon courts to the sultry vampire realm and beyond—while trying to avoid the most dangerous trap of all: falling in love.]]> 612 Kerri Maniscalco 031655751X Caitlin 5 4.00 2023
author: Kerri Maniscalco
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/04
date added: 2024/11/04
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]]> 212316933 Given the choice between him and the hangman’s noose� She’d pick the noose.

Abandoned by her human father to be raised among the fae healers of Duje, half-breed Katya prefers to keep to the shadows and far away from her stepfather’s cane. When he is suddenly called to court, her stepfather forces Katya to come along and spy on the crown. His instructions are simple: watch, listen and don’t get killed.

But nothing about court life is simple, and Katya soon finds herself thrust into the center of a political storm, her every move monitored by the prince’s fearsome head of guard, Aemon Cregg.

Aemon is as deadly as he is beautiful. He’s also cocky, hotheaded, and intent on infuriating Katya any chance he gets. But though he sets her temper aflame, the heat that burns between them is undeniable.

Yet even Aemon can’t protect her when the king calls for Katya’s arrest. Terrified and alone, she taps into a forbidden magic to escape. Now, she's running for her life, and Aemon is hot on her trail.

But in the depths of the mountains, an even more insidious threat awaits, one that will bring into question everything Katya thought she knew about her kingdom, her people and herself.

Dawn of the White Witch is the first book in a dark, fantasy romance series, perfect for readers who enjoy steamy romance, unique magic systems, morally gray heroes, witty banter, and political intrigue. This enemies-to-lovers romantasy will appeal to fans of The Serpent and the Wings of Night, From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.]]> 452 C.R. Lee Caitlin 5 3.87
author: C.R. Lee
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.87
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/31
date added: 2024/10/31
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]]> 196920718
Princess Aurora longs to escape the castle and the marriage that has been arranged for her.

But on the night before her wedding, at a dog fight where captured werewolves are made to fight for sport, she spares the life of a young wolf. It puts her on the radar of the powerful alpha who was going to kill him. And it changes everything.

That night, when the alpha escapes, he kidnaps her and takes her to the rugged lands north of the border � where the once warring werewolf clans are beginning to unite. He thinks that she is the key to winning the war against the humans.

Only, as they spend time around one another, forbidden attraction starts to grow. And as Aurora learns that not all wolves are bad, the alpha discovers that she is in danger from both his enemies, and those he once considered friends.

With monsters on both sides, a bloodthirsty war between humans and wolves raging, and undeniable passion growing between them � will their story end in love? Or tragedy?

And will Aurora ever get home?

Does she even want to?]]> 475 Lauren Palphreyman Caitlin 5 4.18 2023
author: Lauren Palphreyman
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/30
date added: 2024/10/30
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]]> 204679306 Pleasure.
Provide.

A thousand years of climate change, genetic testing, and war destroyed civilisation as it was.

From the remains came the age of The Trade and The Crown. In return for resources, security, and a meaningful purpose, citizens accepted a life of service to the new world.

The land became The Cradle, and humankind was henceforth known as the Cradled Common.

Young Aster is no different. If selected, she'll be the King's Silk Girl. A common human bred to adore and pleasure him, and to provide The Cradle with healthy babies for the Trade.

That is her meaningful purpose.

But the King is more monster than man. The heir of the genetically enhanced breed, he was designed to survive and rule this new world.

King Rome has a heart as black as his giant pet eagle's wings, and a singular obsession—to reign.

That stands until one day Aster puts her tiny human hand in his...

But "love is not a virtue in The Cradle", because nothing could be more dangerous to the regime than having its merciless King fall in love with a common girl Born For Silk.]]> 446 Nicci Harris Caitlin 1 3.96
author: Nicci Harris
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2024/10/29
date added: 2024/10/29
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]]> 159110690

Author's The Viridian Priestess is a slow burn, but spicy romance. It ends on a slight cliffhanger with a HFN. Please check CW's.]]> 416 Katrina Calandra Caitlin 3 4.01 2023
author: Katrina Calandra
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/27
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves:
review:

]]> 209813409 Welcome to Phantasma.

There are only two rules to the game. Stay alive. And don’t fall in love.

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

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

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

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

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

Her life is on the line. But in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart�

A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Caraval in this seductive fantasy adventure. With steamy romance, a sexy morally gray love interest, OCD rep and jaw-dropping twists, Phantasma is perfect for fans of Rebecca Yarros, Nisha J. Tuli and Carissa Broadbent.]]> 428 Kaylie Smith 1835251412 Caitlin 3 4.15 2024
author: Kaylie Smith
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/27
date added: 2024/10/27
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]]> 28500651 All Charlotte wanted was to avoid scandal. Instead, she was caught in the arms of a mysterious, handsome lord...and he's not letting go.

On the night of the Parkhurst ball, someone had a scandalous tryst in the library.

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?]]> 387 Tessa Dare Caitlin 5 4.24 2016
author: Tessa Dare
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/18
date added: 2024/10/18
shelves:
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]]> 59547627
A woman hunted

Once a hopeless wallflower, Clarissa Meadows blossomed into a beauty for a single splendid season—only to catch the eye of a madman bent on possessing her. Now, she must flee where he’ll never follow: a friend’s house in the Scottish Highlands. Except he does follow. And Clarissa has nowhere left to run.

A protector unbound

Campbell MacPherson shouldn’t be dreaming about the fair English lass who blushes like a sunrise, blurts out double entendres over breakfast, and shows a peculiar interest in the size of his hands. But when she reveals the threat putting fear in her eyes, this rough, solitary giant vows his protection, even if it means keeping temptation as close as his next breath.

A temptation too hot to deny

Clarissa couldn’t ask for a more imposing—or enthralling—bodyguard than Campbell MacPherson. But accepting his protection puts him squarely in a predator’s sights. And soon, she faces an impossible choice: stay in the shelter of his arms or save the man she loves from the wolf she’s brought to his door.]]> 321 Elisa Braden Caitlin 3 4.15 2021
author: Elisa Braden
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/09
date added: 2024/10/09
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]]> 203031197 An angel in freefall
A year ago, Sabella Lockhart lived in sheltered gentility as the sister of a Scottish lord. Then her brother’s shocking crimes came to light, leaving her with nothing but horrifying memories, unpayable debts, and a blackened name. Before she leaves Scotland for good, she must face the family he harmed the MacPhersons. But when a Highland robbery takes everything but the gown on her back, she’s forced to accept help from the MacPherson who despises her more than any other. The one man she can’t forget.

A devil who burns for revenge
Alexander MacPherson hasn’t forgotten Sabella Lockhart for a single bloody moment. She’s the reason he was shot, the reason he endured a hellish recovery, the reason he hasn’t slept soundly in a year. So, when she turns up stranded and penniless in the village tavern, he offers her a position—as his maid. Let her dirty those pristine hands scrubbing floors. Let her earn those silk gowns one shilling at a time. Nothing could be more satisfying than having her sleeping under his roof and following his commands. Ruthless? Absolutely. But that’s the catch in a deal with the devil. He always takes more than his due.

