en-US Tue, 01 Apr 2025 15:44:16 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 208209832 Romance, luxury, and secrets abound in this thrilling new collection that take readers deeper into the world of the #1 bestselling Inheritance Games series

There is nothing frivolous about the way a Hawthorne man loves.

An amnesiac playboy and the woman with every reason to hate him. A daredevil, his favorite heiress, and three nights in Prague. An unlikely pairing between a cowboy and a goth. Four brothers with an inescapable bond, strengthened by the family they chose, in a house of wonders that promises to always deliver one more secret.

Discover their stories of love and loss, power, puzzles, and life-and-death secrets in this mind-blowingly romantic collection that proves that when you love the way Hawthornes love, there is no going back.

This collection includes:
That Night in Prague (novella)
The Same Backward as Forward (novella)
The Cowboy and the Goth
Five Times Xander Tackled Someone (and One Time He Didn't)
One Hawthorne Night*
What Happens in the Treehouse*
$3CR3T $@NT@
Pain at the Right Gun

*previously published in limited release]]> 448 Jennifer Lynn Barnes 031657371X mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 currently-reading 4.09 2024
author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: currently-reading
review:
I have been reading this one for months actually but I never put it on here
]]> 216825549 2025 on ŷ������ should make an interesting and varied catalogue of books to inspire other readers in 2026.

For those of you who don't like to add titles you haven't actually 'read', you can place 2025 on ŷ������ on an 'exclusive' shelf. Exclusive shelves don't have to be listed under 'to read', 'currently reading' or 'read'. To create one, go to 'edit bookshelves' on your 'My Books' page, create a shelf name such as 'review-of-the year' and tick the 'exclusive' box. Your previous and future 'reviews of the year' can be collected together on this dedicated shelf.

Concept created by Fionnuala Lirsdottir.
Description: Fionnuala Lirsdottir
Cover art: Paul Cézanne, Vase of Flowers and Apples, 1889-1890
Cover choice and graphics by Jayson]]> Various mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 yearly-reviews �� 4.71 2025
author: Various
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.71
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: yearly-reviews
review:
��
]]> 228874423
Thrust into a brutal realm where survival hinges on combat, Allyria is torn from her home and trained under Cassius, the enigmatic Captain of the Death Dealer's immortal guard. Her to win the deadly Elder Tournaments, a series of brutal trials that pit the most powerful fighters against each other, and earn her freedom.

But when the murder of a fae prince pushes the world to the brink of war, Allyria and the Death Dealer must join forces in a desperate bid to save their world—both human and immortal. As the stakes rise and the lines between duty and destiny blur, Allyria must navigate a war-torn land, confront her growing feelings for the Death Dealer, and decide where her true loyalties lie.

Can Allyria rise to become the hero her world needs, or will she let it plunge into eternal night?]]> 522 Kayla Cunningham mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 currently-reading 3.96
author: Kayla Cunningham
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: currently-reading
review:
Thank you NetGalley and the author for the arc!
]]> 59879803 A new dark academic fantasy by the New York Times bestselling author of The Poppy War

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

Oxford, 1836.

The city of dreaming spires.

It is the centre of all knowledge and progress in the world.

And at its centre is Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation. The tower from which all the power of the Empire flows.

Orphaned in Canton and brought to England by a mysterious guardian, Babel seemed like paradise to Robin Swift.

Until it became a prison��

But can a student stand against an empire?

An incendiary new novel from award-winning author R.F. Kuang about the power of language, the violence of colonialism, and the sacrifices of resistance.]]> 546 R.F. Kuang 0008501815 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 currently-reading 4.25 2022
author: R.F. Kuang
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:
This book has been on my shelf since its release date��. I think it’s finally time
]]> 18710190
But Tris's new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend to complexities of human nature - and of herself - while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, ALLEGIANT, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the DIVERGENT series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in DIVERGENT and INSURGENT.]]> 531 Veronica Roth 0007524277 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 2 3-stars
Great ending! I hated it.

Let’s look past the ending tho- why was this book so messy? I feel like I would have been able to come to terms with the ending if the rest of this book wasn’t so�� confusing? Giving so much and yet nothing and going way too fast and yet way too slow? Idk book two and three were trying very hard to be something, but ended up failing- I think the only way (in my opinion) that it would have worked out is if the series was maybe two books longer, bc all of that stuffed in one book is crazy to me and it just didn’t read nicely. The story should have focused more on the lies, government, etc. I feel like the story could have done so well on that front (like the hunger games but then in its own way), yet it tried to do so many things that it ended up falling flat. Like yes I know the story is about all that but it didn’t feel like it was. It felt so��. Small while it should have felt big. Even if the problem was resolved at the end it just didn’t feel like a win.

I know this is a loved series and I bet that if I read this when I was a kid my reaction would have been very differently, but I just can’t stop myself from being disappointed that the series ended up going in this direction. Book one was so >*%£#£ goodddddd I had high hopes for the rest, but all I got was too much and too little and too many relationship fights that eventually didn’t matter now did they ]]> 3.59 2013
author: Veronica Roth
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: 3-stars
review:
2,75 ��

Great ending! I hated it.

Let’s look past the ending tho- why was this book so messy? I feel like I would have been able to come to terms with the ending if the rest of this book wasn’t so�� confusing? Giving so much and yet nothing and going way too fast and yet way too slow? Idk book two and three were trying very hard to be something, but ended up failing- I think the only way (in my opinion) that it would have worked out is if the series was maybe two books longer, bc all of that stuffed in one book is crazy to me and it just didn’t read nicely. The story should have focused more on the lies, government, etc. I feel like the story could have done so well on that front (like the hunger games but then in its own way), yet it tried to do so many things that it ended up falling flat. Like yes I know the story is about all that but it didn’t feel like it was. It felt so��. Small while it should have felt big. Even if the problem was resolved at the end it just didn’t feel like a win.

I know this is a loved series and I bet that if I read this when I was a kid my reaction would have been very differently, but I just can’t stop myself from being disappointed that the series ended up going in this direction. Book one was so >*%£#£ goodddddd I had high hopes for the rest, but all I got was too much and too little and too many relationship fights that eventually didn’t matter now did they
]]> 33231785 29 Veronica Roth mai ༉‧⋆˚. 3 3-stars
Now listen im not a hater, I want these characters to move on and be happy, but this just felt wrong and forced. I don’t know, I don’t care anymore at this point ]]> 2.56 2017
author: Veronica Roth
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 2.56
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: 3-stars
review:
3 ��

Now listen im not a hater, I want these characters to move on and be happy, but this just felt wrong and forced. I don’t know, I don’t care anymore at this point
]]> 18126198 Celebrate the 10th anniversary of Divergent with a special edition of Four, a collection in the #1 New York Times bestselling series that captured the hearts of millions of readers and inspired a series of major motion pictures starring Shailene Woodley. This edition features exclusive content from Veronica Roth and beautiful reimagined cover art from award-winning illustrator Victo Ngai.

Readers first encountered Tobias as "Four" in Divergent and will find more of this charismatic character's backstory told from his own perspective in Four: A Divergent Collection. When read together, these long narrative pieces illuminate the defining moments in Tobias's life, from his transfer from Abnegation to Dauntless, his initiation, and the decisions of loyalty—and love—that Tobias makes in the weeks after he meets Tris Prior.

“The same mix of tension, uncertainty, and hope that made the original stories irresistible. A welcome trip down memory lane.�� ��Publishers Weekly

“Fans of Divergent who can’t get enough—and maybe even the rare reader who missed the first rush—will snap up this story collection told. It will fly off the shelves and for good reason.�� —ALA Booklist]]> 285 Veronica Roth 0062285688 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 3 3-stars
Nothing really to say. The ending of the trilogy has made me so numb I’m kind of going through the novellas and short stories with no emotions. It was interesting to be in his head and read certain scenes through his perspective, but that’s really all.

I don’t tend to rate novellas highly so a 3 star means I enjoyed it! But I would rather be reading/listening to something else ]]> 3.95 2014
author: Veronica Roth
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: 3-stars
review:
3 ��

Nothing really to say. The ending of the trilogy has made me so numb I’m kind of going through the novellas and short stories with no emotions. It was interesting to be in his head and read certain scenes through his perspective, but that’s really all.

I don’t tend to rate novellas highly so a 3 star means I enjoyed it! But I would rather be reading/listening to something else
]]> 76707900 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past��

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.]]> 648 Sarah J. Maas 1639731008 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.64 2015
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 61063372
Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.

