en-US Fri, 18 Apr 2025 18:42:20 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 220535832 1 MILLION BOOKS READ! Meet Yorkshire’s finest (and quirkiest) detective. He’s no angel, despite his name.

Discover eight old-fashioned murder mysteries, full of red herrings, unforgettable characters, and Yorkshire humour. With more twists and turns than a cheap garden hose.

Detective Inspector Michael Angel is an old-school policeman who sometimes rubs his colleagues up the wrong way. He’s certainly got his flaws, but he never gives up on a case. He is always at odds with his boss Detective Superintendent Horace Harker, who Angel thinks is a lazy hypochondriac and not a bit interested in serious police work.

Angel works at a small police station in the picturesque market town of Bromersley, South Yorkshire. He is devoted to defeating crime, murder, and dishonesty of any sort. He doesn’t want a promotion �� not with all the paperwork and stress that goes with it. His focus is on putting rogues behind bars and being a good husband to his wife Mary.

Each case that lands on Angel’s desk is more baffling than the last �� much to his readers�� delight! So if you’re looking for a healthy dose of thoroughly reliable entertainment, look no further.

In this 8-book box set:

BOOK 1: THE MISSING NURSE
Can Inspector Michael Angel find missing nurse Fiona Thomas? His gruesome trail of enquiries begins with a savage murder in an insane asylum over twenty years ago. But where will it lead?

BOOK 2: THE MISSING WIFE
Lady Yvette, the beautiful wife of a local MP is found choked to death in a reservoir, robbed of her clothes and antique pearls. Inspector Angel is called in to investigate. But the evidence is scant and he has only his guile to rely on. Can he stop the choker before he strikes again?

BOOK 3: THE MAN IN THE PINK SUIT
Celebrity art critic Frank P. Jones, aka “the Man in the Pink Suit��, shoots a wealthy industrialist. Jones strongly denies the charge, but he has the motive, the opportunity, a Walter PPK/S automatic, and no alibi. DI Angel must unravel the truth from the lies. Was Jones hypnotized, drugged, or is he simply a liar?

BOOK 4: THE MORALS OF A MURDERER
Duncan McFee is savagely murdered in a distillery where he was chairman. He’s found in one of the vats used to make gin. Yet none of the suspects is burly enough to have delivered the fatal blow. Detective Inspector Michael Angel is called in to unravel the mystery.

BOOK 5: THE AUCTION MURDERS
At the auction of Lord Ogmore’s estate, a man is stabbed to death with a silver dagger. Before long, DI Angel finds himself on the trail of a serial killer who leaves behind no clues, no fingerprints and no DNA. Angel has only one eye-witness �� and he’s blind. Will Angel solve his toughest case yet?

BOOK 6: THE MISSING KILLER
A masked man bursts into a quiet country club to confront a young couple. He says, “Your time is up. That girl is mine.�� Then he kills one of them. Witnesses cannot identify him and DI Angel’s investigation seems doomed. Faced with vengeful gangsters, crooked police and mentally unstable young men, can Angel work it all out in time and walk away unscathed?

BOOK 7: THE UMBRELLA MURDERS
An arsonist threatens to set fire to the luxury home of the local MP. DI Angel has two suspects. One has completely disappeared, the other is locked in a police cell. Will the umbrella man be able to execute his threat while still in police custody? DI Michael Angel must race against the clock to unravel this baffling mystery.

Book 8: THE MISSING MILLIONAIRE
Wheelchair-bound millionaire businessman, Joshua Gumme, has the Midas touch. He's successful with women and in business. And he’s won more than two hundred straight games of cards. Everybody knows he cheats, they just don't know how. Then his body is found floating in the River Don. Who killed him and why? The suspects range from Gumme's son, who was left a pittance in his father’s will, to a heroin dealer. Meanwhile, Angel's investigations lead him on the track of two dangerous crooks. He attempts to find and arrest them. But they've got plans for him.]]> 1697 Roger Silverwood 1835268706 Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.48
author: Roger Silverwood
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.48
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rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/18
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]]> 57471943
None of them realise that Tom is hiding a secret. On the surface, his move to Fairweather was to escape his highflying life in London and to put some much-needed distance between him and his ex-fiancée - but deep down Tom knows that there are some things he cannot run from.

As the months pass with book club gatherings, secrets are shared and hurts begin to heal. New friendships might be the last thing on their minds but the members of the book club are about to discover that opening themselves up to other people might be the only thing that will help them all to live, and to love, again.]]> 320 Roisin Meaney 1529355656 Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.39
author: Roisin Meaney
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/04/16
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]]> 197715421
Outside the island there is nothing: the world was destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched.

On the island: it is idyllic. One hundred and twenty-two villagers and three scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they're told by the scientists.

Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And then they learn that the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay. If the murder isn't solved within 107 hours, the fog will smother the island—and everyone on it.

But the security system has also wiped everyone's memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer—and they don't even know it.

And the clock is ticking.

From the bestselling author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water comes an inventive, high-concept murder mystery: an ingenious puzzle, an extraordinary backdrop, and an audacious solution.]]> 368 Stuart Turton Leslie 0 currently-reading 3.86 2024
author: Stuart Turton
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
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]]> 202469507
Savage (adjective):
1) Not domesticated; wild and untamed
2) A brutal or vicious person
3) Malek Antonov

He’s a myth. A ghost. A legend.
A Bratva assassin so feared, some won’t even dare to speak his name.

He comes in search of vengeance for the death of his brother, but what he finds instead is me.

A girl he thinks is someone else.
Someone unrelated to the man who killed his brother.
Except I am.

And when he finds out my true identity, he decides to take me as repayment for what he lost.

Now, I’m a little bird trapped in a cage, and the only way to survive is to make friends with the monster who captured me.

Except friendship isn’t what the monster has in mind.]]> 393 J.T. Geissinger 1250346738 Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.31 2021
author: J.T. Geissinger
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/17
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]]> 58599413 Until a hit is taken out on me. I’m kidnapped in the dead of night and waking up, it’s to come face to face with Demitri Vetrov.

Dangerous and heartless, Demitri is the most feared man in the world. I’ve heard whispers of what he’s capable of.

I’m thrown into a nightmare where I don’t know who I can trust, and fear for my life is my only constant companion.
I’m forced to be at Demitri’s mercy, I’m just not sure he has any. It also doesn’t help that he’s disarmingly attractive.

Tall, dark, and deadly.

Knowing this, he uses it against me like a weapon, breaking down my walls faster than I can put them up.

There’s a war coming, and I’m right in the middle of it.
The only question is, will Demitri be the one to save me or kill me?

STANDALONE: Romance Suspense full-length novel.
WARNING: This book contains subject matter that may be sensitive for some readers. There is dark and triggering content between these pages. 18+ only. Please read responsibly.]]> 405 Michelle Heard Leslie 4 4.45
author: Michelle Heard
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
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]]> 61035943 My days are filled with chaotic emotions and fear, and with time, I realize Viktor Vetrov wants more than just my obedience.
He wants all of me, but I refuse to fall for his filthy promises of ecstasy.

The instant I gain my freedom, I run straight back to the Cosa Nostra.
But, I quickly learn there are worse monsters in the world than the one who held me captive.
With no family left, choices are made for me. None are in my best interest.
I’m forced to marry a man twice my age who doesn’t have a gentle side.

I only have one hope. Viktor Vetrov.
But asking the head of the Bratva to save me will leave me indebted to him.
Do I give myself to the old monster who will use and abuse me, or do I give myself to the attractive devil who wiped out my family?

STANDALONE: An Italian Mafia Romance full-length novel.
WARNING: 18+ only. Please read responsibly. THIS NOVEL CONTAINS TRIGGERING CONTENT.]]> 272 Michelle Heard Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.12
author: Michelle Heard
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.12
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/14
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]]> 55957637 An Arranged Marriage Mafia Romance

Alliances are made. Loyalty is owned. Love is taken.

Little did I know my love and freedom would be taken to form a new alliance.

Brutal, possessive, and dangerous, Lucian is feared by all. Including myself.
When his father is assassinated, Lucian takes his rightful place as head of the Cotroni family. They rule the Mafia with an iron fist, and he’s set his sights on my family.
Until now, we’ve been the only threat, but when a new one emerges, my father is forced to arrange a marriage between Lucian and myself.

He might be handsome but he’s not the kind of man who loves. He takes what he wants and right now, it’s my body.
I might belong to him in name, but the question remains �� will our union be consummated in blood or love?

STANDALONE: Romance Suspense full-length novel.
WARNING: This book contains subject matter that may be sensitive for some readers. There is dark and triggering content between these pages. 18+ only. Please read responsibly.]]> 388 Michelle Heard Leslie 0 4.07
author: Michelle Heard
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.07
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/13
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]]> 55957639 I’ve been born into a life of depravity and ruthlessness. It’s kill or be killed.

Until her��
The moment she smiles at me, my world changes.
I keep coming back. Watching her brings me stolen moments of peace.

Until I can’t stay away��
She doesn’t know who I am, that she’s flirting with death.
Slowly we fall deeper until she loves the lies I’ve told her.

The danger that follows me, creeps closer and the façade I’ve built comes crashing down around us.

And lovers turn to enemies.
But there’s no going back for me.
I want her. I will have her.
She doesn’t have a choice.


STANDALONE: Romance Suspense full-length novel.]]> 373 Michelle Heard Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.06
author: Michelle Heard
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 0
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]]> 57196824 ISABELLA

I was the party crasher.
He was the Devil.

Three months ago, I suffered a moment of insanity and had a one-night stand without even knowing who the man was.
It was hot and unforgettable.
I tried to forget him, but there are moments I swear I can still smell his aftershave.

Little did I know he’s the head of the Bratva.
Alexei Koslov.
My family’s worst enemy.

There’s a thin line between love and hate,
and I’m straddling it.

ALEXEI

There’s an even thinner line between the truth and a lie.

As the head of the Bratva and the best assassin,
I’m the devil everyone fears.

I get more than I bargained for when I come face to face with Isabella Terrero.
Instead of the Princess of Terror, she might just be the embodiment of the goddess of mischief and chaos.

For her, I broke all my rules.
For her, I burned down the world.


STANDALONE: A complete standalone novel in the Underworld Kings series.
WARNING: This book contains subject matter that may be sensitive for some readers. There is dark and triggering content between these pages. 18+ only. Please read responsibly.]]> 393 Michelle Heard Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.26
author: Michelle Heard
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.26
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/11
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]]> 61035942
Cinderella said to be kind, have courage, and always believe in a little magic.

She’s wrong.

To survive in my world, you have to be dead inside, be on guard at all times, and never dream of the impossible.
You never dream of anything because you don’t just get to stop working for the Polish mafia.

But you can be stolen from them.

Well, kind of.
When Gabriel Demir, head of the Turkish mafia, attacks my boss, I’m caught in the crossfire.
I’m taken captive, interrogated, and soon find myself in the position of maid again. Only this time, it’s for the Turkish instead of Polish.
This time it’s for a dangerously attractive man and not the insane one I’ve known all my life.
This time I find myself fantasizing about my boss instead of dreaming of ways to escape.
This time I’m not threatened with pain and death but with pleasure.

But can I step out of the maid’s uniform and into a ballgown?
Do I dare cross that line just for a moment in the spotlight?

STANDALONE: A Turkish Mafia Romance full-length novel.
WARNING: 18+ only. Please read responsibly. THIS NOVEL CONTAINS TRIGGERING CONTENT.]]> 461 Michelle Heard Leslie 4 4.29 2022
author: Michelle Heard
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/09
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]]> 203416496 From USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Michelle Heard comes a new STANDALONE, full-length MAFIA ROMANCE novel.

When I finally get a life-saving kidney transplant, I think the worst is behind me.
Boy, am I wrong.

I start feeling eyes on me wherever I go.
I’m being watched. Stalked. Hunted.
It’s downright scary.

Then the hunter steps out of the shadows, and my life implodes.
I’m taken by Renzo Torrisi, a dangerous and unforgiving man.

Turns out the kidney I received belonged to one of his men and I have to repay the debt. Only the terms are unclear, and the rules change on a whim.

Held prisoner in his penthouse, I have to serve the ruthless mafia boss like the god he is.
Whether I’ll survive being Renzo’s captive is up for debate, though.