A collision between heaven and hell
When Sabella rises to his challenge, her fire brings Alexander to his knees. But she doesn’t know how ruthlessly he’ll fight to keep an angel by his side. Or how dangerous a devil can be when the woman he wants more than air and whisky is threatened by a past that won’t stay buried.]]> 402 Elisa Braden Caitlin 5 4.35 2024
author: Elisa Braden
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/07
date added: 2024/10/07
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]]> 56046150 A Scot on fire

Wrongfully imprisoned and tortured by an unseen enemy, Broderick MacPherson lives for one purpose—punishing the villain who targeted him. But when a wayward English lass interrupts his revenge, he loses his enemy in the dark. Now, her compelled testimony could send Broderick back to the prison that nearly killed him. Unless they find a loophole—an inconvenient, shockingly tempting loophole.

A beauty under pressure

For Kate Huxley, visiting her brother in the Scottish Highlands is a blissful escape from the stifling expectations of the marriage mart. Blissful, that is, until a scarred, beastly Highlander with a heartbreaking past frightens her out of her wits, making her a witness in a criminal inquiry.

A match to light the darkness

Kate has no wish to testify against a man who’s already suffered too much. But the only remedy is to become his wife. And she can’t possibly marry such a surly, damaged man� can she? Well, perhaps. If it means she can stay in her beloved Scotland. And if he promises they’ll never fall in love.

]]> 397 Elisa Braden Caitlin 4 4.19 2020
author: Elisa Braden
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/05
date added: 2024/10/05
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]]> 6588030 Kresley Cole returns with a breathtaking romantic saga of love, honor, and passion unbound -- as a man of duty faces his greatest trial, and a young castaway discovers her greatest desire.... A man noted for his courage and integrity, Captain Grant Sutherland journeys to Oceania to find Victoria Dearbourne, an English girl lost at sea a decade before. He's given her ailing grandfather his word -- as a gentleman -- to find and protect her. But one look at a grown Victoria and Grant has never felt less like one. Tori relishes freedom, untamed passion, and spontaneity above stifling order. Even more so when a proud, cold British captain arrives to rescue her, though she has no wish to be. As Grant tries to convince her to leave her island home, she begins to see in him a man hungering for more. A man who once laughed. A man who desires her but won't take what she offers. Grant struggles to control his own savage passions -- and fails, Tori must decide what she wants more -- her unfettered independence or the only man who could tame her wild heart....]]> 368 Kresley Cole Caitlin 3 4.13 2004
author: Kresley Cole
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/01
date added: 2024/10/01
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]]> 209234562 To keep my family safe and prevent a devastating Clan war, I would do anything–even marry the powerful prince I’ve hidden from all my life.

When the vicious Blood Brotherhood prince I’ve been hidden from all my life finally comes to claim me at my wedding and kills my heinous groom, he gives me one choice–stay here and take my chances with the unknown force raining poisoned arrows on my ceremony or leave with him as his bride.

He’s the man I was raised to fear.

He’s the most ruthless warrior in all of Malhaven.

Few dare to even speak his name.

But with my family’s safety on the line, I choose the unthinkable and agree to become his queen.

As I try to adjust to my new home, the treacherous ways of Clan life, and learn the magic I was forbidden from practicing, I discover that the enemy I once feared might be the only one I can trust–and the sole person I can’t resist.

But the secret he’s keeping might finally accomplish what the assassins failed to do–destroy everyone I love and shatter our world forever.

A Crown of Tears and Treason is book 1 in the first duology of the A Curse of Silver Secrets and Cruel Shadows series. It’s a slowburn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy where banter is a love language and secrets can kill. The series starts out hot and only gets hotter as the mystery grows.

In the War of the Clans, which side will you choose? Protectorate VS Blood Brotherhood.
]]> 574 Vera Raye Caitlin 5 4.22 2024
author: Vera Raye
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/14
date added: 2024/09/14
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]]> 130186793
Everything in the fae court wants me dead. The monsters who live here, the royal family, even the other tributes. I’m surrounded by enemies but I won’t forget the cause of all this suffering: The Fae King. If I’m going down, I’m going to take him with me.

But nothing is easy in Konos.

And the only way through is to face the most dangerous monster who ever lived.

With surprising allies and newfound skills, I might have a chance. But you can’t trust anything in Konos.

Not even your own heart.

This is book two in the Blood and Salt series and is not a standalone. It’s dark, violent, and spicy. Mind the cliff.]]> 368 Alexis Calder Caitlin 4 4.13 2023
author: Alexis Calder
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/08
date added: 2024/09/08
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]]> 37805223
There are lots of ways to start a story, but this one begins with a chicken.

Midnight Chicken (& Other Recipes Worth Living For) is a cookbook. Or, at least, you'll flick through these pages and find recipes so inviting that you'll head straight for the kitchen: roast garlic and tomato soup, uplifting chilli-lemon spaghetti, charred leek lasagne, squash skillet pie, spicy fish finger sandwiches or burnt-butter brownies. It's the kind of cooking you can do a little bit drunk. It's the kind of cooking that is probably better if you've got a bottle of wine open, and a hunk of bread to mop up the sauce.

But if you sit down with this book and a cup of tea (or that glass of wine), you'll also discover that it's an annotated list of things worth living for: a manifesto of moments worth living for. Because there was a time when, for Ella Risbridger, the world had become overwhelming. Sounds were too loud, colours were too bright, everyone moved too fast. One night she found herself lying on her kitchen floor, wondering if she would ever get up - and it was the thought of a chicken, of roasting it, and of eating it, that got her to her feet, and made her want to be alive.

This is a cookbook to make you fall in love with the world again]]> 288 Ella Risbridger 1408867761 Caitlin 0 to-read 4.34 2019
author: Ella Risbridger
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/04
shelves: to-read
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]]> 58733693 Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late.

Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.]]> 368 Shelby Van Pelt 0063204150 Caitlin 0 to-read 4.35 2022
author: Shelby Van Pelt
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/04
shelves: to-read
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]]> 123170270
After spending years training to defend my people from our enemies, I never expected that my enemy would be the one keeping me alive.

Athos is the last human city. A treaty with the Fae keeps the fae, the vampires, and the wolf shifters at bay, while we fight against the dragons at our border. Being a human in this world is dangerous and we all make sacrifices to survive.

When the delegation sent by the Fae King arrives to claim the human tributes required by our treaty, I never expected to forge a connection with their leader.

Ryvin is as dangerous as he is handsome. I know he’s my enemy, and I know I’m supposed to hate him, but with each passing day, he’s more difficult to resist.

But things are changing in Athos. Humans no longer want to bend to the Fae King.

Alliances blur and centuries of lies begin to unravel.

And I’m faced with a choice.

No matter how much I hate him, Ryvin might be the key to preventing war.

But it may mean sacrificing everything�.

Kingdom of Blood and Salt is the first book in a fantasy romance trilogy with fae, vampires, and shifters. This enemies to lovers series contains violence, mature language, and spice. This is a NA/adult fantasy romance and steam level will increase as the series progresses. Mind the cliff.]]> 330 Alexis Calder Caitlin 5 3.96 2023
author: Alexis Calder
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/02
date added: 2024/09/02
shelves:
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]]> 60323852 For an abandoned lady and a reclusive duke, the winter season brings a swirl of romance—and danger—in a bracing novel by USA Today bestselling author Christi Caldwell.

Lady Myrtle McQuoid has always felt a little forgotten, and this season is no exception. When her boisterous family vacates their London townhouse for the country, Myrtle finds she’s been left behind. But she just needs to stay warm, keep her belly full, and distract herself until her relatives realize their mistake and turn back to collect her. Surely that won’t take long.