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

Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.]]> 414 Danielle L. Jensen 1529916453 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 3.93 2024
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 11735983
Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian DIVERGENT series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.]]> 525 Veronica Roth 0007442912 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 3 4-stars
What was that]]> 3.97 2012
author: Veronica Roth
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: 4-stars
review:
3,25 ��

What was that
]]> 13335037
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.]]> 487 Veronica Roth 0062024035 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4 almost-5-stars
AHHH WHY DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG TO READ THIS??? Everyone say thank you to my niece who begged me 2 years ago to read the books and told me I wouldn’t regret it]]> 4.13 2011
author: Veronica Roth
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: almost-5-stars
review:
4,75 ��

AHHH WHY DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG TO READ THIS??? Everyone say thank you to my niece who begged me 2 years ago to read the books and told me I wouldn’t regret it
]]> 228691356 What is wrong meets what feels right in this romance set in Italy by the New York Times bestselling author of Deep End.

Maya Killgore is twenty-three and still in the process of figuring out her life.

Conor Harkness is thirty-eight, and Maya cannot stop thinking about him.

It’s such a cliché, it almost makes her heart implode: older man and younger woman; successful biotech guy and struggling grad student; brother’s best friend and the girl he never even knew existed. As Conor loves to remind her, the power dynamic is too imbalanced. Any relationship between them would be problematic in too many ways to count, and Maya should just get over him. After all, he has made it clear that he wants her gone from his life.

But not everything is as it seems—and clichés sometimes become plot twists.

When Maya’s brother decides to get married in Taormina, she and Conor end up stuck together in a romantic Sicilian villa for over a week. There, on the beautiful Ionian coast, between ancient ruins, delicious foods, and natural caves, Maya realizes that Conor might be hiding something from her. And as the destination wedding begins to erupt out of control, she decides that a summer fling might be just what she needs—even if it’s a problematic one.]]> 416 Ali Hazelwood mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.79 2025
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.79
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 62926938 An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

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

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

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

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

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

After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.]]> 336 Ashley Poston mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4 almost-5-stars, my-loves
A messy review bc I forgot English ]]> 4.18 2023
author: Ashley Poston
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/18
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: almost-5-stars, my-loves
review:
4,5 ��

A messy review bc I forgot English
]]> 137929533 299 Olivie Blake mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4 4-stars
“Time is made of her.��

Alone with you in the ether is probably one of the most unique stories I have ever read. The characters were immensively complex and their issues and struggles were written and described in a way that had you understanding them even when you didn’t, and sympathize with them even if you didn’t understand everything.

“I want you to say everything. Anything. I want to have your thoughts, I want to bottle them.��

The writing was just phenomenal. There is just no other way to describe it. The way the writing changes with every part and how you can just feel the change in our characters as the story progresses is incredible. I found it so interesting how, as I was reading a scene where one of the characters described something so sad, you end up feeling that sadness with them even though the author has never told you they were sad. You never get told they are happy, sad or angry. You just feel it. In the writing, in the dialogue, in everything. This is a book that makes you feel.

“I like it��
“W�󲹳�?��
“Your brain.��

The mental health representation was done incredibly. The author herself has bipolar disorder so that must be why you could just feel the struggles and the battle Regan has with herself within you, like you were going through it yourself. Aldo his struggles were also described so vividly, you could very clearly read from who’s perspective we were reading, who’s world we were entering, and I loved that.

“Not bees?��
“Not bees. Bees are for you��

This is my first Olivie Blake book and if all her stories are written so well I just know she will become a favorite author of mine]]> 3.67 2020
author: Olivie Blake
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: 4-stars
review:
4 ��

“Time is made of her.��

Alone with you in the ether is probably one of the most unique stories I have ever read. The characters were immensively complex and their issues and struggles were written and described in a way that had you understanding them even when you didn’t, and sympathize with them even if you didn’t understand everything.

“I want you to say everything. Anything. I want to have your thoughts, I want to bottle them.��

The writing was just phenomenal. There is just no other way to describe it. The way the writing changes with every part and how you can just feel the change in our characters as the story progresses is incredible. I found it so interesting how, as I was reading a scene where one of the characters described something so sad, you end up feeling that sadness with them even though the author has never told you they were sad. You never get told they are happy, sad or angry. You just feel it. In the writing, in the dialogue, in everything. This is a book that makes you feel.

“I like it��
“W�󲹳�?��
“Your brain.��

The mental health representation was done incredibly. The author herself has bipolar disorder so that must be why you could just feel the struggles and the battle Regan has with herself within you, like you were going through it yourself. Aldo his struggles were also described so vividly, you could very clearly read from who’s perspective we were reading, who’s world we were entering, and I loved that.

“Not bees?��
“Not bees. Bees are for you��

This is my first Olivie Blake book and if all her stories are written so well I just know she will become a favorite author of mine
]]> 195967140 A mind-bending, psychological thriller from Freida McFadden, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Housemaid!

Lesson #1: trust no one

Eve has a good life. She gets up each day, gets a kiss from her husband Nate, and heads off to teach math at the local high school. All is as it should be. Except��

Last year, Caseham High was rocked by a scandal involving a student-teacher affair, with one student, Addie, at its center. But Eve knows there is far more to these ugly rumors than meets the eye.

Addie can't be trusted. She lies. She hurts people. She destroys lives. At least, that's what everyone says.

But nobody knows the real Addie. Nobody knows the secrets that could destroy her. And Addie will do anything to keep it quiet.

From the New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden comes a story of twisting secrets and long-awaited revenge.]]> 379 Freida McFadden 1728296218 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0
I’m sorry but I can’t read a book about a 38 year old man who thinks his soulmate is a 16 year old girl and ends up starting a relationship with her while getting into her head by making her think he’s the only one who sees her and cares.

I should have checked the trigger warnings bc I feel so disgusted I want to jump in a bath of acid to wash this book off of me ]]> 3.82 2024
author: Freida McFadden
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: dnf, not-for-me, out-of-my-comfort-zone
review:
Dnf page 188

I’m sorry but I can’t read a book about a 38 year old man who thinks his soulmate is a 16 year old girl and ends up starting a relationship with her while getting into her head by making her think he’s the only one who sees her and cares.

I should have checked the trigger warnings bc I feel so disgusted I want to jump in a bath of acid to wash this book off of me
]]> 219848327
They come from different worlds, and yet they are meant for each other.

Money, glamour, luxury, power—Ruby Bell couldn’t be less interested in these things if she tried. After being awarded a scholarship to one of England’s most prestigious and expensive private schools, Maxton Hall, all she wants is to keep her head down, work hard, and get accepted to Oxford. She keeps her distance from everyone, especially the arrogant, rich, and extremely handsome James Beaufort, ringleader of the school’s party boys.

When Ruby discovers a scandalous secret about the Beauforts, she is suddenly on James’s radar. It only gets worse when James is forced to work with her to plan the school's annual gala. Yet the more time they spend together, the more they realize they share much more than they thought.

Falling for James Beaufort was never part of her plan, yet Ruby can’t help but let her feelings sweep her away. But James must make a decision for himself: will he choose what’s expected of him, or what he feels for her?]]> 368 Mona Kasten 0593954203 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 3.93 2018
author: Mona Kasten
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 62039217
Saoirse Sorkova survives on lies. As a soldier-in-training at the most prestigious barracks in the kingdom, she lies about being a siren to avoid execution. At night, working as an assassin for a dangerous group of mercenaries, Saoirse lies about her true identity. And to her family, Saoirse tells the biggest lie of all: that she can control her siren powers and doesn't struggle constantly against an impulse to kill.

As the top trainee in her class, Saoirse would be headed for a bright future if it weren't for the need to keep her secrets out of the spotlight. But when a mysterious blackmailer threatens her sister, Saoirse takes a dangerous job that will help her investigate: she becomes personal bodyguard to the crown prince.

Saoirse should hate Prince Hayes. After all, his father is the one who enforces the kingdom's brutal creature segregation laws. But when Hayes turns out to be kind, thoughtful, and charming, Saoirse finds herself increasingly drawn to him-especially when they're forced to work together to stop a deadly killer who's plaguing the city. There's only one problem: Saoirse is that deadly killer.

Featuring an all Black and Brown cast, a forbidden romance, and a compulsively dark plot full of twists, this thrilling YA fantasy is perfect for fans of A Song Below Water and To Kill a Kingdom.]]> 432 Gabi Burton 1547610379 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 3.84 2023
author: Gabi Burton
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 127305713
Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe �� a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution �� who she can't help but find herself falling for.

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

Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Crimson Moth is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch�� is falling in love.]]> 406 Kristen Ciccarelli 1250866901 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read Just bought both the books 4.16 2024
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: to-read
review:
Just bought both the books
]]> 213642775 One goal. One deep obsession he could never give up on.

His foster sister Olivia.

For the first time, she’s chosen him over the entire world, and he intends to keep her in his firm grasp forever �� but his happiness is soon shattered by powerful enemies who want to claim Olivia for themselves.

He had her.
But then he lost her.

Wounded and still wrestling with his own demons, Malachi is forced into unexpected alliances to hunt them down, but he won’t stop fighting until he gets her back.

No matter what it takes.