A Mafia Romance full-length novel.
18+ only. Please read responsibly.
THIS NOVEL CONTAINS TRIGGERING CONTENT.]]> 390 Michelle Heard Leslie 4 4.03
author: Michelle Heard
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/09
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]]> 199800746
When the man Samantha’s paired with doesn’t stick to the rules, I step in to take his place. Wearing a mask protects my identity, and soon the little wildcat from the office is telling me all her darkest secrets and fantasies.

During the day, she gives me hell, but at night, she becomes my wounded kitten.

I know I’m playing a dangerous game.
She doesn’t know I’m one of the heads of the Cosa Nostra.
She doesn’t know her boss and her nightly visitor is the same person.

With my enemy on the attack and her past coming to haunt her, our secrets come out in the most explosive way possible, threatening to rip Samantha away from me.

But my wildcat has another thing coming if she thinks I’ll ever let go.

A Mafia Romance full-length novel. 18+ only. Please read responsibly.THIS NOVEL CONTAINS TRIGGERING CONTENT.]]> 427 Michelle Heard Leslie 4 4.03
author: Michelle Heard
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/08
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]]> 58709846 The Three-Body Problem is the first chance for English-speaking readers to experience the Hugo Award-winning phenomenon from China's most beloved science fiction author, Liu Cixin.

Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.]]> 400 Liu Cixin Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.15 2006
author: Liu Cixin
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/01
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]]> 36522869 410 Douglas Stewart Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.22 1981
author: Douglas Stewart
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1981
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/21
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]]> 223188844 From USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Michelle Heard comes a new STANDALONE, full-length MAFIA ROMANCE novel.

I entered an arranged marriage so my sister, Ciara, could marry for love. Three years later, I’m a widow, and my father arranges for Ciara to marry Dominik Varga. The assassin slash arms dealer is as dangerous as he’s quiet, which is very unnerving.

Needless to say, I’m not happy at all. A deal was a deal, and I kept my end of it, so there’s no way on God’s green earth I’ll just sit back and smile like a good little girl. I’ll fight for Ciara’s freedom so she won’t have to face the hell I was forced to endure.

But Dominik doesn’t make things easy for me. He’s determined to get his hands on half of Dad’s empire.
When he moves into my family home, my entire routine unravels. I have to fight for more than just my sister’s freedom because I’m in danger of losing my heart.

I refuse to admit I’m drawn to his darkness. If I do, God only knows whether we’ll survive the fire raging between us.

A Mafia Romance full-length novel.
Each book in the Mafia Empire series is interconnected but about a different couple who will all find their HEA.]]> 283 Michelle Heard Leslie 0 currently-reading 3.96
author: Michelle Heard
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.96
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date added: 2025/02/18
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]]> 221991442 A mafia prince with a killer’s smile and a predator’s gaze.
Takeshi Mori doesn’t ask for anything. He takes it.
Including me.
Our marriage is a weapon forged in blood, meant to stop a war.
But there’s nothing peaceful about my new husband.
He’s ruthless chaos incarnate—a Machiavellian psychopath with a thirst for violence.
He craves control, but I was born to defy.
His darkness terrifies me even as it calls to mine.
His touch consumes me even as it burns me alive.
We aren’t a happy ever after. We’re a collision-course disaster.
And “till death do us part�� isn’t a vow.
It’s a declaration of war.

Emperor of Havoc is a standalone dark mafia romance with a smart, untamable heroine, and an ultra possessive psycho hero with "look at her and I'll unalive you" energy. Readers are STRONGLY advised to read the TW inside. No cliffhanger; HEA included.]]> 412 Jagger Cole Leslie 4 4.19 2025
author: Jagger Cole
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/18
date added: 2025/02/18
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]]> 44094937 The way he looked at me sent shivers down my spine.

Our first meeting was at a wedding, where he followed me outside and kissed me.

Our second meeting ended in a huge fight with me kicking him out.

Our third meeting, I went on a double, blind date.
You can imagine my surprise when I saw familiar blue eyes across the table opposite my friend.
������.�Դ���.

He was sarcastic and witty and damn,
If he wasn’t the sexiest bastard I ever laid eyes on.

Then he sent me an email listing thirty reasons
why I should go on a date with him.

I was expecting a suave and intelligent list.
Curious, I read on.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝟏 �� 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐡
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝟐 �� 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝟑 �� 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝟏𝟑 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐞 �� 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡.

The man’s a fool, his list was some of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever read.
And the funniest.

We laughed hard…and loved harder.

You can outrun everything……except your past.
And his has caught up.

Wild handsome players don’t fall for wholesome girls like me,
Or do they?]]> 572 T.L. Swan Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.24 2019
author: T.L. Swan
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/09
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]]> 54031058    
Career as a nurse anesthetist, check.
   Financial security, check.
   House and white picket fence, check.
   Kid, check.

You may have noticed that I’m a daddy. That’s right, I am. When Maddie was born via surrogate four years ago, it was the best day of my life. The best decision I ever made.

But there’s still one thing missing from my life—a woman I can call my wife and Maddie can call Mom. I’m ready to meet her, to fall in love. But at this rate, I’m never going to find her. The dating world is a crazy place, but when you’re a dad, it’s a downright nightmare.

Luckily for me, all that changes when I meet Ashlyn. She’s one of my patients, whom I never thought I would see again. But our paths crossed as if we were destined to be. Now, all I have to do is convince Ashlyn she’s the perfect one for me. And for Maddie.]]> 112 Stacy Kristen Leslie 0 currently-reading 3.30
author: Stacy Kristen
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.30
book published:
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date added: 2025/02/07
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]]> 54866321 He’s made it obvious that I can only ever rely on myself.
Until I meet them.

Caden, Tyler, Jensen, and Lukas.
My new stepbrother and his best friends have suddenly become my everything.
Until they aren’t.

They think they can break me, but they’re dead wrong.
They wouldn’t have bet on me having someone else on my side, or in my bed.
These rich boys haven’t seen anything yet.

Their pretty lies are nothing compared to what’s coming though, and I’m going to need them to anchor me when I finally break.

Death is coming to those who deserve it, and I don’t care if I lose myself in the process.
Did I mention the local street crew being on my side?
No one will ever see me coming.

My name’s Rory Donovan, and I’m about to paint the walls red.


*Pretty Lies is a 75k word dark romance reverse harem novel. This is the first book in the series and it must be read in order. The first four books are Rory's, and the harem grows over those books, so other guys will be added as the story goes. It contain abuse and rape content, and the series will have m/m. If you are triggered by sensitive content, this series is not for you.]]> 302 R.E. Bond Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.14 2020
author: R.E. Bond
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/03
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]]> 221784786 because he didn’t have the balls to do it himself.

I move out and get a new apartment, a job as a bartender, and try to move on with a broken heart. I wonder where it all went wrong, if I hadn’t been enough for him, if I’d been stupid for marrying him in the first place.

I’m at work one night when he walks inside��the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. He sits at the bar and a forest fire burns between us. I was depressed the moment before he entered, but the second I look at his blue eyes, I forget the dumpster fire that my life has become. I invite him back to my place and it’s the most passionate night of my life. I expect to never see him again.

I just want him as an anti-depressant—but he wants me all to himself. I just got my heart ripped out of my chest so I want something easy and no-strings-attached, but he wants all the strings because he’s hooked.

I don’t get much of a say in the matter, and that’s not surprising when I learn why—because he’s the Butcher. The crime lord of all crime lords, the boss that overshadows all of Paris, that makes everyone abide by his rules—or pay.

And now I’m his.]]> 302 Penelope Sky Leslie 0 currently-reading 3.95
author: Penelope Sky
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.95
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date added: 2025/02/02
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]]> 202017793 Jessica
I don’t know how to stop feeling scared.
I don’t know how to stop feeling unlovable.
And I don’t know how to trust again��
An incident before my marriage takes away any safety I've ever known.
I’ve always known that I would have to marry a man chosen by my family, but from that moment on, I realize that monsters lurk in both suits and the shadows.
My future husband, Rafael, is a powerful Mafia man.
And he's just one more man who wants to hurt me.
Or so I think…until Rafael touches my heart and brings me back to life.
His words make my pulse flutter too fast, and his looks make shivers skate down my spine.
He tells me that he loves me.
And that he’ll always protect me.
But I shouldn’t have believed him.
I should have known that life isn’t a fairy-tale.
That my happily ever after could be snatched away from me in the blink of an eye.
Because I’m wounded and fragile.
And the darkness is always lurking where you least expect it, waiting to strike me down...

A full length, standalone mafia romance novel within the interconnecting Marchiano Mafia Series. Books can be read in any order.
HEA. No cheating. No cliffhanger.
This is a dark arranged marriage romance, featuring the Italian Mafia. Please refer to the content note at the start of the book (via the Look Inside feature).]]> 328 Isa Oliver Leslie 0 currently-reading 3.65
author: Isa Oliver
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.65
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/31
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]]> 52226559 An Arranged Marriage Standalone Mafia Romance.

The first time Cassio met his fiancée, she called him ‘Sir��.

After losing his wife, Cassio is left to take care of two small children while trying to establish his rule over Philadelphia. Now he needs a mother for his children, and someone who can warm his bed at night.

But in a traditional world as his, choosing your wife is duty not pleasure.

Rules have to be followed. Traditions heeded.

That’s how he ends up with a woman—a girl barely of age. She might not be what he and his children need, but she’s wicked lovely and a sweet temptation he can’t resist.

Giulia always knew she’d marry a man her father chose for her. Only she never expected to be given to someone much older.

Suddenly she’s supposed to be a mother to two small children when she hasn’t even held a baby in her life.

Giulia quickly realizes that Cassio isn’t interested in a relationship on equal footing. Her mother always warned her that men of power like Cassio don’t tolerate insolence; yet, tired of being treated as a nanny and clueless child-bride, Giulia decides to fight for her vision of a happy family.]]> 292 Cora Reilly Leslie 4 3.98 2020
author: Cora Reilly
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/27
date added: 2025/01/27
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]]> 223090794 Camillo
She’s from a wealthy and privileged background.
And she never imagined she’d end up as a maid to a fierce mafia boss like me��
But she’s on the run and desperately needs to find safety.
And when I find out what she’s been hiding, it’s bigger than anything I’d ever imagined.
Because she has a small son—and he’s just as fragile as she is.
As I get to know them, I start to win their trust.
And my heart can’t help surrendering as it melts and thuds too fast for them both.
Because when I hold her in my arms, it finally feels like I’ve come home��
But I should have known we’d never get our happily ever after.
Because someone else is after her...
And he’ll stop at absolutely nothing to ensure he gets the evil ending he desires.

“What do I have to do to make you feel beautiful? What do I have to say to make you see yourself through my eyes? Whatever it is, I’ll do it a million times over until you believe me.��

A mafia-lite romance.
Standalone.
Books in Isa Oliver's mafia world can be read in any order.
HEA. No cheating by main characters. No cliffhanger.
Tropes and themes: single mom romance; Italian mafia romance books; curvy girl romance; forced proximity.
Please refer to the content note at the start of the book (via the Look Inside feature).]]> 412 Isa Oliver Leslie 4 4.00
author: Isa Oliver
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/26
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]]> 203859198
How can you promise someone forever?

The simple truth is that you can’t.

At least that’s what I always thought. Until I met Amelia Ryder. It was a chance encounter. We were meant to go our separate ways and never see each other again.

So you can imagine my surprise when the woman I haven’t been able to stop thinking about turns up at my office two days after I sent her home—as my new secretary. And things are about to get a lot more complicated than either of us expected.

She’s occupying my every waking thought. If I’m not thinking about her smile or her scent, or the very unprofessional things I'd like to do to her on my desk, I’m definitely picturing her delicious curves—the ones I know in intimate detail.

But I’m Drake James, cold-hearted workaholic. I don’t do relationships, I don’t do commitment, and I definitely don’t do my secretary.

So why can’t my mind and body get with the program? Because staying away from the woman is pure torture. And as unfair as it is for her, I’m not prepared to give up whatever this thing is between us, no matter how toxic it gets.

Amelia Ryder is mine, and just because I can’t have her doesn’t mean I won’t.]]> 426 Sadie Kincaid Leslie 4 4.16
author: Sadie Kincaid
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/17
date added: 2025/01/17
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]]> 60881793 Nina

Charming, captivating, and seductive,
And a cold-blooded killer.
But I married the Pakhan of the Russian Bratva anyway.
I had to. It was part of the deal.

Now, I’m faking marital bliss,
As I tremble with fear,
And I cannot wait to be out of the clutches of this ruthless man.


Roman

I get anything I desire.
And I want this perfectly imperfect little manipulator.