Brooding widower Val Bancroft, the Duke of Aragon, has shut himself off from the world. He craves blessed solitude—a loyal dog, a silent house, and his own company are all he requires. Certainly not the nonstop chattering of the joyful, opinionated young woman next door.

But with a potential threat lurking in the winter shadows, Myrtle may need to pluck up the nerve to approach the reclusive duke. And Val is not one to turn his back on a vulnerable lady.

Amid the silent nights of London, beneath a blanket of snow, could the light of a new, warm love be kindling?]]> 316 Christi Caldwell 1542033942 Caitlin 3 4.12 2022
author: Christi Caldwell
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/01
date added: 2024/09/01
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]]> 195883956 To enter the woods as a human means death� But I am no mere human. They call me, “witch."

As one of the last surviving witches, Faelyn’s sole duty is to keep the protective barriers on the forests where the lykin roam—creatures who can shed flesh for fur—sparing nearby humans from their violent, beastly natures. When she has an unlikely encounter with the rare, primordial spirit of the moon, Faelyn finds herself not only the object of the Wolf King’s desire, but essential to his ability to keep his crown.

Taken to the magical land of Midscape, the Wolf King claims her as his bride to control the moon spirit’s magic that now resides within Faelyn. But Faelyn refuses to resign herself and the spirit Aurora to a life of servitude underneath the king’s cruel rule. Faelyn hatches a dangerous plan for them both to escape and help comes from an unlikely ally.

Evander is the king’s blisteringly handsome, loyal knight, right hand, and Faelyn’s sworn protector…on the outside. But appearances are not what they seem. He plots against the king’s brutality at every turn and helping Faelyn escape will serve these ends. But altruism for Faelyn and the trapped moon spirit isn’t his only motivation� Evander is hiding secrets, and they might change Faelyn’s life forever.

A desperate plot to escape. A brutal king. Ancient powers. And a sworn protector who can’t keep his hands off her� Will she be taken as the Wolf King’s bride? Or will she manage an escape that will free her heart and change her fate forever?

A Dawn with the Wolf Knight is a complete, *stand alone novel*. For readers who love romantasy novels with second-chance/long-lost love, life-changing female friendships, deep lore, forbidden romance, slow-burn, and a happily ever after. While it is set in the Married to Magic universe, readers can start with this book.]]> 464 Elise Kova 1949694593 Caitlin 3 3.84 2024
author: Elise Kova
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/28
date added: 2024/08/28
shelves:
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]]> 209522179 From USA Today Bestselling Author Holly Renee, comes the second book in the scorching romantasy series with enthralling secrets, impassioned enemies, and luring tension.

Verena was the lost princess of Marmoris, the very thing we had spent our entire lives looking for, and I had let her go.

The lingering taste of her mixed with the deep ache in my chest over her betrayal haunted my days and nights. I knew she was hiding something, but her secrets were far more treacherous than I could have imagined.

Though I wished my own betrayal hadn’t been so bitter on my tongue.

Now my dreams are haunted with the way her deep blue eyes looked up at me in shock when I revealed I knew her truth.

The way I crave for her to look at me now as I hunt for her.

Me, along with half of the rebellion.

If my father finds her before me, there is no telling what he will do to her.

And even though she’s the little traitor I’d always thought she was, I couldn’t allow him to find her.

But his orders were clear. The princess is to be taken by the rebellion or she would be taken by the gods. I don’t know which is worse.

She is the heir to our kingdom, the daughter of the cruel king who was responsible for my mother’s death, and the key to winning our rebellion.

I vowed to my father that I would find her, the one person I wish I didn’t have to.

Verena is the hunted heir. But more than anything, she is mine.]]> 242 Holly Renee Caitlin 3 3.48 2024
author: Holly Renee
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/23
date added: 2024/08/23
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]]> 215813693 A princess determined to survive an arranged marriage to a heartless faerie prince is saved by a twist of fate that could destroy their world in this all-new standalone fantasy romance.

As the half faerie daughter of a human king, my days were spent tucked out of sight�until the Seelie Fae sought an alliance with our kingdom. In exchange for my father’s help in defeating their Unseelie enemies, I would wed Atakan the heartless.

The Seelie prince loathed everyone, but none more than me. Throughout the years leading to our nuptials, each encounter grew more terrifying than the last as he demonstrated how he’d earned his infamous reputation.

Fear would only doom me faster. So I learned to hide it with games I soon became happy to play. I wasn’t supposed to crave a monster. But just when I’d thought I might tame the untameable, fate intervened.

And delivered me straight to his enemy.


This fast-paced standalone features true enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, high heat, and a cast of morally grey and villainous characters. ]]> 403 Ella Fields Caitlin 4 3.80 2024
author: Ella Fields
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/19
date added: 2024/08/19
shelves:
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]]> 215547746 She’s heiress to the throne. The throne her father stole from him.

Nizzara has always been able to perceive spirits better than the average caster. When she enters a deadly tournament to end her betrothal, she's determined to win without succumbing to the addictive spirit magic she channels or taking a life in the duel ring. Finding herself outmatched, Nizzara must face her fear of power and team up with Dagen—an enemy who is half-ghost and all charm—to survive the tournament.

Dagen, the last King of Zarr, was killed by Nizzara’s father ten years ago. Now a half-ghost—able to phase between his human and spirit form—he is stuck in another realm, hunting wretched souls. When his keeper offers him a chance to reclaim his freedom in exchange for Nizzara’s soul, Dagen takes the deal.

There’s only one catch: she must freely give it to him by the tournament’s end or his own soul is forfeit.]]> 485 Cortney L. Winn Caitlin 4 4.01 2024
author: Cortney L. Winn
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/15
date added: 2024/08/15
shelves:
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]]> 59397314 In this romantic new fantasy series from author Hannah Whitten, a young woman's secret power to raise the dead plunges her into the dangerous and glamorous world of the Sainted King's royal court.

When Lore was thirteen, she escaped a cult in the catacombs beneath the city of Dellaire. And in the ten years since, she’s lived by one rule: don’t let them find you. Easier said than done, when her death magic ties her to the city.

Mortem, the magic born from death, is a high-priced and illicit commodity in Dellaire, and Lore’s job running poisons keeps her in food, shelter, and relative security. But when a run goes wrong and Lore’s power is revealed, she’s taken by the Presque Mort, a group of warrior-monks sanctioned to use Mortem working for the Sainted King. Lore fully expects a pyre, but King August has a different plan. Entire villages on the outskirts of the country have been dying overnight, seemingly at random. Lore can either use her magic to find out what’s happening and who in the King’s court is responsible, or die.

Lore is thrust into the Sainted King’s glittering court, where no one can be believed and even fewer can be trusted. Guarded by Gabriel, a duke-turned-monk, and continually running up against Bastian, August’s ne’er-do-well heir, Lore tangles in politics, religion, and forbidden romance as she attempts to navigate a debauched and opulent society.

But the life she left behind in the catacombs is catching up with her. And even as Lore makes her way through the Sainted court above, they might be drawing closer than she thinks.]]> 466 Hannah F. Whitten 0356518914 Caitlin 0 to-read 3.77 2023
author: Hannah F. Whitten
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199213595
Intent on fleeing, I train my new affinities and learn what’s needed to survive while pretending to vie for the throne. With my sister at my side, I know we’ll find a way to prevent my enslavement to the Court of Winter.