This story comes with extremely triggering content. Please read the "Content Warning" page.]]> 430 Leigh Rivers mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 3.99
author: Leigh Rivers
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.99
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217239750 A spicy enemies-to-lovers romance about a disgraced tennis player who partners with her father’s rival for a chance at redemption—perfect for fans of Carrie Soto Is Back and Icebreaker.��

Former tennis prodigy Scottie Sinclair is a cheat.

Or at least, that’s what the world thinks. After all, who would believe she was secretly drugged by her own father before winning the women’s singles title at Wimbledon?

The tabloids have called “Game, Set, Match�� on Scottie’s career—but an offer at redemption, and more importantly revenge, may give her the chance at a clean serve.

Nico Kotas reigned the tennis world for almost a decade—until an injury took him from the baseline.

Now with a clean bill of health, he’s hungry for one last title. But his public image needs a new game plan—and according to his coach, his former rival’s daughter is the perfect advantage.

But with old enemies on the sidelines, scandal is seconds away.

Because, after all, revenge is best served Centre Court.]]> 410 Meg Jones 006342973X mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 3.86
author: Meg Jones
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.86
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 12512617 MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOUR

"If we burn
you burn with us"


Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But she's still not safe. A revolution is unfolding, and everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans -- everyone except Katniss.

And yet she must play the most vital part in the final battle. Katniss must become their Mockingjay -- the symbol of rebellion -- no matter what the personal cost.



Cover image by Tim O'Brien]]> 458 Suzanne Collins 1407132105 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4 almost-5-stars
This. Book. Hurt.

Reading about those murder and torture scenes, hearing the descriptions of children getting killed and Katniss struggling to stay sane was so incredibly painful to read. Saying this was a fun read is true bullshit because it was horribly painful. It’s even worse knowing that things like this happen. Stories like this are not that far off from reality, from our real world, and that makes it 10 times worse.

At some points you are like “why is the author killing everyone? Why aren’t we getting a break?�� and then you remember that people that do go through this don’t have the luxury of breaks, the luxury to prevent deaths or move on from it. Fighting for your freedom (what is still happening today in many countries) is not ‘cool�� like so many books portray it. It’s painful and every other thing you can imagine.

I loved how they portrayed Snow. The movies did not show good enough how truly evil this man is. The amount of things that he has done that were not mentioned in the movie (or my memory is just horrible) jarred me. I hated him but after listening to this? I truly loathe him. The movies didn’t go over the victims or over the things he has done to certain people, but the books do and my gosh at times I seriously needed a break.

The books also gave us so much more depth, the side characters were more important here than in the movies and I liked the little details (I do wish we revisited or went more over certain side characters, to show how they are doing at the end or come to terms with them).

I was listening to this and I do have to confess that at times I had no idea who was who, because of the name dropping here and there of soldiers. Who were the soldiers on that mission to the capital? I truly don’t know]]> 4.05 2010
author: Suzanne Collins
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: almost-5-stars
review:
4,5 ��

This. Book. Hurt.

Reading about those murder and torture scenes, hearing the descriptions of children getting killed and Katniss struggling to stay sane was so incredibly painful to read. Saying this was a fun read is true bullshit because it was horribly painful. It’s even worse knowing that things like this happen. Stories like this are not that far off from reality, from our real world, and that makes it 10 times worse.

At some points you are like “why is the author killing everyone? Why aren’t we getting a break?�� and then you remember that people that do go through this don’t have the luxury of breaks, the luxury to prevent deaths or move on from it. Fighting for your freedom (what is still happening today in many countries) is not ‘cool�� like so many books portray it. It’s painful and every other thing you can imagine.

I loved how they portrayed Snow. The movies did not show good enough how truly evil this man is. The amount of things that he has done that were not mentioned in the movie (or my memory is just horrible) jarred me. I hated him but after listening to this? I truly loathe him. The movies didn’t go over the victims or over the things he has done to certain people, but the books do and my gosh at times I seriously needed a break.

The books also gave us so much more depth, the side characters were more important here than in the movies and I liked the little details (I do wish we revisited or went more over certain side characters, to show how they are doing at the end or come to terms with them).

I was listening to this and I do have to confess that at times I had no idea who was who, because of the name dropping here and there of soldiers. Who were the soldiers on that mission to the capital? I truly don’t know
]]> 58885776 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780593336489.

Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem—after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. It’s as good as dead.

When her new editor, a too-handsome mountain of a man, won’t give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye. But then she gets a phone call she never wanted to receive, and she must return home for the first time in a decade to help her family bury her beloved father.

For ten years, she’s run from the town that never understood her, and even though she misses the sound of a warm Southern night and her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it.

Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor’s front door, just as broad and infuriatingly handsome as ever, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.

Romance is most certainly dead... but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories.

A disillusioned millennial ghostwriter who, quite literally, has some ghosts of her own, has to find her way back home in this sparkling adult debut from national bestselling author Ashley Poston.]]> 368 Ashley Poston mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 3.90 2022
author: Ashley Poston
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60580871 Dream job. Dream house. Fake fiancé.

A year in a gorgeous Italian castle��

When Anna Roberts�� life implodes, an online search leads her to an ad for the ultimate dream job �� management of a gorgeous castle on the shores of Lake Como, accommodation included. The only catch? Anna can’t do it alone��
…With the last man on earth she’d choose!
The castle owners will only accept a couple as caretakers, which means Anna needs a man on her arm at the interview. Enter her neighbour, Jake Tucker. Though Anna and Jake have never seen eye-to-eye, Jake’s had a rough few years and an escape to Italy sounds ideal. Yet, when they get the job and jet off, Anna and Jake face an unexpected challenge. Pretending to be a couple is difficult �� but pretending the tension simmering between them doesn’t exist is quickly proving impossible!]]> 385 Kathryn Freeman 0008535329 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 3.87
author: Kathryn Freeman
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.87
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 150304767 My second began with his brother.

From Wall Street Journal bestseller Parker S. Huntington comes a broken love story laced with angst and forbidden romance.

I wasn’t supposed to be on that roof on Valentine’s Day.

Neither was Kellan Marchetti, the school’s designated freak.

We met on the verge of ending our lives.

Somehow, the tattered strings of our tragedies tangled and tightened into an unlikely bond.

We decided not to take the plunge and agreed to check on each other every Valentine’s Day until school ended.

Same time.

One roof.

Two restless souls.

We kept our promise for three years.

On the fourth, Kellan made a decision, and I was left to deal with the consequences.

Just when I thought our story ended, another one began.

They say all love stories look the same and taste different.

Mine was venomous, disgraceful, and written in scarlet scars.

My name is Charlotte Richards, but you can call me Venom.]]> 470 Parker S. Huntington 1950209032 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.08 2021
author: Parker S. Huntington
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 150118611
Rosalinda is trapped on Sinner’s Isle, an island filled with young women like her—Majestics, beautiful witches loathed by society for their dangerous magic yet revered by powerful men who want to use them.��

For years, she has been kept under the watchful, calculating eye of Doña Lucia. Now eighteen, Rosa will be the prized commodity at this year’s Offering, a fiesta for the wealthy to engage in drink, damsels, and debauchery. That is why she must flee—before someone forces the vicious phantoms within her to destroy everything she touches.��

Handsome, swashbuckling Mariano has long sailed the high seas as the Prince of Pirates. Then the king’s fleet attacks his father’s infamous ship, leaving him marooned on Sinner’s Isle with only an enchanted chain meant to lead him to his heart’s desire. Instead, he falls into the hands of a brazen (although) bewitching headache—Rosa.

Together they must outwit each other and their enemies before the Offering ends and it’s too late to escape the perils of Sinner’s Isle.]]> 384 Angela Montoya 059364333X mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 3.77 2023
author: Angela Montoya
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 12510082 MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOUR

Katniss Everdeen survived the hunger games. Now the Capitol wants revenge.


Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are still alive. Katniss should be relieved, but now there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol -- a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

As the nation watches Katniss and Peeta, the stakes are higher than ever. One false move and the consequences will be unimaginable.



Cover image by Tim O'Brien]]> 472 Suzanne Collins mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4 4-stars
The audiobook is so good im flying through this ]]> 4.37 2009
author: Suzanne Collins
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/11
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: 4-stars
review:
4 ��

The audiobook is so good im flying through this
]]> 32718027
But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for...]]> 532 S.A. Chakraborty 0062678108 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.12 2017
author: S.A. Chakraborty
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217245572 In the first book of a searing new dystopian trilogy, a young woman must conceal her psychic powers—and her attraction to her handsome, infuriating commanding officer—as she works undercover to take down a brutal government from within.

The world is divided. On the Continent, you’re either a Prime—immune to the biotoxin that nearly wiped out the Earth’s population 150 years ago—or a Modified, one who was enhanced by the toxin, developing powerful psychic gifts.