The way she can deceive anyone into believing she’s crazy in love with me,
Just makes me want her even more.

She doesn't know it yet,
But I am not letting her go.
The deal - is off.


*Painted Scars is a full-length novel with several open-door steamy scenes, no cheating and a guaranteed HEA.

This is the first book in Perfectly Imperfect dark mafia series. Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order.]]> 240 Neva Altaj 1961423030 Leslie 4 3.75 2022
author: Neva Altaj
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/01/10
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]]> 210328123
Twenty years ago I was saved by the Volkov brothers and I made a vow�� to protect their younger sister, Lara, with my life.

And not a day goes by that I don’t take that seriously.

She is my best friend and the keeper of my sanity.

And when our enemies try to take her from me, they will pay the price with their life.

I told her one kiss wouldn’t ruin our friendship.

I was so very wrong.

She is sweeter than any addiction.

I may be crazy, but that is nothing in comparison to the way I feel about my pchelka.

So I take matters into my own hands, I will never go back on my promise.

Even if that means watching her as she sleeps.

Except, what I didn’t realize, is this was never about protection, I did all of this out of love.

With her, I stand to lose everything.

Without her, I lose my mind�� and my heart.

Even when we’re torn apart, there isn’t a single force on this earth that can stop me from protecting her.

Not even her brothers.

I can save her from any dangers in the outside world, but will my love be enough to save her from the demons in her mind?]]> 528 Luna Mason Leslie 2 dnf 3.93
author: Luna Mason
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.93
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/09
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 62597278
First, Shay has to move home to the small town of Friendship, Rhode Island. Second—and most problematic since her fiancé just called off the wedding—Shay must be married within one year.

Marriage is the last thing in the world Shay wants but she’ll do anything to save the only real home she’s ever known.

Noah Barden loved Shay Zucconi back in high school. Not that he ever told her. He was too shy, too awkward, too painfully uncool to ask out the beautiful, popular girl.

A lifetime later, Noah is a single dad to his niece and has his hands full running the family business. That old crush is the farthest thing from his mind.

Until Shay returns to their hometown.

CW/TW: absentee parent(s), brief mention of parent death, brief mention of parent chronic illness, mention of incarceration, mention of temporary foster care placement, reference to teenage teasing/bullying (not detailed, not explicit), brief incidence of fat-shaming, living with a neurodivergent child]]> 480 Kate Canterbary Leslie 5 3.85 2022
author: Kate Canterbary
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/09
date added: 2025/01/09
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]]> 213607838
Who knew applying to be the next Miss Americana while you’re drunk on tequila would actually
get anywhere? But that’s exactly what happened to Ava when she wanted an excuse to promote her best friends�� new businesses. She never even expected to get past the first round of auditions, much less win the beauty pageant, and now here she is, wearing a silk sash and a crown on her head, trying to picture what the next three months is going to look like. As the newly crowned Miss Americana, she’s off on a three-month press tour, visiting all 50 states as part of her contract.

For a girl who loves adventure, it’s a dream come true, except for two hiccups. The first one being the morality clause and long list of rules the organization is forcing her to live by while wearing the crown. And second, and probably the worst one, is the delicious sexy, yet grumpy driver-slash-bodyguard assigned to keep her in line.

Jaime normally spends his days as head of security for the world-famous rock band Atlas Oaks, but when they take a break from touring, he’s excited for a change of pace. Until he learns his new assignment is the gorgeous and ever-frustrating pageant princess who gets under his skin in more ways than one.

When he learns Ava has made it her mission to drive him crazy—by constantly looking for a new hit of endorphins by toeing the line as well as by flirting with him endlessly—he realizes what he thought would be a simple assignment is anything but. Now if only he can survive the next ninety days keeping his hands to himself and off the woman he can’t get out of his head.]]> 347 Morgan Elizabeth Leslie 3 4.02 2024
author: Morgan Elizabeth
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/09
date added: 2025/01/09
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]]> 199901720
How to make the handsome, brooding man across the street notice me.

Step one: Deliver baked goods to his front porch, even though he never answers his door and always returns the containers when I'm not home.

Step two: Slowly lose my mind as a whole year passes without ever running into him, no matter how hard I try.

Step three: Have my boudoir photos accidentally delivered to his mailbox instead of mine. Have him open the package. Then have him storm into my home for the most panty-melting scolding of my life.

Step four: Still figuring out step four.

HANS

I'm a dangerous man.

A man who has spent the last two decades removing so many souls from this earth that it's a miracle my hands aren't permanently stained red.

I'm a man who belongs in the shadows.

I certainly don't belong in my pretty little neighbor's bedroom when she's not home, touching her things and inhaling her scent.

I shouldn't follow her. Shouldn't watch her. Because no number of cookies on my doorstep will change the fact that love isn't an option for me.

The only option left for me is violence.]]> 432 S.J. Tilly Leslie 5 4.28
author: S.J. Tilly
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/09
date added: 2025/01/09
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]]> 218437514 But the house isn’t empty. Three vengeful spirits lie in wait, vowing to destroy the woman who sent them to hell. Given just one night of freedom, they will bleed every second dry, taking all their rage, suffering, and hatred out on her.
The three inflict agony twisted with pleasure until all secrets spill out of their coffins in the hallowed hours of the darkest night. Blood splatters the walls of the haunted house until cries of depraved pleasure wipe away sins and horrors past.
But what will happen when dawn rises, locking the gates of hell once and for all?
The rules are clear. Pain for pain. Blood for blood. Death for death.

This book was previously published as The Ghosts of Halloween trilogy including the three following Jacked, Carved, and Gutted. This new edition includes original art and bonus content.
This book is a dark, spicy Why Choose romance with sword crossing. It’s meant for adult readers only. For dark content warnings, refer to the author’s website. Stay safe.
]]> 414 Layla Fae Leslie 0 dnf 3.71
author: Layla Fae
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.71
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/09
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 214383099 Always ride faster than your angel can fly.
-Gabriel Wolfe

As president of the Hounds of Hell motorcycle club, my life has been infused with darkness and trauma since the day I was born. Chaos is my birthright. I crave it to feel stable. Secure. Whole.
The only people I care about are the ones who don my cut.
Women are just a tool.
Never to covet, only to use, each face blending into the next.
The formula I live by is simple.
Death is always at my door.
I am a soldier of bedlam.

Until a little hummingbird flies into my crosshairs, and I’m forced to feel something I haven’t felt for as long as I can remember…alive.

Let the hunt begin.]]> 419 Paisley Hope Leslie 0 dnf 4.30 2024
author: Paisley Hope
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/09
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 55886090 Live-in tutor wanted for four-year-old. Must be willing to relocate to a remote mountain estate. $3K/week cash.

On the run from ruthless killers, I’m down to ten bucks in my wallet and a half-tank of gas in my ancient car when I spot the ad. The job sounds like the answer to my prayers, but there’s a catch. The child’s father is the most beautiful, most dangerous man I’ve ever met.

Darkly seductive and filthy rich, Nikolai Molotov is a tantalizing mystery, a lethally alluring contradiction. Bruised knuckles and tailored suits, tender endearments and dirty promises—my new employer draws me in like a magnet, even as my instincts scream for me to run. I should’ve heeded them�� because I’m not the only one with secrets.

My safe haven just might be the devil’s lair, and once he’s claimed me, it will be too late to run.]]> 344 Anna Zaires 1631426192 Leslie 4 3.93 2021
author: Anna Zaires
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/05
date added: 2025/01/05
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]]> 61989859 My kings are at war�� and I’m at the center of the drama.

It turns out there are things about myself I didn’t know.
Secrets that have changed the game for us.

Falling for four ruthless men hasn’t been easy. Not with rival Mafia families trying to wipe us off the map and our allies working against us.

But we’re stronger together.

My kings say I can end this war.
Because only a queen can unite a kingdom.

Boardwalk Reign is the third and final book in the Boardwalk Mafia series and ends with a HEA.]]> 152 Jillian Frost Leslie 3 3.94
author: Jillian Frost
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/04
date added: 2025/01/04
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]]> 61343170 I was a good girl��. until I met the Boardwalk Kings.

Dante, Nico, Angelo, and Stefan.

Those ruthless men have tainted me with their blood-stained hands and forced me to live in the darkness with them.

I’m no longer the rule-following perfectionist.
And I don’t want to be that girl anymore.

I have to prove my loyalty to the Kings.
Show them I’m not like my thief father.

And if I pass their tests, I will earn the right to be their queen.]]> 204 Jillian Frost Leslie 3 4.04
author: Jillian Frost
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.04
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/02
date added: 2025/01/02
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]]> 219517810 Bored with my suburban life and cheating husband, Hannah ends up on the wrong side of the tracks...and on the radar of the local Colombian mafia.

Hannah

Burnt out, fed up, overwhelmed, and facing a life and a version of me I don't recognize, I realize my life needs to change.

For me, and my kids.

Life is a matter of choice, and every choice you make - makes you.

When my choices start to rebuild my life into something I love, one of those choices is three new, lethal men.Rio craves control and strength to protect his people and empire, but he’s exhausted from a world of endless violence. When Hannah stumbles into his path, she awakens emotions he’s long buried, promising him the chance at something more than power. If he lets her in, he’ll find the loyalty he’s always desired, but if he doesn’t, he risks being consumed by his enemies—or worse, himself.

Matty has always been Rio’s loyal friend, hiding behind humor and impulsivity to mask his own darkness. Drawn to Hannah’s warmth and strength, he finds himself wanting to be her protector, yearning to prove he’s more than just a mafia soldier. If he succeeds, he’ll discover a love worth fighting for, but if he fails, he might lose the only person who sees his true self.

Santiago is the silent enforcer, a man of few words but unwavering loyalty. Scarred by his past, he’s convinced love is a luxury he can’t afford—until Hannah shows him kindness and acceptance. If he lets her close, he may find healing in her arms, but if he doesn’t, he risks losing the first chance he’s ever had at a real connection.

Together, these four must navigate the dangers of the mafia, the risk of betrayal, and their deepest insecurities to find a love stronger than violence. But in a world ruled by choices, the wrong one could cost them everything.


With three men determined to help me reinvent my life, I have more to live for now than ever. But can they also keep me and my children safe from their enemies?

Choices is a Why Choose, Spicy, Mafia, Single Mom, Multiple POV, Happily Ever After guaranteed, Romance.


Reverse Age Gap
Mafia
Mute MMC
He's a virgin
Reverse Harem
Why Choose
Single Mom
Protective Alpha Males
Found family
Morally grey men
Light stalking within the harem
]]> 319 Christina Sterling Leslie 4 4.10
author: Christina Sterling
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/28
date added: 2024/12/28
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]]> 65974377 My ovaries exploded at the sight of the Russian God. And by God, I mean he was ripped, tall, dark, and deadly attractive. There were enough sparks between us to light up a city.
Then an explosion blasted through the nightclub, and we got trapped together for three hours, sharing our most personal details... everything but our names.

Two years later, our second meeting is the complete opposite of the first. It's clear Misha Petrov, a Russian enforcer for the bratva, despises me. The emotional night we shared meant nothing to him.
You see, my family is sworn enemies with the bratva and Italian mafia, which means Misha considers me a threat.
I wish I could hate him the way he hates me. But nooo, my stupid heart wants what it wants.
Every rough touch from Misha makes my skin tingle.
Every low-rumbling threat growled through his clenched teeth has my breath speeding up.
We might be sworn enemies, but I can't stop myself from wanting this dangerous man.

Then there's the other problem.
If I can, by some miracle, get Misha to fall in love with me, we'll only have to face the entire bratva and my family.
What could possibly go wrong?

STANDALONE: A Mafia/Bratva Romance, standalone, full-length novel.
WARNING: 18+ only. Please read responsibly. THIS NOVEL CONTAINS TRIGGERING CONTENT.]]> 273 Michelle Heard Leslie 0 currently-reading 3.85 2023
author: Michelle Heard
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 210590871
And his murderer.

A decade after Warren was imprisoned, Kate’s life hasn’t quite turned out how she’d have liked. She works for her father’s seedy nightclub-turned-casino, trying to outrun her suicidal thoughts, knowing that eventually she’ll run out of breath.
But when her father loses the business—and their house with it—Kate’s breathing finally begins to stutter.


Kate was the little sister Warren had always wanted.

And the daughter of the man who framed him.