But the Crown Prince has other ideas. As Prince Norivun’s interest in me grows, I’m determined to avoid his allure, until he reveals sides of himself he’d kept hidden—sides that make me want to succumb to the innate need burning inside me.

Now that his secrets are laid bare, devastating consequences loom for me and him. Consequences that not even the powerful prince could have foreseen.

Thorns of Frost is book two in a four-book enemies-to-lovers fae fantasy romance that takes place in Krista Street’s Supernatural World. This series contains steamy romance, a strong female fae who refuses to bow, a morally gray prince whose brutality knows no bounds, and a deadly tangle of royal strife and intrigue.]]> 388 Krista Street Caitlin 3 4.26 2023
author: Krista Street
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/12
date added: 2024/08/12
shelves:
review:

]]> 198207910 defective marks me in the eyes of the Solis Fae. Wingless. Magicless. Weak. To my kind, I’m nothing—not when strength is needed to survive the perpetual snow and ice that shrouds our northern continent in endless winter.

But I’ve persevered, living a meaningful yet simple life with my sister . . . until the hated Crown Prince of the Winter Court thunders into our village.

Prince Norivun’s massive black wings and potent magic cloud my senses and steal my breath. He’s beautiful yet brutal, so when he whisks me away and locks me in his castle I’m certain my death is tomorrow’s promise.

Yet my end doesn’t come, not when the prince looks at me with hunger in his gaze while revealing the true reason for my abduction.

Now I’m faced with an impossible choice—either join forces with the hated prince who’s robbed me of everything I love or watch our kingdom start a devastating war.


Court of Winter is book one in a four-book enemies-to-lovers fae fantasy romance that takes place in Krista Street’s Supernatural World. This series contains steamy romance, a strong female fae who refuses to bow, a morally gray prince whose brutality knows no bounds, and a deadly tangle of royal strife and intrigue.]]> 354 Krista Street Caitlin 4 4.11 2023
author: Krista Street
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/11
date added: 2024/08/11
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]]> 212328411 After years spent isolated in a lonely castle with her cruel husband, Raiya will do anything to escape� even make a deal with a demon.

When Raiya’s husband imprisons a monster from the hells, she sees an opportunity to free herself and spite her husband at the same time.

It’s said that demons are immensely powerful, halfway between mortals and gods. If Raiya can use her knowledge of rune magic to break the demon’s binding, he might agree to protect her from her husband while they escape together. That is, if he doesn’t decide to kill and consume her, instead.

The demon only requires one thing in exchange—her body.

Demons live off the fear and lust of mortals, which means that she’ll have to find a way to sustain him during their journey.

There’s only one thing more terrifying than sleeping with a demon: falling in love with one.

Demon Bound is a standalone fantasy romance set in the Ardani universe and has a Happily Ever After ending. This book is intended for adults and contains spicy scenes and violence. See the author’s website for detailed content information.]]> 338 Nina K. Westra Caitlin 3 3.86
author: Nina K. Westra
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.86
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/09
date added: 2024/08/09
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]]> 206545074
Ronin Matakos, the Butcher of Aethalia, was once a great war hero.

He was once a lot of things—revered, respected, worshipped. But ever since the Empire caged his wolf, he’s suffocated beneath his tarnished reputation, wandering through an aimless fog of fights, females, and that most intoxicating of substances, Delirium.

So, when the Empire comes calling again, this time with an opportunity to regain everything he’s lost, the offer is too good to pass up.

Too bad it’s an assignment to pose as the lover of the one female in Ethyrios who’s immune to his cocky charm.

Mireille Valette is at the top of her game. Both her games, really—prima ballerina and spy-assassin for the Empire. And this lone wolf, whether on stage or on a case, certainly doesn’t need a High-Gods-damned partner. Especially not one as lazy, entitled, and arrogant as the Butcher.

The pair are pitched into a deadly game of cat and mouse with an eccentric Fae billionaire, one with plenty of secrets buried in his macabre mountain estate, the Cathedral of Bones. In this sinister world of bizarre rituals and forbidden magic, danger lurks behind every posh, polite smile.

And just when Ronin and Mireille’s fake relationship starts to feel all too real, the secrets of their own tortured pasts rise up to haunt them.

Will they survive the Cathedral of Bones? Or will love be their final performance?

The Butcher and the Ballerina is an adult urban fantasy romance, book 2.5 in The Memory Puller series. It is NOT a standalone, nor is it intended to be read as an introduction to the series. If you read it first, not only will you be spoiled about things that happen in the first two books (The Memory Puller and The Exile and the Savior), but you might be quite confused about what's going on. But hey, you do you. The Memory Puller series is all about misfits who love to break the rules, after all. If you're a fan of Sarah J. Maas, Raven Kennedy, Sarah A. Parker, or Carissa Broadbent, you just might love it.

This book is intended for readers 18+ and contains mature themes. Please check trigger warnings in the beginning of the book or on the author's website.]]> 410 Kris K. Haines Caitlin 5 4.54 2024
author: Kris K. Haines
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/31
date added: 2024/07/31
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]]> 62907294 I loathe Alastor Shaw.

The city of San Francisco thinks we’re rival artists.

In truth, we’re predators battling for hunting ground.

We never chased the same prey. Until the night we both laid eyes on Mara Eldritch.

Shaw wants to use her as a pawn in his twisted game.

I’m fixated on her for a different reason�

She makes me feel things I never thought I could feel. Want things I never wanted.

Only she can make me lose control.

I don’t know if I should protect her at all costs� or destroy her before she ruins me.

Mara knows I’m no saint. But she has no idea she’s dancing with the devil�


The Lark Notes:
I have always been fascinated by true crime, as well as by villains and anti-heroes. A serial killer is, of course, the ultimate anti-hero � the baddest of the bad boys. Redeeming a character who starts so evil was a challenge that inspired me to entirely new heights and entirely new depths. Come on this darkly sensual and utterly brain-bending ride with me! � Sophie

"There Are No Saints� is the first book in the Sinners Duet. Reader be warned: this is a dark and steamy serial killer romance that will take you on a journey through the twisted mind of an artist on the brink of madness.]]> 378 Sophie Lark Caitlin 1 3.88 2021
author: Sophie Lark
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2021
rating: 1
read at: 2024/07/22
date added: 2024/07/22
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]]> 20819687 This an alternate cover for 9781400079155

Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon awakens in an Italian hospital, disoriented and with no recollection of the past thirty-six hours, including the origin of the macabre object hidden in his belongings. With a relentless female assassin trailing them through Florence, he and his resourceful doctor, Sienna Brooks, are forced to flee. Embarking on a harrowing journey, they must unravel a series of codes, which are the work of a brilliant scientist whose obsession with the end of the world is matched only by his passion for one of the most influential masterpieces ever written, Dante Alighieri's The Inferno.Ěý

Dan Brown has raised the bar yet again, combining classical Italian art, history, and literature with cutting-edge science in this sumptuously entertaining thriller.]]> 611 Dan Brown Caitlin 0 to-read 3.95 2013
author: Dan Brown
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 31076583 229 Sarah J. Maas 168119631X Caitlin 0 3.77 2019
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at: 2021/07/03
date added: 2024/07/02
shelves:
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]]> 56688531 He hates her...almost as much as he wants her.