As conflict rages between the two sides, Wren Darlington lives in hiding. Occasionally running the odd op for the rebel Uprising against the Primes�� oppressive rule, she must keep a low profile. After all, if the enemy finds out that she is a Mod with a staggering four psychic abilities, she won’t just be sent to the labor camps. She’ll be executed—immediately and without trial.

When a careless mistake puts Wren in the crosshairs of the Continent’s military, she is taken captive and forced to join their most elite Silver Block. Unwittingly, they’ve handed her the perfect opportunity for the Uprising to strike a devastating blow from inside their ranks. That is, if she can keep her powers hidden, survive training, and prove herself to Cross Redden, her maddeningly cocky commanding officer.

Despite the explosive chemistry between them, Cross doesn’t trust her—even as he seems determined to destroy the remaining shreds of Wren’s self-control. Yet as the war between Primes and Mods escalates, and as Wren and Cross find themselves unable to stay away from each other, they must decide how far they’re willing to go for their secrets—and how much of the Continent is worth saving.]]> 528 Dani Francis 059387546X mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.39 2025
author: Dani Francis
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 62407567
Aaron Scott-Perez was happy with his quiet life in Boston, but when a doctor’s mistake leaves his father unable to run his Christmas tree farm, Aaron has no choice but to move back to the small Vermont town he used to call home. He never saw himself managing the business, but since it is so dear to his father, Aaron has given up everything to do it. To get his father the justice he deserves, he hires none other than Wren. She’s emotionally blunted and secretive, but her kindness and competency provide something his family hasn’t felt for a long time: hope. So much so that Aaron starts to think the life he didn’t want might not be so bad when she’s around.

Yet Wren cannot let him in, too haunted by her future.

As the two get closer and the lines become blurred, Wren and Aaron find themselves at a crossroads. But their attraction is unyielding, and together they must decide what risks are worth taking, and if love is better to lose than to never have at all.]]> 296 N.S. Perkins mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.02
author: N.S. Perkins
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.02
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 2767052
Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . .

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.]]> 374 Suzanne Collins 0439023483 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4 almost-5-stars
My reason for reading this series so late is because I have a very hard time picking up books I have already watched the show/movie of bc I think “it’s just gonna be boring��- my gosh how wrong I was.

This was, in fact, better than the movies and I love the movies, but the books? It’s crazy how much was kept out, and how I actually feel a connection with the characters now.
The writing was basic, the story engaging and the system had a lot of depth and yet was kept simple, making it easy to follow.

I don’t know how fast I will go through this series, but I hope I will be able to finish it this month, bc even though I know exactly what’s going to happen, the difference between the books and movies makes you eager to find out the details that were never shown on screen.

And like my father always says, ”Remember, there is always true in fiction.�� ]]> 4.34 2008
author: Suzanne Collins
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: almost-5-stars
review:
4,75 ��

My reason for reading this series so late is because I have a very hard time picking up books I have already watched the show/movie of bc I think “it’s just gonna be boring��- my gosh how wrong I was.

This was, in fact, better than the movies and I love the movies, but the books? It’s crazy how much was kept out, and how I actually feel a connection with the characters now.
The writing was basic, the story engaging and the system had a lot of depth and yet was kept simple, making it easy to follow.

I don’t know how fast I will go through this series, but I hope I will be able to finish it this month, bc even though I know exactly what’s going to happen, the difference between the books and movies makes you eager to find out the details that were never shown on screen.

And like my father always says, ”Remember, there is always true in fiction.��
]]> 60795461 447 Victoria E. Schwab 0765387573 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 3
Coming back to this review, bc I keep thinking about why I gave this book 4 stars and can’t come up with a reason.

Although I enjoyed it, I didn’t 4 star enjoy it, and that’s because I went in expecting a romance and this is not a romance book. Sometimes when you go in with the wrong expectations you are pleasantly surprised, and sometimes wholeheartedly disappointed and for me it was the latter.

I kept waiting for those scenes to happen but they were at the end and not that long because, again, this is not a romance. It’s so much more and it talks about a lot of things. I bet this book had such important messages put in it that I didn’t catch, because I kept waiting for the impossible.

Besides that the book was also too long, It became repetitive and I was just bored during most of it. Again, I think that all of this would have been prevented if I went in with the right mindset.

Anyways this was a beautiful story and the writing was incredible, but I just wasn’t able to enjoy it to its fullest and ended up reading it just to take it off my tbr.

—���
old review


"Nothing is all good or all bad,"

Great.
Too long & slow.
Ending was nice (I’m a sucker for such endings). Audiobook was so yummy.
Writing was extraordinary.
Story was unique.
Villain was so well crafted.
I thought it was a romance. I was wrong.
Kind of destroyed my experience at times.
Was sometimes hard to read bc, well, I am religious so]]> 4.21 2020
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/22
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: 4-stars, out-of-my-comfort-zone
review:
3,5 ��

Coming back to this review, bc I keep thinking about why I gave this book 4 stars and can’t come up with a reason.

Although I enjoyed it, I didn’t 4 star enjoy it, and that’s because I went in expecting a romance and this is not a romance book. Sometimes when you go in with the wrong expectations you are pleasantly surprised, and sometimes wholeheartedly disappointed and for me it was the latter.

I kept waiting for those scenes to happen but they were at the end and not that long because, again, this is not a romance. It’s so much more and it talks about a lot of things. I bet this book had such important messages put in it that I didn’t catch, because I kept waiting for the impossible.

Besides that the book was also too long, It became repetitive and I was just bored during most of it. Again, I think that all of this would have been prevented if I went in with the right mindset.

Anyways this was a beautiful story and the writing was incredible, but I just wasn’t able to enjoy it to its fullest and ended up reading it just to take it off my tbr.

—���
old review


"Nothing is all good or all bad,"

Great.
Too long & slow.
Ending was nice (I’m a sucker for such endings). Audiobook was so yummy.
Writing was extraordinary.
Story was unique.
Villain was so well crafted.
I thought it was a romance. I was wrong.
Kind of destroyed my experience at times.
Was sometimes hard to read bc, well, I am religious so
]]> 210585484 Blythe Hawthorn has never let anyone tell her what to do... and she's not about to start now.

Headstrong and passionate, she won't be ruled by society, or by her overprotective father, and certainly not by the man she's bound herself to, no matter how insufferable he is. She's determined to be a thorn in his side for the rest of her days, even as he ensues that her life in his palace is anything but the decadent fairytale she imagined. But as Blythe discovers a new side of herself linked to his past, she'll have to decide if she's willing to let an unexpected spark ignite... and discover the real truth about who she is inside.

WISTERIA is a sensational conclusion to the deathly and decadent Belladonna trilogy, with dramatic twists and a seductive new romance that will set readers' hearts ablaze.

PRAISE FOR ADALYN GRACE

'A deliciously deadly Gothic romance' Stephanie Garber

'This book is a true pleasure to read from beginning to end' Jennifer L. Armentrout

'A darkly romantic tale' Adrienne Young

'Utterly original and completely addictive' Rachel Griffin

'Darkly twisted and deliciously gothic' Renée Ahdieh

'Decadently atmospheric' Kerri Maniscalco]]> 436 Adalyn Grace 1399726080 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4 almost-5-stars, my-loves
“Whether she realized it or not, he was putty between her palms. He would spend every minute plucking the stars from the sky to deliver a bouquet of constellations if that's what it took to please her.��

The definition of ‘I will love you in every lifetime��

Smut:
End chapter 24 & 28]]> 4.19 2024
author: Adalyn Grace
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/12
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: almost-5-stars, my-loves
review:
4,25��

“Whether she realized it or not, he was putty between her palms. He would spend every minute plucking the stars from the sky to deliver a bouquet of constellations if that's what it took to please her.��

The definition of ‘I will love you in every lifetime��

Smut:
End chapter 24 & 28
]]> 55812605 For fans of Caraval and The Night Circus, this decadent and darkly enchanting YA fantasy, set against the backdrop of a Belle Époque-inspired hotel, follows seventeen-year-old Jani as she uncovers the deeply disturbing secrets of the legendary Hotel Magnifique.

All her life, Jani has dreamed of Elsewhere. Just barely scraping by with her job at a tannery, she’s resigned to a dreary life in the port town of Durc, caring for her younger sister Zosa. That is, until the Hotel Magnifique comes to town.

The hotel is legendary not only for its whimsical enchantments, but also for its ability to travel—appearing in a different destination every morning. While Jani and Zosa can’t afford the exorbitant costs of a guest’s stay, they can interview to join the staff, and are soon whisked away on the greatest adventure of their lives. But once inside, Jani quickly discovers their contracts are unbreakable and that beneath the marvelous glamour, the hotel is hiding dangerous secrets.