Finally free, Warren’s only goal is to enact revenge on the man responsible for ruining his life. A twist of fate made him a billionaire, but ruthless tenacity will ensure he gets what he wants.
Except he finds Kate where he left her all those years ago, and suddenly his feelings for her aren’t so sisterly after all��


WARNING: Heart of Stone is a dark romance so there are triggers scattered throughout: false imprisonment, being framed for a crime, abortion, pregnancy, knife play, spanking, drug addiction, gambling addiction, car accidents, loss of limbs, torture, poverty, revenge porn, physical violence, depression, suicidal thoughts, suicidal actions, murder, rape, human trafficking, CSA, prison, foul language, and, of course, explicit sex.]]> 302 Stevie Sparks Leslie 0 currently-reading 3.39
author: Stevie Sparks
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.39
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> 40222694 Job satisfaction has taken on a whole new meaning.

When I lied on my resume, I didn’t expect it to matter.
I mean any child would love me; I was born to be a nanny.
I applied for a position working for a woman, or so I thought.
But Julian Masters is definitely all man…the kind you dream of licking chocolate from.

The first day was bad.
The kids were the spawn of the devil and I spied through a window and caught him doing something obscene��. and equally fascinating.

The second day was worse, he caught me snooping in his bathroom cabinet in my skimpy pyjamas and all hell broke loose.

On the third day, I ran over him in a golf cart.

And by day four I had decided that I wanted that chocolate…all of it.
Melted��.on me.

But intelligent, widowed Judges don’t fall for ditzy nannies.
Or do they?]]> 460 T.L. Swan Leslie 5 4.21 2018
author: T.L. Swan
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/26
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]]> 58712946
Suddenly thrown into a world representing bloodlines I know nothing about, forcing my past I refuse to remember into the present, has my world turned upside down.

It doesn’t matter that I didn’t want to go to college, it doesn’t matter that I don’t want to be here.

I’ll follow the rules or risk my life. The organisation that runs the criminal underworld is no joke.

Apparently I’m an Ace now, but few are happy about my arrival.

Secrets have me wanting to run for the hills.

Boys have curly hair, skull tattoos, big mouths and gentle caresses.

A diamond has me wanting to make the world a better place.

For a lone ranger, my small world just got bigger.

What are you willing to do to survive?
#Aceholes

My Bloodline is a 97,000 word novel, and the first book in the Featherstone Academy Series.

This book contains dark content that may be considered a trigger for some readers. With that in mind it is recommended for readers 17+

This is a full-length reverse harem college romance novel, meaning the main character has more than one love interest. It also contains M/M scenes.]]> 576 K.C. Kean Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.12 2020
author: K.C. Kean
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 58868872
Max has made a name for himself as "that grumpy northern architect off Grand Designs", after he told Kevin McCloud that designing affordable, environmentally friendly homes “wasn’t rocket science�� and that most of the other projects featured on the programme were for “reight poncy bastads who want to spend a grand on a shite tap.�� It turned out that the whole gorgeous-but-rough-around-the-edges-Yorkshire-man vibe was just what the country was looking for �� the episode had gone viral and Max was the new, extremely reluctant, pin-up of the building industry.

But to Mia, huge, grumpy men weren’t sexy, they were simply terrifying. She knows from experience that even men of average size can be dangerous. If she wasn’t so desperate, she’d run. She’s used to running. Running away is Mia’s special talent, together with invisibility �� survival techniques she’s perfected over the years. So, she’ll put up with Max and his moods, ignore him calling her a teen emo freak (he’s not to know that her black hair used to be honey blonde or her heavy eyeliner isn’t by choice) and just bloody well jog on. Just try to survive. Try to hide.

It’s easy to hide when nobody really sees you. But what happens when Max finally opens his eyes?

Unperfect a full-length contemporary, enemies to lovers, office romance.

Please be aware - occasional swearing and trigger warning for domestic violence.]]> 364 Susie Tate 1999843797 Leslie 5 4.06 2021
author: Susie Tate
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/23
date added: 2024/12/23
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]]> 195639498 Renato
We never should have met. She wandered like an innocent lamb into my world, and the door slammed shut behind her.
Leaving her alive and free was a risk no capo would take.
I’ll let her live, for a price.
Her freedom.
She isn’t what she seems, but it’s already too late.
I'm obsessed, and nothing, and no one will keep her from me.
A forced marriage, age gap dark mafia romance with a jealous, possessive Italian boss anti-hero and the feisty young nurse that wandered unwillingly into his dangerous world.
Unholy Vows is a standalone dark age-gap romance with a guaranteed HEA and no OWD.
This is a dark mafia romance and as such contains themes which some readers may find triggering. Please read with caution.]]> 446 Mila Kane Leslie 5 4.08 2023
author: Mila Kane
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/21
date added: 2024/12/21
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]]> 219603177 One train. No stops. A deadly game of survival and revenge.

In 1942, six people destroyed Anna Matheson’s family. Twelve years later, she’s ready for retribution.

Under false pretenses, Anna has lured those responsible for her family’s downfall onto a luxury train from Philadelphia to Chicago, an overnight journey of fourteen hours. Her goal? Confront the people who’ve wronged her, get them to confess their crimes, and deliver them into the hands of authorities waiting at the end of the line. Justice will at last be served.

But Anna’s plan is quickly derailed by the murder of one of the passengers. As the train barrels through the night, it becomes clear that someone else on board is enacting their own form of revenge—and that they won’t stop until everyone else is dead.

With time running out before the train reaches its destination, Anna is forced to hunt the killer in their midst while protecting the people she hates the most. In order to destroy her enemies, she must first save them—even though it means putting her own life at risk.]]> 400 Riley Sager 0593472403 Leslie 0 to-read 3.61 2025
author: Riley Sager
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/16
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]]> 211004079 A woman invited to her wealthy fiance’s family retreat realizes they are hiding a terrible secret—and that she’s been there before, by the bestselling author of What Lies in the Woods.

A whirlwind romance.
When Theodora Scott met Connor—wealthy, charming, and a member of the powerful Dalton family—she fell in love in an instant. Six months later, he’s brought her to Idlewood, his family’s isolated winter retreat, to win over his skeptical relatives.

Stay away from Connor Dalton.
Theo has tried to ignore the threatening messages on her phone, but she can’t ignore the footprints in the snow outside the cabin window or the strange sense of familiarity she has about this place. Then, in a disused cabin, Theo finds something impossible: a photo of herself as a child. A photo taken at Idlewood.

I’ve been here before.
Theo has almost no recollection of her earliest years, but now she begins to piece together the fragments of her memories. Someone here has a shocking secret that they will do anything to keep hidden, and Theo is in terrible danger. Because the Daltons do not lose, and discovering what happened at Idlewood may cost Theo everything.]]> 291 Kate Alice Marshall 1250343054 Leslie 0 to-read 3.78 2025
author: Kate Alice Marshall
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: to-read
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]]> 214310631
But then the Silveria Circus finds him.

Motorcycle performer Rose Evans has spent a decade on the road with Silveria, and it suits her just fine, especially when she has the urge to indulge in a little murder and mayhem when she’s not in the spotlight. But when a kill goes awry and she ends up with a broken leg, she finds herself stuck in Nebraska at the home of the adorably nerdy town doctor.

The problem is, not every broken heart can be sewn back together.

. . . And the longer you stay in one place, the more likely your ghosts are to catch up.]]> 390 Brynne Weaver 163893181X Leslie 0 to-read 4.20 2025
author: Brynne Weaver
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: to-read
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]]> 207677131 A woman investigates her brother's mysterious death while coming to terms with her own haunting past in this atmospheric novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Unmaking of June Farrow

The only thing James and Johnny Golden have ever had is each other. For as long as she can remember, James’s deep connection with her twin brother, Johnny, has gone beyond intuition—she can feel what he feels. So, when Johnny is killed in a tragic accident, James knows before her phone even rings that her brother is gone and that she’s alone—truly alone—for the first time in her life. 

When James arrives in the rural town of Hawthorne, California to settle her brother’s affairs, she’s forced to rehash the ominous past she and Johnny shared and finally face Micah, the only person who knows about it. He’s also the only man she’s ever loved. 

But James soon discovers that the strange connection she had with Johnny isn’t quite gone, and the more she immerses herself into his world, the more questions she has about the brother she thought she knew. Johnny was keeping secrets, and he’s not the only one. What she uncovers will push her to unravel what happened in the days before Johnny’s death, but in the end, she’ll have to decide which truths should come to light, and which should stay buried forever.]]> 288 Adrienne Young 0593598709 Leslie 0 to-read 3.70 2025
author: Adrienne Young
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: to-read
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]]> 219851859 My life is no longer my own. Now, it belongs to them��.

I had a stalker. Three of them, actually.
They’d been watching me from the shadows for years. And when the time was right, they seduced me with lies. Lured me into thinking they were good men.

They aren’t.
Good men wouldn’t have blackmailed me into being their captive. But they have, and they’ll do anything to get revenge against my family, even if it destroys me.

What they don’t realize is that I know the truth.
They’re obsessed with me. Want to claim me. Own me—body and soul.
Most of all, I see them.
Damien’s cruelty, Rome’s anger, the pain behind Liam’s scars…they call to me. Make me want things they can never give me.
Like their hearts.

I know our time together will soon end. I should be scared of what will happen to me once their revenge is complete. But truthfully?
The only thing that scares me is how willing I am to give these men everything they want…]]> 723 Eva Marks Leslie 0 currently-reading 3.67
author: Eva Marks
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 59241452
From rising author Penelope Wylde comes the heart-gripping conclusion to the highly-anticipated Dark Mafia Reverse Harem romance Duet.

The four mafia kings of Chicago saved me from death. Brought me into their world and taught me not all is as it seems.

They're ruthless. They're beasts. Incapable of love.

Yet these corrupt kings live to grant my every wish and desire, but I have only one.

Yet they refuse to give me my freedom. To let me go.

And the deeper I fall into their corrupt world the more I learn I’m not the only one wearing a mask. There are secrets and shadows much deadlier than the men whispering possessive promises to me in the dark. Four powerful, feared men want me as their queen of the underworld and I’m afraid I won’t refuse their wishes much longer.

Question is, will I follow through with my plan, or will I let my enemies claim me as their queen of the underworld?

Dark Mafia Queen is the second and final book of the Dark Mafia Reverse Harem Romance Duet and should be read after Dark Mafia Kings.

*An age gap mafia reverse harem romance. Fans of Lee Savino, Zoe Blake, Renee Rose will devour this slow burn dark mafia romance packed with a thrilling, seductive, intensely bold story of anguish, betrayal and love!]]> 282 Penelope Wylde Leslie 5 4.06
author: Penelope Wylde
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/09
date added: 2024/12/09
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]]> 57505586
In Chicago’s underworld, they are known as the four mafia kings.

Lethal. Beautiful. Corrupted.

But in my world, they are my enemies. Because of them death stripped away my veil of innocence, leaving me vulnerable to the likes of criminals like them.

I’ve learned the hard way monsters walk among us. Seduce us with their dark, forbidden fantasies then sink their fangs into us. Corrupting the innocent. And now death has placed me at the alphas�� doors—Chicago’s most exclusive sex club where anything you seek is only a wish away.

I only have one and there's only one way it can end.

Dark Mafia Kings is the first book in the Dark Mafia Reverse Harem romance Duet. Rhia's story concludes in Dark Mafia Queen releasing October 8, 2021.

*An age gap mafia reverse harem romance. Fans of Lee Savino, Zoe Blake, Renee Rose will devour this slow burn dark mafia romance packed with a thrilling, seductive, intensely bold story of anguish, betrayal and love!]]> 284 Penelope Wylde Leslie 5 3.95
author: Penelope Wylde
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.95
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/08
date added: 2024/12/08
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]]> 203945105
Even though he hates me too, Archer agreed to keep me safe from the man who left me broken and bruised.

It should be easy to stay out of each other’s way when we’re complete opposites.

He wants nothing to do with me and I want nothing to do with him, other than the haven he’s providing.

Archer is always glued to his computers anyway, brown hair falling over his eyes as his inked fingers dance across the keyboards.

But as I try to start over in this new city, my reluctant protector is stalking me, ruining every date I go on.

I should hate how Archer watches me, eyes tracking me, but I don’t.

One drunken forbidden kiss alters everything.

You can’t outrun the past forever.

Our fate was sealed before we ever began.



Set in the Sinners and Angels universe, can be read as a standalone. Meant for mature audiences.]]> 502 L. Pierce Leslie 5 3.97
author: L. Pierce
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.97
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/07
date added: 2024/12/07
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]]> 221836460 When powers clash between the powerful, elite American families and billionaire mafia men.