Gorgeous, cocky, and fast on his way to becoming a hotshot doctor, Josh Chen has never met a woman he couldn’t charm—except for Jules f**king Ambrose.

The beautiful redhead has been a thorn in his side since they met, but she also consumes his thoughts in a way no woman ever has.

When their animosity explodes into one unforgettable night, he proposes a solution that’ll get her out of his system once and for all: an enemies with benefits arrangement with simple rules.

No jealousy.

No strings attached.

And absolutely no falling in love.

**

Outgoing and ambitious, Jules Ambrose is a former party girl who’s focused on one thing: passing the attorney’s bar exam.

The last thing she needs is to get involved with a doctor who puts the SUFFER in insufferable…no matter how good-looking he is.

But the more she gets to know him, the more she realizes there’s more than meets the eye to the man she’s hated for so long.

Her best friend’s brother.

Her nemesis.

And her only salvation.


Theirs is a match made in hell, and when the demons from their past catch up with them, they’re faced with truths that could either save them …or destroy everything they’ve worked for.

Twisted Hate is a steamy enemies with benefits/enemies to lovers romance. It's book three in the Twisted series but can be read as a standalone.

Warning: It contains explicit content, profanity, and topics that may be sensitive to some readers. For details, please see content notes inside the book. Recommended for 18+.]]> 522 Ana Huang Caitlin 3 3.98 2022
author: Ana Huang
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/30
date added: 2024/06/30
shelves:
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]]> 213574740 My new boss is gorgeous, arrogant, and filthy rich.
The only problem?
He doesn't know he's also the father of my baby.

Six years ago, I was supposed to get married.
But the night before the wedding, my groom-to-be showed me sides of himself I'd never seen before.

I might've died in that hotel room...
If Mikhail Novikov hadn't burst in to save me.

Handsome, strong, capable knight in shining armor—sign me up, right?
WRONG.
Because Mikhail wasn't just the hero I never knew I needed...
He was also way more dangerous than I ever could've known.

But for one night, I let myself do something I never should've done.
It was worth it—several times over, if you catch my drift.
In the morning, though, I did the reasonable
I RAN.

For six years, I keep running.
Until I walk into work one day, and find my new boss waiting in my office.
Guess who?
And guess what he does when finds out about our baby?

IVORY ASHES is Book 1 of the Novikov Bratva duet. The story concludes in Book 2, IVORY OATH. ]]> 528 Nicole Fox Caitlin 3 4.35
author: Nicole Fox
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.35
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/26
date added: 2024/06/26
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]]> 199262093 Upon seeing the bruises on her wrist, I struggled to contain my rage.
Despite her objections, I refused to allow her to leave.
Whoever hurt this innocent beauty would pay dearly.
As a Russian Mafia crime boss who owns Chicago's most elite gambling club, I have very creative and painful methods of exacting revenge.
She seems too young and naive to be out on her own in such a dangerous world.
Needing a nanny, I decided to claim her for the role.
She might resist my severe, domineering discipline, but I won't give her a choice in the matter.
She needs a protector, and I'd be damned if it were anyone but me.
Resisting the urge to claim her will test all my restraint.
It's a battle I'm bound to lose.
With each day, my obsession and jealousy intensify.
It's only a matter of time before my control snaps...and I make her mine.
Mine.

Sweet Severity continues the steamy, enemies to lovers' drama featuring the domineering Russian Mafia men of Zoe's Ruthless Obsession series. Scroll up and one click now.

Publisher's Note: This is the seventh novel, and part of a new trilogy, in Zoe Blake's Ruthless Obsession series.]]> 394 Zoe Blake Caitlin 4 4.01
author: Zoe Blake
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.01
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/23
date added: 2024/06/23
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]]> 199026763 She was too young for a man my age, barely in her twenties.
Far too pure and untouched.
Unfortunately for her, that wasn't going to stop me.
The moment I laid eyes on her, I claimed her.
Determined to make her mine…by any means necessary.

I owned Chicago's most elite gambling club, a front for my role as a Russian Mafia crime boss.
And she was a fragile little bird, who had just flown straight into my open jaws.
Naïve and sweet, she was a temptation I couldn’t resist biting.

My intense drive to dominate and control her had become an obsession.
I would ruthlessly use my superior strength and wealth to take over her life.
The harder she resisted, the more feral and savage I would become.
She needed to understand…she was mine now.
Mine.

Sweet Intensity continues the steamy, enemies to lovers� drama featuring the domineering Russian Mafia men of Zoe’s Ruthless Obsession series.]]> 375 Zoe Blake Caitlin 4 4.17
author: Zoe Blake
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.17
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/19
date added: 2024/06/19
shelves:
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]]> 204624472 A scorching new fantasy romance that ignites the pages with relentless danger, forbidden passion, and the intoxicating allure of enemies to lovers.

Fleeing my father's cruelty, the wicked king who robbed me of a future, I face death in the streets, caught between a rebellion and a tyrant's reign.

Captured by those sworn to kill me, the rebels remain blind to my true identity—the missing daughter of the despised king. Faced with an impossible choice, I stand before them: join the rebels or face their blades.

Yet, Dacre, the son of the ruthless rebellion commander, becomes torn between suspicion and a desire that mirrors my own. He allows no one to touch me, tries to protect me, yet threatens me at every turn.

As secrets are weaved beyond our hidden realm, a fierce battle unfolds within me. As I get closer to the rebels, and their cause, my loyalty to my kingdom clashes with my undeniable devotion to Dacre and the burning connection between us.

In a world where love and hate are two edges of the same blade, I find myself caught in a delicate dance between forbidden desire and my looming destiny.]]> 364 Holly Renee Caitlin 5 3.83 2024
author: Holly Renee
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/18
date added: 2024/06/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 210097777 King of the Mountain

Imprisoned on a desolate ice planet, Draka, a sidonion ex-commander and weapons master, plays a dangerous waiting game. In a world where mercy is a weakness and staying ahead is the only rule, he dominates over the frozen expanse with a numbed heart, haunted by loneliness.

Until he discovers a human female in his territory. One glance, and the unthinkable happens � she awakens something primal in him. For the first time in years he feels alive. She is like the sun breaking away the darkness.

But then she runs from him.

And so the hunt begins�

A Lone Survivor

One reckless mistake thrusts Ria onto Arkona, a perilous prison world teeming with the galaxy's most ruthless criminals. Amidst the danger, one name stands above all � Draka, the King of the Mountain. Lethal, cunning, and relentless, he warns all to steer clear or face his wrath.

Until another misstep puts her in his path and Draka locks onto her like a predator to prey. As he pursues her across Arkona's treacherous terrain, Ria grapples with the burning Can she outrun the flames of Draka's obsession, or will she succumb to the scorching heat that threatens to consume them both?]]> 234 Olivia Riley Caitlin 2 3.99 2024
author: Olivia Riley
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/06/16
date added: 2024/06/16
shelves:
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]]> 204987348
When an undine sneaks his way into her city, intent on kidnapping her, she lets him take her.

Daios is plagued by the decisions of his past. Souls haunt him, memories follow his every move, and all he knows is that perhaps stealing this woman will absolve him of his sins. If he can bring her back to his people, then they can destroy the city where his hatred was born. He’s certain this will be easy. But then he sees the General’s daughter, and he knows nothing will ever be the same again.