With the vexingly handsome doorman Bel as her only ally, Jani embarks on a mission to unravel the mystery of the magic at the heart of the hotel and free Zosa—and the other staff—from the cruelty of the ruthless maître d’hôtel. To succeed, she’ll have to risk everything she loves, but failure would mean a fate far worse than never returning home.]]> 400 Emily J. Taylor 0593404513 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4 4-stars
This book was so enjoyable. I had a lot of fun reading it]]> 3.76 2022
author: Emily J. Taylor
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: 4-stars
review:
4 ��

This book was so enjoyable. I had a lot of fun reading it
]]> 194517120
I was drowning when I met him, hoping he could be my life raft. Little did I know that he was already at the bottom of the sea, adrift in pain. But then he offered me a hand and you know what they say, 'Shared pain is lessened, shared joy is increased.' So, I took it and gladly let myself get pulled to the bottom of the ocean, but what I find there is more shocking than I could ever imagine.]]> 87 Pelumi Ukinamemen mai ༉‧⋆˚. 1
I first of all want to thank NetGalley and the author for sending me this! I think I got it before it got published? So idk if what I read was the arc or the final work, but here is my honest review !

“]��> 4.29
author: Pelumi Ukinamemen
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2023/08/03
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: not-for-me, arc-or-just-send-to-me, 2-stars
review:
1,5 ��

I first of all want to thank NetGalley and the author for sending me this! I think I got it before it got published? So idk if what I read was the arc or the final work, but here is my honest review !

��
]]> 182762109 fixes��everything. She’s a domestic goddess who's never met a party she couldn't host or a charge she couldn't lead. The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette��for that summer salad. But none of her varied talents can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes��poof��in a cloud of betrayal and disillusion.

But there is no time to pout or sulk, or even grieve the life she lost.��She's too��busy keeping a roof over her daughters' heads and food on the table.��And in the process of saving them all, Soledad rediscovers herself. From the ashes of a life burned to the ground, something bold and new can rise.

But then an unlikely man enters the picture—the forbidden one, the one she shouldn't want but can't seem to resist. She's lost it all before and refuses to repeat her��mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust��herself?

After all she's lost . . .and found . . .can she be brave enough to make room for what could be?]]> 416 Kennedy Ryan 1538706822 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.37 2024
author: Kennedy Ryan
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214269328 Grieving the loss of her best friend, a young woman’s life is turned upside down when she meets a grumpy stranger who swears he can help her live again, in this heartwarming, slow-burn romance by the author of Ready or Not

Lenny’s a bit of a mess at the moment. Her best friend, Lou, recently passed away after a battle with cancer, and her death has left Lenny feeling completely lost. She’s avoiding her concerned parents, the apartment she shared with Lou, and the list of things she’s supposed to do to help her live again. The only thing she can do is temporary babysitting gigs, and luckily, she just landed a great one, helping overworked, single mom Reese and her precocious daughter, Ainsley. It’s not perfect: Ainsley’s uncle, Miles, always seems to be around, and is kind of... a huge jerk. But if Lenny acts like she has it all together, maybe no one will notice she’s falling apart.

Miles sees right through her though. Turns out, he knows a lot about grief and, surprisingly, he offers her a proposition. He’ll help her complete everything on her “live again�� list if she’ll help him connect with Ainsley and overcome his complicated relationship with Reese. Lenny doubts anything can fill the Lou has left behind, but she begins to spend more time with Miles, Lenny is surprised to discover that, sometimes, losing everything is only the first step to finding yourself, and love, again.]]> 416 Cara Bastone 0593595734 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.28 2025
author: Cara Bastone
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218695924 A talent agent hires an actress to play the part of “novelist�� on a book tour for his agency’s publicity-shy client in this delightful rom-com from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Reese’s Book Club Pick One Day in December

She’s playing the part of romance author, but has she found her own real life love story?

Talent agent Charlie Francisco has three problems: a divorce that ended his screenwriting career, a business he never planned to inherit, and a take-your-breath-away romance novel whose author wants nothing to do with its publication. The book is a surefire hit, if only his agency can find someone to “play�� author on its summer book tour.

Enter Kate Elliott, a former soap actress who’s miraculously right for the part at the very moment her life seems to be going all wrong. Kate is still recovering from her own divorce and Charlie’s job offer is a lifeline. She agrees to the pretense for all interviews, signings, and appearances surrounding the novel’s publication. But she can’t know who really wrote the remarkable story—the one so beautiful it’s made her believe in love again.

When Kate and Charlie meet they’re all friction and sparks—the one thing they have in common is they’re determined to play their respective parts. But as the summer heat ups and the lies get bigger and bigger, can they stick to their lines . . . or will they go off-script?]]> 352 Josie Silver 0593722884 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read I got the arc 4.02 2025
author: Josie Silver
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:
I got the arc
]]> 177121503
According to the FBI, I was considered a serial murderer after three kills. What do they call me after fifty-two? They call me the Silencer. One final bullet would have been all it took to stop me from taking another soul, and I would have been doing Meridian City a service by pulling that trigger. An angel crying for help stopped me, and that night, I took three lives for her. Then three turned into eight. Then eight turned into twenty. Twenty turned into twenty-one. Twenty one turned into twenty-three. Elena Young is the hero in my story, but I’m the villain in hers. And this is the kind of story where the villain gets the girl, even if it kills her.]]> 660 Ariel N. Anderson mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.42 2023
author: Ariel N. Anderson
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 58909880 The New York Times best-selling author of Final Girls and Survive the Night is back with his most unexpected thriller yet.

Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actress trying to escape a streak of bad press, has retreated to the peace and quiet of her family’s lake house in Vermont. Armed with a pair of binoculars and several bottles of liquor, she passes the time watching Tom and Katherine Royce, the glamorous couple who live in the house across the lake. They make for good viewing—a tech innovator, Tom is rich; and a former model, Katherine is gorgeous.

One day on the lake, Casey saves Katherine from drowning, and the two strike up a budding friendship. But the more they get to know each other—and the longer Casey watches—it becomes clear that Katherine and Tom’s marriage is not as perfect and placid as it appears. When Katherine suddenly vanishes, Casey becomes consumed with finding out what happened to her. In the process, she uncovers eerie, darker truths that turn a tale of voyeurism and suspicion into a story of guilt, obsession and how looks can be very deceiving.

With his trademark blend of sharp characters, psychological suspense, and gasp-worthy surprises, Riley Sager’s The House Across the Lake unveils more than one twist that will shock readers until the very last page.]]> 369 Riley Sager mai ༉‧⋆˚. 3 3-stars
It was okay. I expected more than what we got. Idk like I was intrigued, but not to the point that I truly enjoyed it. It was just an okay read- not bad, not good.]]> 3.58 2022
author: Riley Sager
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/05
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: 3-stars
review:
3 ��

It was okay. I expected more than what we got. Idk like I was intrigued, but not to the point that I truly enjoyed it. It was just an okay read- not bad, not good.
]]> 59335119 Avery's fortune, life, and loves are on the line in the game that everyone will be talking about.

To inherit billions, all Avery Kylie Grambs has to do is survive a few more weeks living in Hawthorne House. The paparazzi are dogging her every step. Financial pressures are building. Danger is a fact of life. And the only thing getting Avery through it all is the Hawthorne brothers. Her life is intertwined with theirs. She knows their secrets, and they know her.

But as the clock ticks down to when Avery will become the richest teenager on the planet, trouble arrives in the form of a visitor who needs her help - and whose presence in Hawthorne House could change everything. It soon becomes clear that there is one last puzzle to solve, and Avery and the Hawthorne brothers are drawn into a dangerous game against an unknown and powerful player.

Secrets upon secrets. Riddles upon riddles. In this game, there are hearts and lives at stake-and there is nothing more Hawthorne than winning.]]> 374 Jennifer Lynn Barnes mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4 almost-5-stars, my-loves
"The only person I trust with all that I am and all that could be, Heiress, is you."

Everyone clap for Jameson bc my gosh if he said that to me???? ]]> 4.09 2022
author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/14
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: almost-5-stars, my-loves
review:
4,5 ��

"The only person I trust with all that I am and all that could be, Heiress, is you."

Everyone clap for Jameson bc my gosh if he said that to me????
]]> 36229962
As he talks about this plucky little girl, the father also reveals more about himself: his triumphs in business, his failures as a parent, his past regrets, his hopes for the future.

Now, on a cold winter’s night, the father has been given an unexpected chance to do something remarkable that could change the destiny of a little girl he hardly knows. But before he can make the deal of a lifetime, he must find out what his own life has actually been worth, and only his son can reveal that answer.

With humor and compassion, Fredrik Backman’s The Deal of a Lifetime reminds us that life is a fleeting gift, and our legacy rests in how we share that gift with others.]]> 65 Fredrik Backman 150119349X mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4
Stupid stupid Fredrik and your stupid stupid talent in hitting me in the heart ever. Single. Time.