�� Mafia romance
�� Hot Billionaires
�� Steamy sex
�� Violence

Three orphans that grew up on the streets of Moscow among Bratva. Their experiences made them brothers. Their strength made them leaders.

Three best friends on an unforgettable summer vacation find more than they bargain for. Women from privileged American families pulled into a world they knew nothing about.

Will these women see past their men’s violent beginnings and discover the honor within them?


Book 1 Marked - Dimitry and Anastasia
Book 2 Scarred - Nikolai and Olivia
Book 3 Disgraced - Sergei and Scarlett

Marked Blurb
Her father promised me life on the legal side if I saved his only daughter.

I was her last hope.

Something about this rich, spoiled princess captured me from the moment I laid my eyes on her. This green eyed beauty made me want things I never had.

She was untouchable. If I was decent, I’d keep my distance. But God knew I was the worst kind of sinner.

She shouldn’t have wanted my touch. Now she was mine.

When a Russian rival mafia came for her seeking revenge and old, forgotten secrets are revealed, her life became marked.

Would she stay in my world or go back to her carefree, privileged life?

Marked, book 1 in Russian Sinners series is a standalone read. No cliffhangers, no cheating and lots of steamy scenes.

PLEASE NOTE there is violence in the book and potential triggers.]]> 326 Eva Winners Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.13 2021
author: Eva Winners
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/30
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]]> 123207426 A dearly devoted psychopath.

When I was seventeen, I met the devil.
I was a sheltered mafia princess, living in a cage.
He was the bratva bad boy who dared to trespass on my father’s property�� me.
The only man who flaunted the rules, and embraced chaos...
Darkly handsome, tattooed, and dangerous, his wicked smile haunted my dreams for years.
Nikolai Chernov crawled inside my mind and became the star of my fantasies and nightmares at the same time.

Now, he’s back, older, more terrifying, and more powerful—more everything.
He’s supposed to be my family’s prisoner, taken to pay off a family debt between my father’s famiglia and his bratva.
But Nikolai Chernov has never met a rule he didn’t want to break and doesn’t plan to go easy.
He escapes and takes me with him.
He says I'm his insurance, but he won't let me go even when it costs him his freedom.
He tells me he never will, and that should scare me more than it does.

When this sheltered mafia princess meets a bratva devil on the run, neither of them will ever be the same.
This time, the villain gets the girl. Malevolent King is Book 1 in a duet, and therefore ends in a cliffhanger. The story resolves in Runaway Queen. This is a dark mafia meets bratva romance, and as such contains dark themes which may not be to everyone’s tastes. Please read with caution.]]> 318 Mila Kane Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.10 2023
author: Mila Kane
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> 218292193
So what is she to do when she finds herself on a plane to California and on her way to a sure death sentence? A one-night stand. At least, that’s all it was supposed to be—one last night to be free. Only, she finds out too late that the dark and mysterious man she solely wanted as a fling is not only her new comrade but also the one she dreaded meeting most—her immediate superior and untouchable devil in the field. Bones.

He’s hell on earth—cruel and unforgiving, but most of all, he hates her, and he makes sure she knows it. And yet, she finds herself unwilling to leave his side when he’s unable to get to the evac point when their mission goes awry.

She stays behind with the devil and the secrets he keeps. They only have one another to trust when no faith is left.]]> 466 K.M. Moronova Leslie 4 4.13
author: K.M. Moronova
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.13
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/27
date added: 2024/11/27
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]]> 60805441
A good girl.

She does what she’s told.

She knows her value in the family; the key to peace with the Chicago Outfit.

But when her sister’s safety is threatened, she’ll do everything in her power to protect her.

She knows that she may pay for her lies with her life and it’s a risk she’s willing to take.

Forced into matrimony with the family’s enforcer, Bianca begins to realize that not all is as it seems.

Lies begin to unfurl and the line between lust and love is blurred.

Hearts and loyalties are tested.

Lies may be commonplace in the underworld, but rarely are they as virtuous as hers.

Her heart is good, but her new husband may very well break it right after he claims it.]]> 270 Haley Jenner Leslie 4 3.71
author: Haley Jenner
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.71
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/26
date added: 2024/11/26
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]]> 60734186
Slowly my smile fades, and my laughter dies until all that's left is the broken puppet my personal hell created.

Liam Byrne, the head of the Irish mafia, returns from a business trip, and I expect my hellish nightmare to increase ten-fold.
Brutal, merciless, and dangerous, Liam is feared by all - even the monster intent on killing my soul.

Turns out I was wrong.

The instant Liam notices what's happening, he takes me under his wing, and even though he's all sharp edges and threatening growls, I feel safe with him.

Little by little, my sunshine creeps through the cracks, and my laughter returns.

But can one monster really defeat another, or am I just a girl dreaming about the impossible?

STANDALONE: An Irish Mafia Romance full-length novel.
WARNING: 18+ only. Please read responsibly. THIS NOVEL CONTAINS TRIGGERING CONTENT.]]> 410 Michelle Heard Leslie 4 4.25 2022
author: Michelle Heard
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/25
date added: 2024/11/25
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]]> 61674305
I’ve been raised to be the perfect mafia wife, but when my marriage turns into a horrific nightmare, I have no choice but to leave everything behind and start a new life.

I find myself alone in Ibiza—a place that swallows innocent girls like me alive. I’m robbed the day I arrive, left with nothing but a few euros and the clothes on my back.

My desperation leads me right to Damiano De Rossi. He rules over this island with an iron fist and beneath his strikingly handsome face lies a wicked darkness. I ask him for a job. He gives me far more than that—degradation, jealousy, and toe-curling lust.

When my resistance to him is all but gone, a secret is revealed, and we fall apart like a house of cards.

I know what I have to do. Run.

But when I try, I discover…he’s already got me bound.

Note: When She Unravels is an 18+ dark mafia romance with mature themes, profanity, and plenty of steam. It's book one in The Fallen series but can be read as a standalone.]]> 392 Gabrielle Sands Leslie 4 3.96 2022
author: Gabrielle Sands
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/24
date added: 2024/11/24
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]]> 201103135 As alluring as it is unsettling, award-winning author CG Drews' debut YA psychological horror will leave readers breathless and hesitant to venture deeper into the woods.

Once upon a time, Andrew had cut out his heart and given it to this boy, and he was very sure Thomas had no idea that Andrew would do anything for him. Protect him. Lie for him.

Kill for him.

High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality—Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.

But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won't say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork—whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew's wicked stories.

Desperate to figure out what's wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster—Thomas's drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator...]]> 352 C.G. Drews Leslie 0 to-read 4.12 2024
author: C.G. Drews
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/17
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]]> 209294748 Keller

From a poor, underground street fighter, I rose to fame as the world heavyweight boxing champion.
No one knew I was also a monster who hunted in the shadows.
Trapped in the mafia until my debts were paid.
A simple deal held my freedom- unify my belts.
It seemed simple until an enchanting British firecracker landed on my lap, knocking me sideways.
Wanting her was dangerous for us both, but I took her anyway.
Leaving me with the choice, fight for my freedom or hers.
When the truth is unmasked, could she still love me?
Would love be enough to battle our demons and come out on top?

Sienna

Newly single and focusing on building my life in New York, I’ve sworn off men for the foreseeable.
No one had ever stuck around long enough to let me believe in fairytales anyway.
That was until him.
He tried to hide himself from me but I couldn’t stay away.
When the mask shattered and the truth was revealed, could I still stay?
Even if it meant my life was at stake.
Could we get past our fear of love and fight for our Happily Ever After?

Distance is book 1 in the Beneath The Mask Series, a series of standalone dark mafia romances. Distance is a mafia cross sports romance, full of spice and suspense.]]> 430 Luna Mason Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.12
author: Luna Mason
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.12
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/11
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]]> 214961712 Lover meets player—by the bestselling author of the Miles High Club series.

It started with a list.

Tired of meeting nightmares, I decided to study the dos and don’ts of dating.

And who better to help me with my master list than the king of red flags himself?

Blake Grayson—neighbor, friend, mischief maker, and player extraordinaire.

He knows how to spot a playboy from a mile away. He is the prime example, after all.

So when he offers to help me avoid Mr. Wrong by sharing what to look for, I have no choice but to take him up on it.

We start a game.

He will become my wingman, and I’ll become his.

He coaches me through my singledom, while I go on his journey of play.

We double-date, eat ice cream at midnight, and laugh.

Boy, do we laugh��

But while I watch every woman he meets fall madly in love with him, I stumble across a major I know exactly why they fall.

Because I can feel it too.

His charm is intoxicating, and damn it, the man is addictive as drugs.

But it’s not happening. I won’t let it.

I’m not that gullible young girl anymore.

Blake will never settle down, and I know in my heart he’s not the man for me.

I have one go at this second chance of happiness, and I am not going to mess it up.

This time, I play by my rules.

Even if he won’t.]]> 503 T.L. Swan 1662512767 Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.10 2024
author: T.L. Swan
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/11
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 214175156 #1 New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown returns with a sexy thriller where an unruly detective and an ­­­­ambitious tv show producer work against the clock to prevent another young woman from disappearing before the next blood moon—while trying to resist the attraction between them.

Detective John Bowie is one misstep away from being fired from the Auclair Police Department in coastal Louisiana. Recently divorced and slightly heavy-handed with his liquor, Bowie does all that he can to cope with the actions taken (or not taken) during the investigation of Crissy Mellin, a teenage girl who disappeared more than three years prior. But now, Crisis Point, a long-running true crime television series, is soon to air an episode documenting the unsolved Mellin case. Bowie has been instructed by his unscrupulous boss to keep to himself his grievances and criticisms over the mishandling of the investigation.

Beth Collins, a senior producer on Crisis Point, knows what classifies as a great story and when there’s something more to be told. After working on the show for seven years researching, fact checking, and editing dozens of episodes, Collins is convinced that Crissy Mellin’s disappearance was not an isolated incident. A string of disappearances of teenage girls in nearby areas have only one thing in common: They took place on the night of a blood moon. In a last-ditch effort to find out the truth, Beth leaves New York City for Louisiana to enlist Detective Bowie in helping her figure out what happened to Crissy and find the true culprit before he acts on the next blood moon—in four days�� time.

At the risk of their jobs and lives, Bowie and Collins band together to identify and capture a canny perpetrator, while fighting an irresistible spark between them that threatens to upend everything.]]> 448 Sandra Brown 1538742985 Leslie 0 to-read 3.90 2025
author: Sandra Brown
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/11
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]]> 211101804 A runaway bride rushes headlong into true love in a funny, flirty, and empowering romance by Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Lauren Landish.

Hope Barlowe is a vow away from a lakeside wedding to her high school sweetheart. Next, check off her follow-up two kids, a dog, a home, and a happy ever after. But suddenly, ever after seems like a very long time. Instead of saying I do, Hope thinks I can’t and bolts for the woods—right into the unpredictable life of a handsome tattooed hiker.

Days into a three-week getaway, struggling musician Ben Taylor is in search of inspiration. He never thought he’d find a bride stumbling through the bramble. Right away her sweet baby blues, confounding dilemma, and spirited independence strike a chord. Ben has found his muse, and he’s falling fast. Hope is finding something just as important—herself.

Soon enough Hope and Ben have all of Maple Creek talking—and divided. Where do they go from here? If Hope has learned anything, it’s that happiness is more than a checklist, and dreams can change in a heartbeat.
]]> 300 Lauren Landish 1662524498 Leslie 0 to-read 3.94
author: Lauren Landish
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/11
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]]> 210296788
On paper, Gemma's life is just like any other successful, single thirty-something. Her students adore her. She lives in a cute beach-side cottage next door to the world's sweetest neighbor, Margie. And she's definitely caught the eye of Karim, the resident hot PE teacher at her school. But every day of her life she can't get one thing out of her mind: the baby she gave up for adoption when Gemma was just sixteen years old.

This is the year that Baby—the only name Gemma has for her little girl—will turn eighteen. And it might be the year she actually meets her daughter face-to-face.]]> 336 Debbie Johnson 1400248043 Leslie 0 to-read 3.92 2022
author: Debbie Johnson
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/11
shelves: to-read
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]]> 212900726
Niko West is the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Six feet, four inches of broody, chiseled Greek god in a firefighter suit.
He’s also been my best friend since kindergarten.
He always says the only solid thing in his life is our friendship.
He’s Honey Mountain's favorite player and I’m what you’d call a relationship girl.
But when I find myself single for the first time since turning sixteen, I make Niko an offer he can’t refuse.
Who better to show me what I’ve been missing?
But now that we’ve crossed that line, I don’t know if friendship is enough for me.]]> 352 Laura Pavlov 1649377789 Leslie 0 to-read 3.73 2022
author: Laura Pavlov
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/11
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]]> 63368678 From the USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a new dark mafia romance.