Broken and damaged, he's certain no woman will ever love him. He shouldn't even try to encourage the mating instincts that ride him hard the moment he sees her.

But when he realizes that she's the same as he is, different from her people and on the outskirts of what others deem "normal", he knows he's a goner. Even if it means he has to risk everything to keep her.]]> 386 Emma Hamm Caitlin 4 4.22 2024
author: Emma Hamm
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/08
date added: 2024/06/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 60710765
Julian Rousseaux has a problem. He’s single, and for the world’s wealthiest vampires, the social season is about to begin. Julian would rather stake himself than participate in the marriage market. But as the eldest eligible Rousseaux, he’s expected to find a wife before the season ends―whether he likes it or not.

When cellist Thea literally stumbles into his life at a gala, he knows she's the last person he could ever fall in love with. She's too innocent, too kind, and way too human. But now that she knows about his world, she's also a walking target. She needs protection. He needs a fake girlfriend to discourage overzealous vampire matchmaking.

So, Julian makes Thea an irresistible offer: pretend to be his lover and he’ll change her life. For one year, they’ll attend the season’s social events together in exchange for his protection and a way out of her mother’s crippling medical debt.

She can’t say no. But the vampire world is impossibly decadent and darker than Thea ever imagined, and Julian’s filthy rich vampire family wants her out of the way. But with each moment they share, new dangers emerge: a desire as forbidden as their stolen touches, an awakening of a long-dead heart, and secrets that could tear them both apart.

Sensual, dangerous, provocative � step into a daring new world of dark magic, primal attraction, and breathtaking romance.]]> 429 Geneva Lee Caitlin 2 3.81 2022
author: Geneva Lee
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2024/06/04
date added: 2024/06/04
shelves:
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]]> 205404157
When Rennick was thirteen, the gods bestowed upon him the name of his fated mate--a human girl. As the sole heir to the Mountain Kingdom, magic bound him to his kingdom until he ascended the throne on his twenty-fifth birthday, and as a human, she couldn't cross the magical barrier separating the humans from the fae. Heartsore and consumed with thoughts of her, he did the only thing he could and sent her anonymous letters and gifts�

Until he crossed the barrier into her kingdom to claim her as his own.


Six months after Amelia's thirteenth birthday, she received a strange letter from a fae boy claiming her as his mate. Humans weren't taught much about the fae, and one look at the horrifying doll meant to be her belated birthday gift solidified her suspicions that someone was playing a cruel joke. Except the letters and odd gifts kept coming. Against her better judgment, Amelia fell in love with her mysterious admirer throughout the years, certain they would never meet. But on her twenty-fifth birthday, her walk to work was interrupted by two familiar words she'd read a million times.

"Hello, love."

Viciously Yours is a new adult fantasy romance long novella/short novel of about 60k words/250 pages. It is fast-paced and focuses solely on the relationship between the two main characters. There is no overarching background plot. Example: Rebels attack the kingdoms, but there is no story as to why because it just is.

The couple does have minor obstacles, but there is no miscommunication trope, no third act breakup, and no cheating.

PLEASE NOTE: The male main character does a few morally black things to those he deems a threat to his relationship. There are no shades of grey.

CONTENT WARNINGS:
Orphaned heroine, gore, unethical kills and decisions by main characters, death of a parent, mature language, explicit sexual situations, graphic violence and death]]> 258 Jamie Applegate Hunter Caitlin 1 3.59 2024
author: Jamie Applegate Hunter
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2024
rating: 1
read at: 2024/05/29
date added: 2024/05/29
shelves:
review:

]]> 209594084 An action-packed dark fantasy romance perfect for fans of Raven Kennedy, Krista Street, and Sarah J. Maas.


Desperate to escape marrying a brutal king, I make a deal with a Fae Prince...
“I can spin gold,� I lie.
With my life at stake, I have no other choice.
I get one chance to turn my lie into truth, and I’m shocked when I succeed.
But now the cruel human king demands I become his wife—passing between his bed and being locked away in a tower, spinning gold until my last breath.
My only way out is to summon him.
A brutal Fae prince.
The deal we strike is sickening, but it’s the only way I’ll live after I’m caught escaping. My new captor drags me back to his realm.
A place of profound beauty and savage cruelties.
As wicked fairies play sadistic games, the prince is my sole protector.
He’s not just protecting me, though. He’s guarding his own secrets.
I should hate him. But our pact shows me a side his court never sees.
There is more behind his monstrous mask.
I can’t stop myself from looking.
Especially when I learn what he really wants with me.


The Court that Bleeds Gold is the first book in a dark fantasy romance trilogy. This enemies to lovers series has shades of Rumpelstiltskin and Beauty and the Beast, with a dark hero who will absolutely burn this damned world to the ground for our sharp-tongued heroine. Expect steam, violence and plenty of barbed exchanges.]]> 334 Zara Storm Caitlin 3 3.90
author: Zara Storm
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.90
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/21
date added: 2024/05/21
shelves:
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]]> 126918690
Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe - a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution - who she can't help but find herself falling for.

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

Kristen Ciccarelli’s Heartless Hunter is the thrilling start to The Crimson Moth duology, a romantic fantasy series where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch...is falling in love.]]> 411 Kristen Ciccarelli 125086691X Caitlin 5 4.29 2024
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/15
date added: 2024/05/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 205055893 Beyond the realm of gods, two cities stand at the brink of despair, and a dark destiny awaits Death's newest Maiden.

Long ago, Requiem was plagued by war and abandoned by the gods but Death saved the suffering people, giving each soul a hundred years of immortality. With that grace, he also sent two Maidens. One of Life, for healing and comfort, and one of Death, the only person in the world with the ability to kill.

Generations later, the Life Maiden is missing and Princess Deyanira is nothing more than a trained weapon. A hunter. A murderer wrenched into Death's dark court to have the name of her next victim seared onto her palm.

She is the enemy of this land. But, when she's given the chance to bring peace through marriage and finally show her father's kingdom her worth, she is viciously tricked into marrying the wrong man, ruining the future of the damaged realm. Her only hope to give something back to the world is to find the missing Life Maiden.

Now, eternally bound to her enemy and dragged into the dark burlesque show her new husband is bound to, she must fight to keep herself free. And her heart. Especially when she becomes the hunted.

“A deliciously sinful experience centered around a show of life and death at the hands of the Maiden. Fans of Kerri Maniscalco’s Kingdom of the Wicked and Stephanie Garber’s Caraval will love this story of the Death Maiden’s one chance to defy Death himself, combined with a searing romance that adds an irresistible layer of passion." - Jessica, @books_and_crafts]]> 644 Miranda Lyn Caitlin 3 3.77
author: Miranda Lyn
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.77
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/12
date added: 2024/05/12
shelves:
review:

]]> 175878431
Tamsin Sinclair is known for her bold manner. As a Sinclair, nicknamed one of the Deadly Sins she is expected to be improper and uncivilized. Seeking solace from the unrelenting whispers about her at a ball, Tamsin retreats to the gardens and makes the unexpected acquaintance of the eccentric, moth collecting, Duke of Ware.