��

“We discover we need someone to sweep us off our feet to realize what time really is.��

“Maybe everyone feels that way about their hometown: the place we’re from never apologizes, never admits that it was wrong about us. It just sits there, at the end of the motorway, whispering: “You might be all rich and powerful now. And maybe you do come home with expensive watches and fancy clothes. But you can’t fool me, because I know who you really are. You’re just a scared little boy.��

“When five-year-old girls die, no one writes about that, there aren’t any memorials in the evening papers, their feet are still too small, they haven’t had time to make anyone care about their footsteps yet. But people care about me because of what I’ll leave behind, what I’ve built and achieved, businesses and properties and assets.��

“But the vast majority of successful people don’t become bastards, we were bastards long before. That’s why we’ve been successful.��

�� Because people like you trust me, you drive thousands of kilos of metal at hundreds of kilometers an hour, hurtling through the darkness with the people you love most sleeping in the backseat, and when someone like me approaches from the opposite direction, you trust that I don’t have bad brakes. That I’m not looking for my phone between the seats, not driving too fast, not drifting between lanes because I’m blinking the tears from my eyes. That I’m not sitting on the slip road to the 111 with my headlights out, just waiting for a lorry. You trust me. That I’m not drunk. That I’m not going to kill you.��

“Don’t be brave. If you’re scared, be scared. All survivors are.��

“I’m an egoist, you learnt that early on. Your mother once screamed that I’m the kind of person who doesn’t have any equals, I only have people above me that I want something from and people beneath me who I trample on. She was right, so I kept going until there was no one left above me.��

“You were always someone who ‘could be happy.�� You don’t know how much of a blessing that is.��

“I failed with you. I tried to make you tough. You ended up kind.��

“All leaders, all of your heroes, they’ve been obsessed. Happy people don’t get obsessed, they don’t devote their lives to curing illnesses or making planes take off. The happy leave nothing behind. They live for the sake of living, they’re only on earth as consumers. Not me.��

“It’s bloody awful to admit to yourself that you’re not the kind of person you’ve always thought you were. ��

“I thought about whether you would have done it, given your life for someone else. You probably would. Because you’re your mother’s son, and she’s already given a life. The one she could have lived if she hadn’t lived for you and for me.��

“You wiped the bar and sorted the glasses, and I thought about the love in your hands. You’ve always touched the things you like as though they had a pulse. ��

“And you laughed then. Loudly. It made me sing inside.��

“I should have told you I was proud.��

“You’re not scared. You’re just grieving. No one tells you humans that your sorrow feels like fear.��
“What are we grieving?��
“T������.��

“You’ll never read this. You’ve never sat waiting on the steps outside your mother’s house. I’ve never wasted your time.��

“You’ll wake up soon. It’s Christmas Eve morning. And I loved you.��]]> 3.78 2017
author: Fredrik Backman
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: almost-5-stars, tears-were-dropped, out-of-my-comfort-zone
review:
4,5 ��

Stupid stupid Fredrik and your stupid stupid talent in hitting me in the heart ever. Single. Time.

��

“We discover we need someone to sweep us off our feet to realize what time really is.��

“Maybe everyone feels that way about their hometown: the place we’re from never apologizes, never admits that it was wrong about us. It just sits there, at the end of the motorway, whispering: “You might be all rich and powerful now. And maybe you do come home with expensive watches and fancy clothes. But you can’t fool me, because I know who you really are. You’re just a scared little boy.��

“When five-year-old girls die, no one writes about that, there aren’t any memorials in the evening papers, their feet are still too small, they haven’t had time to make anyone care about their footsteps yet. But people care about me because of what I’ll leave behind, what I’ve built and achieved, businesses and properties and assets.��

“But the vast majority of successful people don’t become bastards, we were bastards long before. That’s why we’ve been successful.��

�� Because people like you trust me, you drive thousands of kilos of metal at hundreds of kilometers an hour, hurtling through the darkness with the people you love most sleeping in the backseat, and when someone like me approaches from the opposite direction, you trust that I don’t have bad brakes. That I’m not looking for my phone between the seats, not driving too fast, not drifting between lanes because I’m blinking the tears from my eyes. That I’m not sitting on the slip road to the 111 with my headlights out, just waiting for a lorry. You trust me. That I’m not drunk. That I’m not going to kill you.��

“Don’t be brave. If you’re scared, be scared. All survivors are.��

“I’m an egoist, you learnt that early on. Your mother once screamed that I’m the kind of person who doesn’t have any equals, I only have people above me that I want something from and people beneath me who I trample on. She was right, so I kept going until there was no one left above me.��

“You were always someone who ‘could be happy.�� You don’t know how much of a blessing that is.��

“I failed with you. I tried to make you tough. You ended up kind.��

“All leaders, all of your heroes, they’ve been obsessed. Happy people don’t get obsessed, they don’t devote their lives to curing illnesses or making planes take off. The happy leave nothing behind. They live for the sake of living, they’re only on earth as consumers. Not me.��

“It’s bloody awful to admit to yourself that you’re not the kind of person you’ve always thought you were. ��

“I thought about whether you would have done it, given your life for someone else. You probably would. Because you’re your mother’s son, and she’s already given a life. The one she could have lived if she hadn’t lived for you and for me.��

“You wiped the bar and sorted the glasses, and I thought about the love in your hands. You’ve always touched the things you like as though they had a pulse. ��

“And you laughed then. Loudly. It made me sing inside.��

“I should have told you I was proud.��

“You’re not scared. You’re just grieving. No one tells you humans that your sorrow feels like fear.��
“What are we grieving?��
“T������.��

“You’ll never read this. You’ve never sat waiting on the steps outside your mother’s house. I’ve never wasted your time.��

“You’ll wake up soon. It’s Christmas Eve morning. And I loved you.��
]]> 58995736
The quintessential question asked to every couple. And the answer is usually some bubbly, lovey dovey tale of being struck in the bum by Cupid’s arrow.

My meet cute (well not so meet cute) is slightly different. I was trolling a wealthy neighborhood in Beverly Hills, searching for someone to take me as their bride, you know, to make my arch nemesis jealous who consequently just fired me.

He was stomping around the block like some sort of gorgeous ogre, mumbling about a business deal gone wrong and attempting to finagle his way out of it.

And that’s when we bumped into each other.

There were no sparks.

Not even a hint of blossoming love.

But next thing I knew, I was scarfing down free chips and guac, listening to this man lay out all of his problems which led to his big ask . . . he wanted me to be his Vivian Ward, you know, from Pretty Woman--minus the frisky behavior.

We’re talking about living in a mansion, intimate double dates, and pretending we were head over heels in love . . . and engaged. Can you imagine?

The absolute audacity.

But people do crazy things when they’re desperate. And I reeked of desperation. So, I struck up a deal.

My one big mistake, though . . . big . . . HUGE? I accidentally fell for the incomparable Huxley Cane.]]> 404 Meghan Quinn mai ༉‧⋆˚. 1 not-for-me, 1-star
My first ever 1 star read]]> 3.94 2021
author: Meghan Quinn
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2021
rating: 1
read at: 2022/01/28
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: not-for-me, 1-star
review:
1 ��

My first ever 1 star read
]]> 122779502
The day I meet him, the ruthless mercenary leaves me for dead.

Just hours after humans are born, the gods take what little power we have. In return, they protect our borders from the vicious, merciless fae.

The humans who manage to keep their power are known as the corrupt.
And they are burned.

When my forbidden power is discovered, I’m forced to flee my tiny village and the life I adore.

To survive, I make a desperate bargain with the mercenary who abandoned me at my weakest.

Our deal is simple: I’ll help him and his mysterious friends sneak into the city. And he’ll help me learn to wield the strange, dark power I’ve always kept hidden. The power that may just be the key to my survival.

But the ruthless mercenary is hiding secrets of his own. Secrets that threaten the safety of everyone I love. Secrets that could tear this kingdom—and perhaps even this world—apart.

Please note: A Court This Cruel and Lovely is an NA/adult romantasy book with steam. While this series is slow burn, the chili pepper rating will increase for each book.]]> 562 Stacia Stark mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.10 2023
author: Stacia Stark
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 59417433 This is not your typical love story.

It’s a story of almosts and could-have-beens.
Of friendship that teeters on the edge of something more.
Of passion so intoxicating, it burns.

Jamie and B are two hearts caught in the tangle of bad timing and unspoken words. Their connection defies labels—too deep for friendship, too tangled for love. Over a decade of moments, choices, and missed opportunities, they find themselves drawn together like a moth to a flame, even when the world—and their own mistakes—keep pulling them apart.

Is it obsession? Destiny? Or just self-destruction with a pretty face?

Sometimes, love isn’t about finding the right person—it’s about the moment when everything aligns.
But what if that moment never comes?