I’m out for revenge. He’s out to rule the world.
Kirill and I are as different as day and night.
We shouldn’t have been in the same frame or universe.
But we meet under the strangest circumstances.
He’s my superior in the military and the man who’ll introduce me to carnage.
His charm and exterior perfection shouldn’t have tempted me.
Behind the smokescreen lurks a manipulative emotionless monster.
And that monster might find out all my secrets, including the reason why I’m pretending to be a man.
He might also lure me to the point of no return.


This book is part of a trilogy and is not a standalone.]]> 349 Rina Kent Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.19 2023
author: Rina Kent
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/08
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]]> 60850723 Charming. Deadly. A monster dressed in a three-piece-suit.

Wynter Star.
Realist with the most romantic of hearts, hiding it all under her ice princess fame.

The two were never meant to cross paths. When they do, worlds collide and volcanoes erupt.
Basilio makes her feel everything when she’s with him. Protected. Loved. Desired.

Every monster has a weakness. She’s his. His obsession. His addiction. His only salvation.
Theirs is a love twisted with secrets and tainted by lies. And when history comes knocking, it could shatter everything.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morally grey men.
Arrogant. Ruthless. Deadly.
They are the Kingpins of the Syndicate.

Daughters of monsters.
Hiding in plain sight and away from the underworld. Seemingly innocent, they wreak havoc among criminals.

Can they rule together, without tearing each other apart?


Recommended reading order:
1. Corrupted Pleasure - full size prequel
2. Villainous Kingpin
3. Devious Kingpin
4. Scandalous Kingpin
5. Ravenous Kingpin]]> 516 Eva Winners Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.20 2022
author: Eva Winners
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 208877788 A blisteringly steamy, Dark Mafia, Grumpy/Sunshine, Marriage of Convenience standalone romance by bestselling author, Jagger Cole.

To save my father’s life, I’m being forced to marry a monster.
The world sees Gabriel Black as a golden god: successful, gorgeous, charismatic, and untouchable.
The good guy.
But I’ve peeked behind the mask and seen the brutal devil that lurks like poison under the surface.
And he knows it, too.
Now, I need a miracle—and money—to save my father’s life and pay off the crime boss he’s in deep with.
Gabriel needs a wife to further his political career.
It’s a match made in hell, to a secret psychopath who knows my darkest, most depraved fantasies.
And I’m about to learn the only thing more dangerous than being chased by a monster:
Falling for one.

Poisonous Kiss is a standalone dark mafia, grumpy/sunshine, forced marriage romance with a smart, untamable heroine, and an ultra possessive psychopath hero with "look at her and I'll unalive you" energy. Readers are advised to read the TW inside. No cliffhanger; HEA included.]]> 410 Jagger Cole Leslie 3 4.10 2024
author: Jagger Cole
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/05
date added: 2024/11/05
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]]> 212203126 320 Trisha Tobias 163893102X Leslie 0 to-read 3.55 2025
author: Trisha Tobias
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 208580945 The romance of Casablanca meets the spy world of Ian Fleming in this WWII love story for the ages.In a glittering city of secrets and shadows, love is the most perilous gamble of all. Lisbon 1943. As two American librarians are drawn into a city of dangerous subterfuge and unexpected love affairs, they are forced to choose between their missions and the men they love. Brimming with evocative writing and meticulous research, award-winning author Suzanne Nelson spins a web of secret aliases, sweeping romance, and great sacrifice. Inspired by real historical figures, this is the captivating story of two remarkable young women, their bravery and heartache, and a friendship that withstands the ravages of war.

With World War II raging across Europe, best friends Selene Delmont and Beatrice Sullivan are enlisted by the U.S. Intelligence Office and sent to Lisbon—a sparkling city and hotbed of trouble, harboring exiled royalty, hunted refugees, and spies trading double-edged secrets in seductively dark corners. In official capacity, librarians Selene and Bea have been recruited to catalog the vast mountain of information gathered by the Allies, but by night, both women are undercover agents tasked with infiltrating the Axis spy network.

Where Selene is confident and brash, Bea is bookish and careful. Selene longs to escape her family’s impossible expectations and embrace her independence, while all Bea wants is to heal from heartbreak and keep impulsive Selene out of trouble. But soon, both librarians are caught up in treacherous games of deception alongside two of Lisbon’s most notorious men—the outcast Portuguese baron, Luca Caldeira, and the lethal double-agent, Gable. As Selene charms her way through lavish ballrooms and fêtes with Luca, Bea is plunged into Gable’s shadowy underworld of informants.

Victory depends upon the joint success of their missions, but when an unexpected betrayal throws a carefully spun web of lies into chaos, everything they’ve sacrificed is put at risk. As Selene and Bea are pushed to their breaking points can their friendship, and their hearts, survive the cost of war?]]> 352 Suzanne Nelson 1638931658 Leslie 0 to-read 3.89
author: Suzanne Nelson
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.89
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/11/02
shelves: to-read
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]]> 212258398
Maddox Lovelace. The captivating football player I met in college.
The one I only knew for a week. A week that was�� life-changing.
Until my phone rang, and I had no choice but to go home.
I left Maddox a letter, putting my feelings on paper, giving him my number, hoping he’d call.
But he didn’t call.
He never called.
He got drafted into the professional league and lived like a king while I stayed home and struggled to stay afloat.
I may have followed his career, but now that he’s retired from football, I’ve forced myself to stop thinking about him.
And it’s okay that I won’t ever see him again. That week in college was fifteen years ago.
I’m not in love with Maddox anymore.
I might even hate him.

Maddox
Hannah Utley. The name that’s haunted me since my senior year of college.
The girl who caught my attention with her wide eyes and freckled nose.
Who spent one week twisting up my insides until she stole a piece of my heart the night we got locked inside the campus library.
The girl who disappeared without a word.
It’s the name of the girl I’ve been trying to forget for fifteen years.
And it’s the name looking up at me from the résumé in my hand.
Because Hannah Utley works for the company I just purchased.
And that makes her mine. Whether she likes it or not.]]> 390 S.J. Tilly Leslie 4 4.26
author: S.J. Tilly
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.26
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/29
date added: 2024/10/29
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]]> 49384890
Chloe’s ready for a fresh start, shame her vengeful ex is making it difficult for her. That is until she lands the job of her dreams.

What she wasn’t expecting was to come face to face with the hot stranger from her island escape—Noah Stone, New York’s biggest playboy, and her new boss.

Chloe can be professional even if all she can think about is those lips. And the way he fills out his suit pants.

He’s totally off-limits, and she’s signed the paperwork that says so.]]> 278 J.A. Low Leslie 4 3.91 2019
author: J.A. Low
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/25
date added: 2024/10/25
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]]> 57248546
I thought I was a well-adjusted adult, reasonably prepared for life. But one date with Jackson Wilder, a viral video, and a “I didn’t know she was your mom�� incident, and I’m suddenly questioning everything I thought I knew.

But he’s fun. And great. And I think I might be falling for him. But I don’t know if he’s falling for me, too, or if he’s as much of a player off the ice as on.]]> 256 S.J. Tilly Leslie 4 3.63
author: S.J. Tilly
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.63
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/25
date added: 2024/10/25
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]]> 218182157 Evelyn

The last thing I can remember is the rough hands that grabbed me from behind and the rank scent of the cloth that was forced over my face.

I hear my captors saying that they're keeping me as a hostage. Until they no longer have a use for me.

Then there's pain, a feral roar of rage, and the world disappears.

Massimo

I found them brutalizing her, and I made them pay with their lives.

My criminal world is steeped in blood and violence, but she's innocent, and I won't allow them to hurt her ever again.

I stalk her from the shadows, memorizing every shy smile and small gesture of kindness.

When corrupt men threaten her once again, I don't have a I take her for myself, for her own protection.

Once I have her under my control, my fascination deepens to obsession.

I'll do anything to keep her, devising the most deviant seduction to make her mine.

She'll be so addicted to my touch that she'll never want to leave.

Evelyn belongs to me, body and soul.

This collection contains all three books in the King of Ruin Trilogy, plus a brand new Massimo and Evelyn short story, Blissful Obsession.]]> 426 Julia Sykes Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.00
author: Julia Sykes
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/22
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]]> 61166822 I am wild. I am free. And I will not be tamed.

I don’t do relationships. I stick around long enough to have a little fun, and then leave before I can be left.

It’s not like anyone has ever held my interest very long anyway.

Not until three delectable, mysterious, and frustratingly persistent men show up in my life and completely throw it off course.

It was only supposed to be a one-time thing with each of them, but no matter how hard I try to stay away, we keep getting thrown together.

Before them, everything was mundane. The typical college, work, party, occasional random hookup experience—rinse, repeat. But now, I’m unwillingly thrown into a world of chaos and danger. And if I’m being honest, I love the thrill of it.

The second their rivals catch wind of me, I become a pawn in the twisted war they’re in and if I’m not careful, I will end up being just another of the many casualties in this battle of claiming the throne.

Untamed Vixen is a gritty mafia why choose romance standalone in the Sinners and Angels universe that can be read at any time. The Sinners and Angels duet can be read first, but are not necessary. Meant for mature audiences.

AUTHOR NOTE: Previously authored by Tessa James (same person, different pen name).]]> 390 Tessa James Leslie 4 3.86
author: Tessa James
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.86
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/22
date added: 2024/10/22
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]]> 219240806 From the author of the multimillion-copy bestselling thriller The Perfect Marriage

Till death do us part. Yours. Not Mine.

It’s been eleven years since high-powered attorney Sarah Morgan defended her husband, Adam, against the charge of murdering his mistress. Sarah has long since moved on, starting a family with her new husband, Bob Miller, and changing careers. Her life is back to being exactly how she always wanted �� or is it?

After discovering Bob engaged in a one-night stand, Sarah wastes no time filing for divorce. However, amid their ugly separation, new DNA evidence is uncovered in the case against Adam, forcing the police to reopen the investigation and putting Sarah right back in the spotlight. Everyone wants to know what really happened, most of all former deputy Marcus Hudson, who is hell-bent on finding the truth.

But when the woman Bob slept with is reported missing, he and Sarah start to fight dirty, and a high-stakes game of cat and mouse ensues. Filled with page-turning suspense and Jeneva Rose’s signature twists and turns, this book will have readers wondering: Can Bob and Sarah achieve the perfect divorce? Or will it be “’til death do us part��?]]> 288 Jeneva Rose Leslie 0 to-read 4.15 2025
author: Jeneva Rose
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/19
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]]> 206351785 This old flame just might set them on fire.

Conceited, unattainable, and downright delicious, renowned Michelin-starred chef Ambrose Casablancas has one passion in life—food.

Women are a distraction, and he doesn’t do those. Especially Cal Litvin, his baby sister’s best friend. Her entire existence is a complication; she’s awkward, eccentric, infuriating��

And, much to his chagrin, hotter than his kitchen.

Ambrose has a lot on his a new restaurant to open, a multimillion-dollar property deal to execute, and a violent stalker to tame.

Then Cal shows up at his doorstep, looking for both a job and salvation after their messy goodbye. His resolve, like his patience, is ebbing each day she works at his restaurant.

Because Cal is no longer a doe-eyed girl.

Now? She’s the woman he’ll do anything to conquer.

***

Quirky, compassionate ball of sunshine Calla Litvin can’t catch a break, and not just because she swore off running.

Back in her hometown to nurse her mother’s broken heart after losing her father, she finds herself jobless, hopeless, and penniless. She hopes to rekindle her friendship with her former BFF, but Dylan is attached at the hip to her cruel brother—the one Cal’s been secretly crushing on since middle school.

Falling for the bad boy the second time around would be a mistake of gargantuan proportions.

Too bad she’s always been clumsy.

Truly, Madly, Deeply, is a grumpy x sunshine, enemies to lovers romance. It is the first in the Forbidden Love series, but can be read as a standalone.]]> 512 L.J. Shen 1464223734 Leslie 0 to-read 3.94 2024
author: L.J. Shen
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/19
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]]> 211004897 Head Cases follows an enigmatic group of FBI agents as they hunt down a murderer seeking his own justice in this electrifying—and commercial—series debut.