Hayden Redford, Duke of Ware, is merely collecting specimens during his aunt’s ball when he makes the poor choice to pluck a moth from the knee of London’s most notorious young lady. Even worse, their encounter is witnessed by the malicious Lady Longwood. Had Tamsin been anyone else, Ware might have been forced to do the honorable thing, but his aunt insists that wedding Tamsin is out of the question. Nor can the gossip about Ware and Tamsin be allowed to spread through London.

There remains only one solution which will salvage reputations and keep Ware from wedding so far beneath him. A charade is decided. One in which Ware and Tamsin will pretend a vague attachment of shared intellectual pursuits, guaranteed to silence the gossips out of boredom if nothing else.

But as the ruse draws to a close, the attachment between Ware and Tamsin becomes much less vague than planned. Real desire blooms between them just as they must say goodbye.

Will their relationship fade as everyone expects? Or will Tamsin and Ware follow the dictates of their heart?

Note: This series is part of Dragonblade's Flame line, so this is a sexy, steamy, and scorching-hot read with multiple sex scenes. Be advised.

Read Free in Kindle Unlimited!

The Five Deadly Sins
Sinfully Wed
Sinfully Tempted
Sinfully Mine
Sinfully Yours
Sinfully Wanton]]> 226 Kathleen Ayers Caitlin 3 4.38
author: Kathleen Ayers
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.38
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/28
date added: 2024/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 126248115 Odessa doesn’t want to wed a gentleman with a title. But Jordan Sinclair isn’t a gentleman, he’s slightly savage and lacking in manners. Barely an earl. He’s a Deadly Sin.

Jordan Sinclair, the new Earl of Emerson, finds himself in a precarious position. His older half-brother left the estate and Jordan drowning in debt. He’s been given a choice. Marry Odessa Whitehall, daughter of the very man who holds all of Jordan’s markers or become destitute.

Shunned by the ton her entire life, Odessa has no interest in marrying a foppish lord just to please her ambitious father. She makes herself as undesirable as possible to each potential suitor which forces them to beg off. However, none of Odessa’s clever tactics have worked against the Earl of Emerson. He refuses to be dissuaded.

Navigating a courtship neither of them wants, Jordan and Odessa find themselves drawn to each other. Will their mutual distrust push them apart or can they allow their attraction to each other blossom into something else?

Sinfully Wed is the first in a steamy new series titled The Five Deadly Sins.

Read free in Kindle Unlimited!

The Five Deadly Sins
Sinfully Wed
Sinfully Tempted
Sinfully Mine
Sinfully Yours
Sinfully Wanton]]> 234 Kathleen Ayers Caitlin 2 4.23 2023
author: Kathleen Ayers
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/04/28
date added: 2024/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 208913842 Dragon captures maiden. Maiden makes dragon's life absolute hell...

At the end of a terrible war, a sorcerer casts a curse that destroys every female in the entire race of dragons. In retaliation, Kyreagan, the dragon prince, leads a raid on the sorcerer's kingdom, during which the male dragons snatch human women and carry them off to the dragons' domain. When Princess Serylla is captured by the Prince of Dragons and taken to his cave, she is furious, terrified, and determined to make his existence so miserable he'll either have to kill her or let her go.

Kyreagan's frustration with his pretty captive is compounded by the fact that his plan--to turn all the human women into female dragons--isn't working. The enchantress he kidnapped isn't powerful enough to work that spell; the most she can do is give the male dragons the ability to shift into human form for a number of hours each day.

As Serylla and the other captured women scheme for their freedom, the dragons struggle to cope with the strangeness of having human bodies for the first time. Neither side realizes that a much greater enemy is watching, waiting to destroy them all.

This spicy, adult fantasy romance is perfect for fans of Rebecca Yarros, Carissa Broadbent, LJ Andrews, and Katee Robert. Contains intense themes. Reading guidance can be found at the beginning of the book or on the author's website.]]> 267 Rebecca F. Kenney Caitlin 1 3.60
author: Rebecca F. Kenney
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.60
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2024/04/26
date added: 2024/04/26
shelves:
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]]> 61913327 It’s not in my nature to beg, but I’ll stay on my knees until I feel that flame sputter out.
And then �
I’ll rip the world to shreds.

I’ve tumbled into a darkness so deep it’s hard to see the light, my petals curling inward as I tip my face from the sun. Hide from my monstrous actions.

Traitor. Murderer.
High Mistress.

My mistakes hunt me down, and I’m pulled into a political tug-of-war, balancing Ocruth’s welfare on the edge of a bloody blade. The moon is swelling, the weight on my shoulders compacting, and my unfailing curiosity keeps weaving its roots in the wrong direction.

Horrible truths unravel, casting explosive light on everything I thought I knew. I’ll have no choice but to shed my morals, my withering self-preservation, and sow the seed of a plan set to bloom beneath a bloated moon.

One wrong move could destroy everything.
Destroy me.

Lines will blur, blood will spill, and I’ll learn how fragile I really am—at a cost far greater than I could have imagined.

Fate is a ravenous beast, and there’s only so far I can run.

To Flame a Wild Flower is the third book in the Crystal Bloom series—a dark fantasy romance full of immersive imagery and breathtaking angst.]]> 591 Sarah A. Parker Caitlin 0 4.14 2023
author: Sarah A. Parker
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2024/04/21
date added: 2024/04/21
shelves:
review:

]]> 58627455 I want him to hurt. To bleed.
I want him to snap, just like he snapped me.

Once upon a time, my world was small and sheltered. Everything changed the moment I stepped over my Safety Line, barreling towards a coupling with a man I hardly know.

He wants me. All of me.

Dunked in a charged political pit, I must secure the ships needed to quell the spill of murderous beasts still flooding the continent. But one wrong move could spur the war I’ve worked so hard to avoid.

I’ll wear the dress and the cupla and the shoes. I’ll do it all with a smile on my face. Because everyone's watching.
He’s watching—hunting a fissure in my frosty shield, trying to scrape back the layers and see my ugly insides.

He’s unyielding. Unguarded.
Changed.

Why is he looking now when I’ve got everything to hide?

Secrets sprout, truths bloom, and more than one of us will snap.
Crowned in the crippling weight of my mistakes, I must atone. Even if it costs me my life.

Fear was my overlord. Now, it’s my prisoner.

To Snap a Silver Stem is the explosive sequel of To Bleed a Crystal Bloom—a dark Rapunzel reimagining full of immersive imagery and breathtaking angst. A unique fantasy series perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout, guaranteed to grip you from the very first page.]]> 538 Sarah A. Parker Caitlin 5 3.84 2022
author: Sarah A. Parker
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/21
date added: 2024/04/21
shelves:
review:

]]> 58293539
Nineteen years ago, I was plucked from the heart of a bloody massacre that spared nobody else.

Small. Fragile.
An enigma.

Now ward to a powerful High Master who knows too much and says too little, I lead a simple life, never straying from the confines of an imaginary line I've drawn around the castle grounds.
Stay within. Never leave.
Out there, the monsters lurk. Inside, I'm safe ... though at a cost far greater than the blood I drip into a goblet daily.
Toxic, unreciprocated love for a man who's utterly unavailable.

My savior. My protector.
My almost executioner.

I can't help but be enamored with the arcane man who holds the power to pull my roots from the ground.

When voracious beasts spill across the land and threaten to fray the fabric of my tailored existence, the petals of reality will peel back to reveal an ugly truth. But in a castle puddled with secrets, none are greater than the one I've kept from myself.

No tower is tall enough to protect me from the horror that tore my life to shreds.

To Bleed a Crystal Bloom is a dark Rapunzel reimagining full of immersive imagery and breathtaking angst. A unique new fantasy series perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout, guaranteed to grip you from the very first page.]]> 488 Sarah A. Parker Caitlin 5 3.76 2021
author: Sarah A. Parker
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/18
date added: 2024/04/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 202507554 moons.

They certainly did not expect them to fall.

As a valued Elding Blade of the rebellion group Fíur du Ath, Raeve’s job is to kill. To complete orders and never get caught. When a renowned bounty hunter is employed by The Crown to capture a member of the Ath, Raeve’s world is turned upside down. Blood spills, hearts break, and Raeve finds herself at the mercy of the Guild of Nobles—a group of dual-beaded elementals who intend to turn her into a political statement. Only death will set her free.

Crushed beneath a mourning weight, Kaan Vaegor took the head of a king and donned his melted crown. Now on a tireless quest to assuage the never-ebbing ache in his chest, his hunt for a moonshard lures him into the belly of Gore’s notorious prison where he stumbles upon something that rips apart his perception of reality. A shackled miracle with eyes full of rage and blood on her hands.

The echo of the past sings louder than the Creators themselves, and even Raeve can’t ignore the truths blaring at her from a warmer, happier time.
However.
There’s more to this song than meets the eye, and some truths �
They’re too poisonous to swallow.

When the Moon Hatched is a fast-paced fantasy romance for fans of witty banter and strong, sassy protagonists. Beneath the cover is an immersive, vibrant world with mysterious creatures, a unique magic system, and a love that blazes through the ages. ]]> 718 Sarah A. Parker Caitlin 5 3.99 2024
author: Sarah A. Parker
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/11
date added: 2024/04/11
shelves:
review:

]]> 63892232
When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.

With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.

The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.]]> 416 Isabel Ibañez Caitlin 3 4.04 2023
author: Isabel Ibañez
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/07
date added: 2024/04/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 202675767
But then, on a solo job in an abandoned section of the city, she encounters a monster of legend. An undine. A dangerous merman from an ancient civilization, long forgotten.

Arges has fought his entire life for his people. With deadly creatures under his control, he plans to eradicate Beta once and for all to protect his kind and their peaceful way of life. But when a human woman saves him, she unknowingly creates a bond between them, one he can’t ignore. Even though her flaming red hair haunts his dreams, he needs her for information on the undine’s enemies.

So he steals her. Keeps her. Feeds her. Only to realize their bond is far deeper than captor and captive. He cannot let her go—but he cannot keep her under the sea. In a battle to determine if love can survive a war beneath the waves, it will be their decision that changes the tides.]]> 381 Emma Hamm Caitlin 2 4.00 2024
author: Emma Hamm
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/04/01
date added: 2024/04/01
shelves:
review:

]]> 40338437
As the event begins, Langdon and several hundred guests find themselves captivated by an utterly original presentation, which Langdon realizes will be far more controversial than he ever imagined. But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch's precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever. Reeling and facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape Bilbao. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch to stage the provocative event. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch's secret.

Navigating the dark corridors of hidden history and extreme religion, Langdon and Vidal must evade a tormented enemy whose all-knowing power seems to emanate from Spain's Royal Palace itself . . . and who will stop at nothing to silence Edmond Kirsch. On a trail marked by modern art and enigmatic symbols, Langdon and Vidal uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch's shocking discovery . . . and the breathtaking truth that has long eluded us. Origin is stunningly inventive--Dan Brown's most brilliant and entertaining novel to date]]> 609 Dan Brown 0525563695 Caitlin 0 to-read 3.87 2017
author: Dan Brown
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 157488774 The Vandawolf’s life rests in my hands.
His fate is mine to control.

The price for my freedom has been paid in blood. The Vandawolf lies broken on the scorched ash and my heart has shattered with him. For all his secrets and lies, I know one truth: his end would destroy me.

But saving him means embracing the power that tore this land apart—a power so treacherous that it can only bring me pain.

With light and dark at war within me, I will wrap a thread of hope around my heart and bind his fate to mine.

I will walk a path that leaves my life and my loyalties on a blade’s edge.

With every step I take, betrayal is only a heartbeat away.

Content information: A Sin Like Fire is fantasy romance, the second in the Kingdom of Betrayal series. Recommended reading age is 17+ for sex scenes, mature themes, violence, and language. Ends on a cliffhanger.]]> 316 Everly Frost Caitlin 3 4.46
author: Everly Frost
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.46
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/26
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves:
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]]> 191755077 Ten women. A deadly contest. Only one can win the Sun King's heart.

Lor has endured twelve long years of torment under the Aurora King’s rule. Her only desire is to escape and pay him back for every moment of misery she's endured.

When a surprise release finds her in the hands of the rival Sun King, Lor is thrust into the spotlight as she competes against nine other Tributes for the role of queen. If she wins his heart, she'll earn her freedom and finally get her revenge.

But Lor doesn't belong in the Sun Queen Trials. Not only does she not understand why she was freed, she isn’t a citizen of the Sun King’s court. The other Tributes resent her presence and will stop at nothing to ensure Lor is removed from the competition, permanently.

Now Lor must win, because if she loses, she dies. Or worse, she'll be returned to the evil—and now vengeful—Aurora King.]]> 400 Nisha J. Tuli 1538767481 Caitlin 0 to-read 3.81 2023
author: Nisha J. Tuli
name: Caitlin
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 78299952 I WILL BECOME QUEEN OF LUCE� OR DIE TRYING.

There are few people I loathe more than Dante Regio, but my aunt Bronwen, my former grandfather Justus, and my Shabbin grandmother Meriam sit right alongside the Faerie monarch on my list of despicable beings. Especially after they assist the pointy-eared ruler with my kidnapping.

Locked in an obsidian underworld no Crow can reach, not even their king, I soon learn things aren’t as they seem. People aren’t as they seem. And history� I’m still attempting to reconcile the truth with what I was previously told.

My new allies have an agenda, but I have one of my own. Though there’s overlap—we all agree Dante must die—what I desire more than anything is to return to Lore before he levels the kingdom to find me� or loses his humanity trying.

I may favor crowns over coffins, but I refuse to live in a world where my mate only exists as a bird.

Strap in for one last romantic and pulse-pounding adventure in a world governed by magic and hearts.]]> 510 Olivia Wildenstein Caitlin 3 4.02 2023
author: Olivia Wildenstein
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/01
date added: 2024/02/01
shelves:
review:

]]> 62879353 I meant to capture the prince's heart... and ended up with a king's.

My desire to sit upon the Lucin throne led me to revive an ancient, winged monarch; one I deemed a friend until that friend duped and imprisoned me.

Lorcan claims he’s holding me captive for my own safety, but then he also claims I belong to him. Slumbering for five centuries has evidently given the Crow King severe delusions.

We may share an unfortunate mind-link, but we are still masters of our own destiny, and I intend to steer mine away from the Sky Kingdom and its prophecies . . . away from him.

I quickly find out there is no escaping the possessive male. In all honesty, I’m no longer certain I want to.]]> 520 Olivia Wildenstein Caitlin 4 4.32 2023
author: Olivia Wildenstein
name: Caitlin
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/27
date added: 2024/01/27
shelves:
review:

]]>