FBI Agent Gardner Camden is an analytical genius with an affinity for puzzles. He also has a blind spot on the human side of investigations, a blindness that sometimes even includes people in his own life, like his beloved seven-year-old daughter Camila. Gardner and his squad of brilliant yet quirky agents make up the Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit, the FBI’s hidden edge, brought in for cases that no one else can solve.

When DNA links a murder victim to a serial killer long presumed dead, the team springs into action. A second victim establishes a pattern, and the murderer begins leaving a trail of clues and riddles especially for Gardner. And while the PAR team is usually relegated to working cold cases from behind a desk, the investigation puts them on the road and into the public eye, following in the footsteps of a killer.

Along with Gardner, PAR consists of a mathematician, a weapons expert, a computer analyst, and their leader, a career agent. Each of them must use every skill they have to solve the riddle of the killer’s identity. But with the perpetrator somehow learning more and more about the team at PAR, can they protect themselves and their families…before it’s too late?

With an enigmatic case that will keep readers on the edge of their seats and a thoroughly engaging ensemble cast, John McMahon’s Head Cases is a triumph.]]> 341 John McMahon 1250348293 Leslie 0 to-read 3.99 2025
author: John McMahon
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/19
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]]> 215504189 Royal King is pure mischief wrapped in a cocky smirk and a heated stare.

Five minutes in his small town and I knew he was going to be nothing but trouble. He’s an arrogant, tattooed playboy with a secret, and I’m the woman tasked with quietly cleaning up his family’s mess.

I never dreamed he could be the mysterious stranger behind my hidden, late-night messages.

It doesn’t matter what he says or how hard he tries to get under my skin. I won’t break. Not for him. Not for anyone. But when our secrets are exposed, all bets are off.

He knows the rules—just a little fun exploration. Nothing more. But one lesson leads to another . . . and another . . . and soon I realize that he’s set out to break every rule I’ve ever put into place.

I refuse to find myself melting under his gaze or swooning at the way he makes the noise around us quieter.

I can handle men like him.

Everything will be fine as long as we can keep this just between us. ]]> 392 Lena Hendrix Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.16 2024
author: Lena Hendrix
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/16
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]]> 142034832 Callum Russo is a meticulous man all about information, leverage, and control. Known only in the most exclusive circles, Callum is the man with the plan and he gets results by any means necessary. That is, until a blonde bombshell walks into his carefully curated life like a pretty, pink wrecking-ball. She has the potential to break through every one of the carefully constructed masks he’s spent years hiding behind.

Lexie West knows who she is and where her life is going. As a plus-size ER nurse working in New York City she thought she was prepared for anything that could be thrown at her. When she trades her travel contract at the hospital for a job house-sitting a luxury penthouse apartment, her only plans are to drink margaritas, try a few recipes, and find a good karaoke bar.

Until one night, when she rounds the corner to find a dangerously attractive giant standing in the penthouse kitchen who claims to own the apartment she is staying in.

She’s seen it all.

But she never could have expected him.

A knock on Lexie’s bedroom door in the middle of the night changes everything. Suddenly, she’s being swept into a world of violence, crime, and influence by a man who solves impossible problems for powerful people.

She’s an unexpected wildcard in his perfect game but he’ll do anything he can to have her�� by any means necessary.

**This is a stand alone dark romance with a confident, plus size main character and a dangerous, tattooed, bearded male lead. Please be sure to read the trigger warnings!**]]> 403 Lila Herron Leslie 4 3.85
author: Lila Herron
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.85
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/13
date added: 2024/10/13
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]]> 150304259 Luca
From foster kid to mafia boss.
I was the undeserving king to the throne, forced into this role after my estranged father’s death.
I gave up everything to build my empire.
Up until this point, nothing else mattered.
That was until I kidnapped my enemy’s daughter, and she captured my heart.
Rosa Falcone. il mio tesoro.
When fate drags Rosa back into my world, I can't make the same mistake again.
Even when the future of the mafia depends on my arranged marriage. I still can’t resist her.
She is mine.
There’s no way in hell I can watch her marry another man.
Even if it means starting a war.

Rosa
The wild child, the spoilt mafia princess.
No one understood my pain, so I hid behind the mask.
That was until Luca Russo stole me from my life, only to put me back together again.
I gave him my heart, and he let me go—back into the arms of my abuser.
This time, I don’t have anyone to protect me.
Or so I thought.
Luca might not be mine to keep, but that doesn’t stop me from falling deeper.
But when the world is against us, how much would we be willing to sacrifice to have our happily ever after?

This is book 3 of the Beneath The Mask series, which is an interconnected series of standalone books.]]> 666 Luna Mason Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.11
author: Luna Mason
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.11
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rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/09
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]]> 203272549 The Calvert sisters are back, and award-winning author Tori Ross brings you another light-hearted travel novella! Book 6 in the series but can be read as a standalone!

Lila Calvert is tired. After the airline inadvertently sends one bag to Mumbai and "forgets" to send her backpack to her final destination, Lila is without her phone or any way to access her travel itinerary. Armed only with a hotel voucher from the airline and some basic hygiene products, Lila steps into The Totting Oaks hotel, run by the grumpy and growly David Ogden.

Without knowing what she's doing on any given day or any way to access her planned itinerary, David soon takes her under his wing and explains that part of the fun of travel is getting lost and doing spontaneous things. Soon, Lila's exploring off-the-beaten-path London and falling for the city.

But London isn't the only thing she's falling for...
]]> 105 Tori Ross Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.39
author: Tori Ross
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/08
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]]> 61405819
Even from a young age, Owen knew his future would be a mostly solitary existence with a few brief encounters, one of which might one day result in a cub he would never watch grow and would never bond with. He's not a wolf shifter with their fated mates and pack mentality. He's a bear, and bears live alone.

But when he first smells Cordelia during his monthly trip to town, every part of his being craves her, craves her attention and craves keeping her all to himself. He won't share, something entirely against his nature, but it seems she's doing a lot to change his very nature.

But time is short, and life happens fast, so with winter approaching...

She's perfect. She's absolutely perfect. From her thick thighs to full breasts to belly made for bearing his cubs, she's perfect. And when the opportunity to keep her comes along...

She takes it, and Owen? Well, he's just a bear doing bear stuff.

Like chasing every last drop of honey.

The first book in a series of paranormal romances featuring plus-size heroines and the bear shifters who fall in love with them.]]> 330 Elle M. Drew Leslie 0 currently-reading 3.84 2022
author: Elle M. Drew
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/07
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]]> 57981429
For disgraced professor Matthew Merle, the inheritance of his grandfather's crumbling mansion is both a burden and an offer of safe haven. His childhood friend Claire, a psychiatrist, desperately needs a haven of her own after one of her patients unleashes his dark side. At turning points in their lives, it's inevitable that they should return to the past. And to Merle House. It's been waiting for them.

All My Darkest Impulses is part of House of Crows, a four-part serial about friends with a shard history of darkness. They've spent their lives running, but they can not longer hide from the past. Each story can be read or listened to in a single haunted sitting.]]> 63 Lisa Unger 1542027276 Leslie 0 currently-reading 3.77 2021
author: Lisa Unger
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/06
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> 205046963
When the sharks circle a broken family, not even a vacation can stop the Men of Lamb Security from taking the case.

Her brother’s death forced Willow to adjust her life. Her niece and nephew needed her. A fun day at the park turned to drama when her heartbroken niece lost her stuffed dog, Auggie. Until she latched onto a man who shared her dog’s name and decided her toy had come to life. No matter what Willow said, the girl wouldn’t listen, insisting the hunky man needed to come home with them. How the hell could she explain to this gorgeous man and not look crazy?
Auggie’s run on his first day of vacation took a drastic turn. He hated mandatory downtime and always looked for something to keep him busy. Getting tackled by a young child wasn’t part of his plan. After meeting the girl’s brother and aunt, who sparked a charge he’d been missing, they intrigued Auggie. When the little girl described what sounded like a local gang watching, he needed to see how he could help. A little digging into the dead brother’s life turned this simple case into an episode of Scooby-Doo.
Willow couldn’t afford distractions, not where the safety of her family was concerned. Convincing Willow to see him as more, while he worked to uncover the truth, was harder than Auggie ever expected.
Would he discover this family’s secrets before it was too late? Could he stay detached while he did his best to keep them safe? Life had a funny way of bringing two people together at the most interesting times.]]> M.R. Becker Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.37
author: M.R. Becker
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.37
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/05
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]]> 208951837 He’s supposed to marry her older sister, but he can’t stay away��

MICELI
The mafia world is cold and cruel. I live by one rule - cut their throat before they cut yours. It’s what keeps me ruthless and on top of my mafia family.
But when I see something I like, I take it. It’s no different with Alessia DeLuca, who’s supposed to marry my rival�� while I’m marrying her older sister.
When Alessia sees something she shouldn’t, kidnapping her is the only logical answer��
Taking her cherry sure isn’t.

ALESSIA
Ever since I met him in a mix-up, I’ve been intrigued by Miceli Rossi. He says he always gets what he wants, and it’s obvious he’s obsessed with one thing only�� me.
He can force me to marry him. He can even force me to wear his ring.
But I’ll make sure I’m the worst wife he could have.
Anything to make sure he doesn’t realize how much I want him.

His to Own is book one of the Mafia Kingpins series. This is a full-length standalone novel with these age gap, mafia, V-card, surprise pregnancy. Guaranteed happy ending!]]> 232 Ava Gray Leslie 4 4.12
author: Ava Gray
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.12
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/05
date added: 2024/10/05
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]]> 204906171
Amanda Taylor isn’t a fan of Christmas, but as the owner of a local soap shop, ignoring the holiday season isn’t an option. To forget the pain of Christmases past, Amanda focuses on making the season bright for her customers at the Shelter Springs Holiday Giving Market. But when her beloved grandmother, Birdie, starts dating the dashing new resident of the Shelter Inn retirement community, Amanda smells trouble. Fortunately, Rafe Arredondo, the grandson of Birdie’s charming suitor, is equally dubious of the match. Unfortunately, he's just as fiery as his grandfather—and Amanda has zero interest in getting burned.

As a single father, paramedic and assistant fire chief, Rafe has more than enough on his plate. Sure, he and Amanda share a common goal in keeping their grandparents apart. Still, that doesn’t mean he should allow himself to feel as drawn to her as he does. Even if she is great with his young son. Even if she does help the burden of his own painful past feel a little lighter�� But when their paths keep crossing at the holiday market, it starts to feel like fate, prompting them both to wonder if taking a chance on love might gift them everything they’ve been wishing for.]]> 304 RaeAnne Thayne 1335929355 Leslie 0 to-read 3.69 2024
author: RaeAnne Thayne
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/01
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]]> 200574588
1) A spicy/open-door version with mild explicit language and sex scenes

2) A sweet/clean/closed-door version with no language and only kissing.

I want ALL of my readers to feel comfortable, so please choose the best version for you.

One doctor. One movie star. One house.
One month until Christmas.
What could go wrong?

Dr. Gwen Wright is having a not-so-merry Christmas. For the month of December, she’s alone, house sitting for her mother and new stepfather.

Her surgically precise world gets a plot twist when Caleb Lawson—world-famous movie star on the run from the paparazzi and his secrets—crash lands in her kitchen.

Besides being a Hollywood heartthrob, Caleb is also her stepdad’s nephew. He thinks he has as much right to stay in the house as she does, but as far as Gwen’s concerned, she’s the landlord and he’s the squatter.

The more they are forced to share the small space, the more Gwen is drawn to the moody celebrity. Sure, sometimes he can be a Grinch, but when Caleb finally touches Gwen, it makes her jingle bells ring.

But the future looms like a foggy Christmas Eve. With no red-nosed reindeer to guide them, can Gwen and Caleb overcome their differences? After all, she’s ordinary, and he’s�� a star.

For them to fall in love is going to take a Christmas miracle.]]> 396 Melissa Dymond Leslie 0 to-read 3.39
author: Melissa Dymond
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.39
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/01
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]]> 214268979 From the New York Times��bestselling author of We Were the Lucky Ones, an unforgettable story of hardship and hope, courage and resilience, that follows one young woman’s journey through war-torn Italy

1940, Emilia Romagna. Lili and Esti have been best friends since meeting at the University of Ferrara; when Esti’s son Theo is born, they become as close as sisters. There is a war being fought across borders, and in Italy, Mussolini’s Racial Laws have deemed Lili and Esti descendants of an ‘inferior�� Jewish race, but life somehow goes on—until Germany invades northern Italy, and the friends find themselves in occupied territory

Esti, older and fiercely self-assured, convinces Lili to flee first to a villa in the countryside to help hide a group of young war orphans, then to a convent in Florence, where they pose as nuns and forge false identification papers for the Underground. When disaster strikes at the convent, a critically wounded Esti asks Lili to take a much bigger step: To go on the run with Theo. Protect him while Esti can’t.

Terrified to travel on her own, Lili sets out on an epic journey south toward Allied territory, through Nazi-occupied villages and bombed-out cities, doing everything she can to keep Theo safe.

A remarkable tale of friendship, motherhood, and survival,One Good Thing is a tender reminder that love for another person, even amidst darkness and uncertainty, can be reason to keep going.]]> 432 Georgia Hunter 1984880934 Leslie 0 to-read 4.27 2025
author: Georgia Hunter
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/01
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]]> 214152321 Shortlisted for The Women’s Prize �� Named a most anticipated book by Electric Literature, Publishers Weekly, The BBC, Daily Mail (London), and more

A darkly funny, life-affirming debut novel following five women from a once illustrious Iranian family as they grapple with revolutions personal and political.

Meet the Valiat family. In Iran, they were somebodies. In America, they’re nobodies.

First there is Elizabeth, the regal matriarch with the famously large nose, who remained in Tehran despite the revolution. She lives alone but is sometimes visited by Niaz, her Islamic-law-breaking granddaughter, who takes her partying with a side of purpose and yet manages to survive. Elizabeth’s daughters wound up in America: Shirin, a charismatic and flamboyantly high-flying event planner in Houston, who considers herself the family’s future, and Seema, a dreamy idealist turned housewife languishing in the chaparral-filled hills of Los Angeles. And then there’s the other granddaughter, Bita, a disillusioned law student in New York City trying to find deeper meaning by quietly giving away her belongings.

When an annual vacation in Aspen goes wildly awry and Shirin ends up in jail, the family’s upper-class veneer is cracked open. Shirin embarks upon a quest to restore the family name to its former glory, but what does that mean in a country where the Valiats never mattered? Can they bring their old inheritance into a new tomorrow?

By turns satirical and philosophical, spanning from 1940s Iran to a splintered 2000s, The Persians upends the reader’s expectations while exploring questions about love, family, money, art, and how to find yourself and each other when your country is lost. Wry and witty, brazen and absurd, The Persians is a deeply moving reinvention of the American family saga.]]> 384 Sanam Mahloudji 166801579X Leslie 0 to-read 3.50 2024
author: Sanam Mahloudji
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/01
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]]> 219218169 A Must Read For Book Lovers. Fascinating Novel. One heiress. One normal guy.
A love that will stand the test of time.
A family that won’t.

Victoria Smith is born rich and beautiful. She has fame and a name that opens any door. But there’s one thing she doesn’t have Love.
Not until she meets Australian, Jeff Richardson, anyway.

Despite her family’s objections to her marrying a “nobody�� Victoria chooses love over money.
And as they build a family, Victoria learns where true wealth lies.: Love is the Richardson’s way.

But as Victoria builds a business empire of her own, she has to navigate her family through the challenges of growing up rich.
The Smiths made sure she understood that money talks. But she wants the Richardsons to believe that love is the greater gift.

When tragedy strikes, will love see their family through?
Or will love fail in a world obsessed with wealth?]]> E. Masson Leslie 0 to-read 4.15
author: E. Masson
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.15
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/01
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]]> 57842337
I’ll show everyone I’m a threat, and they will fear me.
For my family. I have to protect them.

The second I hear the name Damien Vetrov I know I’m in trouble.
He’s an arrogant Russian God.
Only, I have zero intention of bowing to him. Ever.
Attractive and lethal. He’s such an intoxicating mixture.

Every second we spend together, the pull between us becomes stronger, and my fear grows.
While my body wants him, my head knows better. He has the power to kill my family.

But when blood is shed, I’m forced to depend on Damien for my life.
Being at his mercy, whether he’ll kill me or protect me, is still up for debate.
.
A Mafia Romance full-length novel.
This book contains subject matter that may be sensitive for some readers. There is dark and triggering content between these pages. 18+ only. Please read responsibly.]]> 346 Michelle Heard Leslie 2 dnf 4.06 2021
author: Michelle Heard
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2024/09/29
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 219356795 What if your boss asked you to have his baby?
With one
You have to do it the old-fashioned way.

Normally, I would’ve told him to take his offer and shove it.
But my mom needs my help.
And I can’t afford to save her myself.

In comes Arsen Adamov with a devil’s deal on a silver platter.
Have his baby.
Then walk away—no strings attached.

I’d do anything for my mom.
And spending a night with my gorgeous, dangerous, billionaire boss isn’t exactly torture.

But as it turns out, Arsen lied about the strings.
Because right after the deed is done, he drops a new bombshell on my head.

I’m getting promoted��
From surrogate to bride.
Whether I like it or not.

SCARRED KING is Book 1 of the Adamov Bratva duet. Arsen and Laila’s story continues in Book 2, SCARRED QUEEN.]]> 504 Naomi West Leslie 0 currently-reading 4.22
author: Naomi West
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.22
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/29
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 217069645 A brand new steamy mafia romance from bestselling author B. B. Hamel

I’m dancing in a cage when he finds me.
And he’ll make me beg if I want to escape.

Angelo Bianco is powerful and dangerous, and he’s not shy about watching me work. His eyes undress me, and when he pulls me into a private room to make a proposal��

I should keep my hands to myself, but it’s hard when Angelo looks so good.

He’s fresh out of prison and wants to destroy the men that betrayed him, while I need to save my addict sister from her drug dealer boyfriend.

Turns out, we hate the same guy.

If I help Angelo take down our common enemy, he’ll put my sister through rehab and pay to finish her nursing degree.

All I have to do is risk everything for a man I barely know.

Easy, right? I’ll do anything for my sister, even if that means putting myself through the nightmare that is Angelo.

He’s going to get what he wants, except revenge isn’t enough anymore.

Angelo won’t stop until he gets all of me.]]> 352 B.B. Hamel Leslie 4 4.42
author: B.B. Hamel
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.42
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/28
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 218066954 From USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Michelle Heard comes a new STANDALONE, full-length MAFIA ROMANCE novel.

I was born into the Cosa Nostra, so I've always known an arranged marriage loomed in my future.

When the Capo dei Capi of the Cosa Nostra comes to Sicily to give his approval for his cousin, Stefano, to take me as his bride, I know my fate is all but sealed. Marrying Stefano is the last thing I want, but being a woman, I don't have a say in the matter.

Damiano Falco is merciless and rules the Cosa Nostra with an iron fist. Everyone fears him and won't dare go against him.
I'm still trying to accept that I'll have no choice but to marry Stefano when Damiano utters the last word anyone expects to hear.

"No."

He doesn't give his approval, nor does he offer any explanation.

But if I think his refusal will set me free, I have another thing coming. Instead, my bags are packed, and within hours, I find myself sitting on a private jet with the head of the Costa Nostra.
The ruthless man doesn't tell me anything, and I have no idea what my future holds.

To say I'm terrified is the understatement of the century.]]> 430 Michelle Heard Leslie 3 4.17
author: Michelle Heard
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.17
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/24
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves:
review:

]]> 200982373 Once upon a time, Andrew had cut out his heart and given it to this boy, and he was very sure Thomas had no idea that Andrew would do anything for him. Protect him. Lie for him.

Kill for him.

High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality―Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.

But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won't say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork―whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew's wicked stories.

Desperate to figure out what's wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster―Thomas's drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator...]]> 336 C.G. Drews 1250895669 Leslie 0 to-read 4.11 2024
author: C.G. Drews
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 200982381 From Printz Honor winning author Lily Anderson comes a young adult horror that follows Arden and her three best friends as their graduation party at an abandoned mansion turns into a bloody fight for survival.

Red Solo cups? Check. Snacks? Check. Abandoned mansion full of countless horrors that won’t let you leave? Check.

The Deinhart Manor has been a looming shadow over town for as long as anyone can remember, and it's been abandoned for even longer. When the final Deinhart descendent passes, the huge gothic manor is up for sale for the first time ever. Which means Arden can steal the keys from her mom’s real estate office...

It’s time for a graduation party that no one will ever forget. Arden and her best friends each have different reasons for wanting to throw the party to end all parties. But when the manor doors bar everyone inside and the walls begin to bleed, all anyone wants to do is make it out alive.]]> 304 Lily Anderson 1250909473 Leslie 0 to-read 3.18 2024
author: Lily Anderson
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.18
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 209220944
But Sarah has begun to wonder... Who is she without her other half?

When she decides to take on a project of her own, a fundraising gala in memoriam of her late mother, Sarah wants nothing more than to prove to herself—and to everyone else—that she doesn’t need Caleb’s help to succeed. She’s still her mother’s daughter, after all. Independent and capable.

That is until the event fails and Caleb uninvitedly steps in to save the day.

The rift that follows unearths a decade of grievances between them and doubts begin to grow. Are they truly the same people they were when they got married at nineteen? Are they supposed to be?

In a desperate attempt to fix what they fear is near breaking, Sarah and Caleb make the spontaneous decision to join a grueling hiking trip intended to guide couples through rough patches.

What follows is a life-affirming comedy of errors as two nature-averse people fight their way out of the woods in order to find their way back to their roots.]]> 336 Hannah Bonam-Young 0593871863 Leslie 0 to-read 3.98 2025
author: Hannah Bonam-Young
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 202399008 A new, seductive forbidden romance that caters to Manhattan's elite...

I knew the rules:

Never reveal my true identity.
Play the game, give the illusion.
Don’t get close to the clients.

The dark and glamorous lifestyle of the rich and shameless open my eyes to a lavish world of sin and wealth, and a man I can’t have.

A man I desperately want—James Riviera.

We're treading a fine line as we live the ultimate double life until we make a startling discovery that tests both our loyalties.

I only had to follow the rules, but rules are meant to be broken.]]> 448 Lucia Franco Leslie 0 to-read 3.80 2019
author: Lucia Franco
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 59406549 Why save the world when you can have tea?

On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone.

Calling on some of the city's most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the sinister, glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it.

From the New York Times—bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame comes the first book in a hotly anticipated fantasy duology teeming with romance and revenge, led by an orphan girl willing to do whatever it takes to save her self-made kingdom. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.]]> 338 Hafsah Faizal 0374389403 Leslie 0 to-read 3.49 2024
author: Hafsah Faizal
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 212276038
Violet believes her night of orgasmic magic with Alex is just that: one night. But Alex starts to call. And text. And email and send extravagant - and quirky - gifts. Suddenly he's too difficult to ignore and nearly impossible not to like. The problem is, the media portrays Alex as a total player, and Violet doesn't want to be part of the game.]]> 384 Helena Hunting 1649377746 Leslie 0 to-read 3.54 2015
author: Helena Hunting
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 207974153 48 Brandon Sanderson 1250843669 Leslie 0 to-read 3.92 2024
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Leslie
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211164792 Two feuding second-grade teachers (and neighbors) find themselves teaming up in this rivals-to-lovers romance.

Emily Walker hates having her carefully crafted world disrupted by anyone, most of all her legendary nemesis, Jack Bennett. He's the opposite of the wonderful heroes she dreams up in her double life as a romance writer, which is why Emily was perfectly happy when Jack left Rome, Kentucky, mid-school year, with his fiancée. The last thing Emily saw coming was Jack’s return at the start of the summer after calling off the wedding and ending his relationship, but he’s here to stay—as her colleague and her neighbor.

Jackson Bennett is glad to be back, eager to renovate his house and work on the next mystery novel under his bestselling pen name. But when he realizes he’s now neighbors with the one woman who has always pushed his buttons, he discovers something he’s even more excited for—thwarting Emily and her petty plans to sabotage his return.

With their chemistry-fueled animosity at an all-time high, Emily accidentally sends an email to their school’s principal that could reveal her secret literary side hustle. She needs to steal back her manuscript, and Jack—she hates to admit—is just the man to help her. Surprisingly, Jack agrees. Will their unlikely alliance put an end to their rivalry? Or could it lead to a steamy plot twist they never saw coming?]]> 384 Sarah Adams 0593723694 Leslie 0 to-read 4.06 2025
author: Sarah Adams
name: Leslie
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>