This special edition features:
* A Love Letter to Whiskey (the full, heart-wrenching story)
* Love, Whiskey (Jamie’s side, plus an extended epilogue)
* Bonus content, including behind-the-scenes stories, fun facts, and letters from the author and audiobook narrator]]> 608 Kandi Steiner mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.23
author: Kandi Steiner
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199196321 New York Times bestseller Elle Kennedy brings you the first in the sexy Off-Campus series that everyone is talking about.

She's about to make a deal with the college bad boy . . .

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she's carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush's attention, she'll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice . . . even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date

. . . and it's going to be oh so good

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he's worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he's all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn't take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn't going to cut it.

Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

Praise for The Deal:

'I loved this book! If you love NA, you must read The Deal!' Monica Murphy, New York Times bestselling author

'Deliciously steamy and heart-achingly tender' Katy Evans, New York Times bestselling author

'The feelings, the romance, the unbridled sexiness . . . you will swoon for Garrett!' Alice Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of Wallbanger

'Sexy, sweet, and emotionally satisfying. I loved this book and did not want it to end!' Kristen Callihan, USA Today bestselling author]]> 342 Elle Kennedy 0349440832 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.08 2015
author: Elle Kennedy
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 84943172
She’s a distraction, that’s what she is.

I’m the newest Captain of the Devils, Chicago’s NBA team, and the last thing I needed this year was for Indy Ivers, my sister’s best friend, to move into my apartment. She’s messy, emotional, and way too tempting.

But when the team’s General Manager vocalizes his blatant disapproval of my promotion to Captain, referring to me as an unapproachable lone wolf with no work-life balance, I can’t think of a better way to convince him otherwise than pretending to date my outgoing roommate.

The only problem? Faking it feels far too natural.

Having a fake girlfriend wasn’t supposed to be messy but having Indy under my roof and in my bed is complicated, especially when she wants all the romantic parts of life that I could never give her.


INDY

I never imagined I’d be living with my best friend’s brother, NBA superstar Ryan Shay. Even more unbelievable? He needs me to act as his loving girlfriend who’s suddenly changed him into a friendly and approachable guy.

Because, well…he’s not. He’s controlling of his space and untrusting of others.

Our arrangement isn’t one-sided, though. I’m in a wedding coming up, one where every one of my childhood friends, including my ex-boyfriend, will be in attendance, and there’s no better date than my ex’s celebrity hero.

Blurred lines make it almost impossible to separate real from fake. Falling for my roommate was never part of the deal, especially when Ryan is quick to remind me that he doesn’t believe in love.

I’m a romantic and can’t help fantasizing that he’ll change, but soon enough, I find myself questioning if sharing a roof with my best friend’s brother was the right move after all]]> 499 Liz Tomforde mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4
“And so much fucking Blue. All I see is Blue.”��
Translation: All I see is you.

This is not a heavy book, but it talks about some heavy topics so pls check trigger warnings!

I did not enjoy this book as much as I hoped I would enjoy it, but I still ended up loving it & I don’t think I will ever get over Indy and Ryan- they were such fun characters to follow along and they were even better together.

Before I go into this I want you to know this is a 4 star bc:
-> first 55% = 3/3.5 ��
-> the rest = 4.5/5 ��
So overal rating = 4 ��

“But let me make this clear, when it comes to her, I have no issue ruining my reputation. I will burn the world down to protect her and I’ll proudly wave the match, so everyone knows I’m the one who did it.��

The first 50/55% of the book wasn’t really that good- not because of the scenes or characters but because I did not enjoy their relationship. You see, Ryan and Indy are constantly thinking about the other in a lustful way and that is also how they were with one another. The first 30% or something was basically them struggling with their sexual desire for the other one and thennn it developed to this until we hit 55%:
“We are pretending.��
“You are mine.��
“We are pretending.��
“No one can touch you, I want to be the only one to touch your body.��
“We are pretending.��
“You turn me on.��
“We are pretending.��
“Wait you want me to touch you?��
“I told you you turn me on.��
“No, we are pretending.��

I personally do not like books were it all starts with lust or books were the smuty scenes are not separated from the actual story. This is not only because I skip all the smut in my books (including all the paragraphs & one-liners) and it gets annoying, but it most likely is because I personally feel like lustful books take away the elements that I yearn for in a romance book. again, this is my personal opinion.

That is exactly what was the case in the first 50% and why I almost gave it 3 stars- the lust was just too much and it was taking away the elements I like. Were there good scenes? Yes 100%, but the ‘bad�� was overpowering the ‘good�� for me. Thankfully, the second half of the story was so immensely good it made it all up.

“Sometimes the quietest love is the loudest,��

You know what the second half of the book didn’t have? Lust. Was there smut? Yes, I had to skip like 6 scenes, but the smut was separated from the story so their relationship didn’t feel like it was about lust anymore. It was about them. About them being in love with each other, but not knowing it’s love. About them learning more about the other and feeling emotions both of them haven’t felt in so long. It was about them learning what real love is and being vulnerable.
I do not enjoy reading about people being in a relationship (that’s also why I eat Mariana Zapata books up), but my gosh did this book DELIVER on that front. The author did such an immaculate job, it was seriously so good.

“Ryan doesn’t make me feel like a burden. He doesn’t make me feel like I’m too much. I’ve offered him absolutely nothing other than exactly who I am, and he’s embraced every part of me, good and bad.����

Indy did some things I did not like (bc I love her so much, I won’t mention them), but when I looked past all that (and all her annoying lustful talking) she was seriously such a sweet and fun character to follow along. I don’t remember when the last time was I read about someone as bubbly as her, and it was fun to read about a character who is so happy all the time but still has a lot going on. I liked her chapters a lot even though she was a little stupid at times but it’s okay she’s a reader what makes her one of us ]]> 4.39 2023
author: Liz Tomforde
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/01
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves:
review:
4 ��

“And so much fucking Blue. All I see is Blue.”��
Translation: All I see is you.

This is not a heavy book, but it talks about some heavy topics so pls check trigger warnings!

I did not enjoy this book as much as I hoped I would enjoy it, but I still ended up loving it & I don’t think I will ever get over Indy and Ryan- they were such fun characters to follow along and they were even better together.

Before I go into this I want you to know this is a 4 star bc:
-> first 55% = 3/3.5 ��
-> the rest = 4.5/5 ��
So overal rating = 4 ��

“But let me make this clear, when it comes to her, I have no issue ruining my reputation. I will burn the world down to protect her and I’ll proudly wave the match, so everyone knows I’m the one who did it.��

The first 50/55% of the book wasn’t really that good- not because of the scenes or characters but because I did not enjoy their relationship. You see, Ryan and Indy are constantly thinking about the other in a lustful way and that is also how they were with one another. The first 30% or something was basically them struggling with their sexual desire for the other one and thennn it developed to this until we hit 55%:
“We are pretending.��
“You are mine.��
“We are pretending.��
“No one can touch you, I want to be the only one to touch your body.��
“We are pretending.��
“You turn me on.��
“We are pretending.��
“Wait you want me to touch you?��
“I told you you turn me on.��
“No, we are pretending.��

I personally do not like books were it all starts with lust or books were the smuty scenes are not separated from the actual story. This is not only because I skip all the smut in my books (including all the paragraphs & one-liners) and it gets annoying, but it most likely is because I personally feel like lustful books take away the elements that I yearn for in a romance book. again, this is my personal opinion.

That is exactly what was the case in the first 50% and why I almost gave it 3 stars- the lust was just too much and it was taking away the elements I like. Were there good scenes? Yes 100%, but the ‘bad�� was overpowering the ‘good�� for me. Thankfully, the second half of the story was so immensely good it made it all up.

“Sometimes the quietest love is the loudest,��

You know what the second half of the book didn’t have? Lust. Was there smut? Yes, I had to skip like 6 scenes, but the smut was separated from the story so their relationship didn’t feel like it was about lust anymore. It was about them. About them being in love with each other, but not knowing it’s love. About them learning more about the other and feeling emotions both of them haven’t felt in so long. It was about them learning what real love is and being vulnerable.
I do not enjoy reading about people being in a relationship (that’s also why I eat Mariana Zapata books up), but my gosh did this book DELIVER on that front. The author did such an immaculate job, it was seriously so good.

“Ryan doesn’t make me feel like a burden. He doesn’t make me feel like I’m too much. I’ve offered him absolutely nothing other than exactly who I am, and he’s embraced every part of me, good and bad.����

Indy did some things I did not like (bc I love her so much, I won’t mention them), but when I looked past all that (and all her annoying lustful talking) she was seriously such a sweet and fun character to follow along. I don’t remember when the last time was I read about someone as bubbly as her, and it was fun to read about a character who is so happy all the time but still has a lot going on. I liked her chapters a lot even though she was a little stupid at times but it’s okay she’s a reader what makes her one of us
]]> 31458203
Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.

Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.]]> 450 Marissa Meyer 1509814132 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4 almost-5-stars, my-loves
“Catherine, I don’t want your heart to belong to anyone but me.��

Marissa Meyer onve again proves why she is a magnificent young adult author, transforming classic fantasy tales into something even more enchanting and unique. The lunar chronicle was definitely better than this (the story sadly enough did have some boring parts, and it starts veryyyy slow), but the overall story, characters and romance was just done so welllllllll I freaking loved it.

“You. After everything. I choose you.��

Be aware, this story has a bad ending, so make sure your heart is ready to take the pain. I still can’t believe they did my baby like that and watching that scene happen (and how quickly we went over it) and then watching Catherine change in the women who everyone fears was so painful to read. It’s crazy how, If her parents just listened to her and let HER choose how she wants to live her life, all of this would not have happened. But it did, and it was beautifully devastating to read.

“Do be careful, said joker. A heart once stolen, can never be taken back.��

Overal this was a very good story- could have been shorter, but listening to it really helped. The writing was easy and beautiful like always and Mai will forever recommend this book to people just so they can go through the same pain I went through ]]> 4.01 2016
author: Marissa Meyer
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/11
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: almost-5-stars, my-loves
review:
4,25 ��

“Catherine, I don’t want your heart to belong to anyone but me.��

Marissa Meyer onve again proves why she is a magnificent young adult author, transforming classic fantasy tales into something even more enchanting and unique. The lunar chronicle was definitely better than this (the story sadly enough did have some boring parts, and it starts veryyyy slow), but the overall story, characters and romance was just done so welllllllll I freaking loved it.

“You. After everything. I choose you.��

Be aware, this story has a bad ending, so make sure your heart is ready to take the pain. I still can’t believe they did my baby like that and watching that scene happen (and how quickly we went over it) and then watching Catherine change in the women who everyone fears was so painful to read. It’s crazy how, If her parents just listened to her and let HER choose how she wants to live her life, all of this would not have happened. But it did, and it was beautifully devastating to read.

“Do be careful, said joker. A heart once stolen, can never be taken back.��

Overal this was a very good story- could have been shorter, but listening to it really helped. The writing was easy and beautiful like always and Mai will forever recommend this book to people just so they can go through the same pain I went through
]]> 224796879 If you're looking for political intrigue, morally ambiguous characters and a super portayal of enemies this book is for you.�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

What if you fall for the one you are fated to destroy?‘One of my top 10 reads and I cannot wait to read more�� a must read for any romantasy fans�� NetGalley Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

The Holy States teach that everyone is born with a Soulmate. But every coin has two sides��

Renza di Maineri is the youngest elected leader her city has ever seen. Devoted to the citizens of Halice, she is determined to prove herself and finally step beyond her father’s shadow. But her world falls apart when she meets her worst nightmare, Idris Patricelli.

It’s bad enough that Idris is her main political rival, but fate is playing a cruel game. Idris is also her Soulhate, the person she is fated to destroy, and every moment in his presence she fights an urge to rip his throat out.

As gossip spreads and her ability to lead is challenged, Renza is desperate to salvage her reputation. But fate is not quite finished with her yet�� can she uncover who can be trusted among those closest to her, when she cannot even trust herself?

See why readers love Soul Hate 'What a unique premise! I had a blast with this one. So delightful. What a twist on a beloved formula!�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

‘I LOVED this! A very entertaining enemies-to-lovers style book and I thought that it was so well done and had great banter, great characters, and interesting plot�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

'I could not put this book down�� highly recommend this book�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

'An unexpected favorite this year with a cast of interesting characters, a nicely executed plot with exciting mystery elements to it. I was hooked from the first page and couldn't stop reading until I reached the end�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

'It had a strong fantasy element that I was looking for�� I was invested in the characters�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

'The concept of Soulmates and Soulhates adds a fresh, exciting twist to the enemies-to-lovers trope�� an irresistible read that’s impossible to put down�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

'There is so much to this book that I absolutely love and adore, I am a huge fan of enemies to lovers and I love the idea of there not only being soulmates but there also being soulhates�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

'The concept of “soulhate" is refreshingly unique, and I found myself captivated, devouring the book in a single day�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐]]> 384 Hannah Kingsley 0008707529 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 3.50
author: Hannah Kingsley
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218137764 A small-town Christmas novella by the New York Times bestselling author of LAKEFRONT BILLIONAIRES series that will make you want to pack your bags and spend the holiday in Lake Wisteria.

Catalina
Playing the part of my sister’s maid of honor is easy even if she’s marrying my ex.
But playing nice with the best man? An impossible task given our history.
Sure, Luke Darling may be suspiciously kind, incredibly handsome, and stubborn to a fault, but regardless of how hard he tries to make me see otherwise, I’m not interested.
It’s on me to remind him that he’s my ex-boyfriend’s best friend.
And the one I’m secretly starting to wish I met first.

Luke
My job as the best man is a simple one, except for one minor issue.
I’ve spent so much time avoiding my best friend’s ex that I didn’t consider what could happen if I started craving Catalina Martinez’s company instead.
She is only in Lake Wisteria for the winter wedding, but her January departure date won’t stop me from pursuing her.
Getting her to date me would be nothing short of a Christmas miracle, but I’m determined to make her mine.
‘Tis the season to fall in love…even if I’m the only one taking the risk.

My December Darling is a 50,000 word, Christmas-themed romance between a grumpy maid of honor and an outgoing best man who chases after what he wants. ]]> 252 Lauren Asher 1964990025 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4 4-stars
Luke Luke Luke
The. Man. That. You. Are.

Well I can say with a smile that my first Lauren Asher book was a hit ]]> 3.72 2024
author: Lauren Asher
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/28
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: 4-stars
review:
4 ��

Luke Luke Luke
The. Man. That. You. Are.

Well I can say with a smile that my first Lauren Asher book was a hit
]]> 222014486
The tragic murder of her father, the famed Pirate King - and the revolutionary waves it left behind - bound Donna Balboa to a life of privilege within the oppressive walls of Tidia’s court. For years, she’s felt trapped in the place she once called home, secretly breaking a forbidden law that keeps nobles from the shore and ships from the sea. Yet each night, she risks everything to chase her only dream: to sail the seas as a pirate, just as her father once did.

But the call of the waves is undeniable, whispering of something greater beyond the horizon. And after years of praying to the heavens, an unexpected twist shatters what should have been the most important day of her life, entangling her with the crew of a notorious ship - and its infamous, wanted captain. A captain haunted by a past that even the Gods seem unwilling to forgive, and as their bond deepens, so do the nightmares and omens that threaten to expose secrets which could doom any chance at what Donna believes could be love.
Pursued by Kingdoms for embracing the pirate code, Donna Balboa must navigate treacherous waters, caught in tides of vengeance and ancient mysteries. When she discovers she holds the key to unlocking a power the Gods themselves seem to fear, Donna must decide where her true allegiance lies.

BUT THE GODS AND THE SEAS ARE FICKLE, AND LOVE, VENGEANCE, AND SURVIVAL DON’T ALWAYS SAIL THE SAME COURSE.

Pirates of the Caribbean meets Once Upon a Broken Heart in this spellbinding romantic fantasy of adventure, curses, betrayal, and forbidden love on the high seas.]]> 481 Rut S. Díaz 8409675951 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.42
author: Rut S. Díaz
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.42
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223641012 The road to redemption is far from smooth as ice in this sweeping romance between a figure skater and hockey player from the USA Today bestselling author of Collide.

Sierra Romanova was an Olympian figure skater before a life-altering accident on the ice left her with panic attacks every time she enters the rink. Now, back for her final year at Dalton University, she’s ready to reclaim the spotlight, with all eyes on her…including those of hockey player Dylan Donovan, whose audacious words goad her back into her skates to prove him wrong.

After getting kicked off his hockey team for his reckless behavior, Dylan is left with slim chances of making it to the NHL draft. But Dylan’s whole world revolves around the ice, and if hockey is forbidden, well at least there’s figure skating. Even better, it means more time at the rink with Sierra. Sure, he’s helping her rebuild her confidence, but pushing her buttons along the way? That’s just a bonus.

As the figure skating world awaits Sierra's comeback, she finds herself in need for a new pairs partner. The only person she knows who can match her skill on the ice is none other than the cocky hockey player who refuses to cut her any slack. Dylan's a wildcard, Sierra's a seasoned pro, but together, they might just be the perfect match on the ice.]]> 416 Bal Khabra 059381830X mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.38
author: Bal Khabra
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.38
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 197306586 She’s an honors student with ambitious graduate school plans and he’s a jock with only hockey on his mind, but once their worlds collide, their connection is hot enough to melt an ice rink.

An ultimatum from Summer Preston’s thesis advisor thrusts her into an unexpected collision with the hockey team’s captain, Aiden Crawford. She’s caught between conflicting desires of fulfilling her lifelong dream of becoming a sport psychologist and staying as far away as possible from the god-awful sport. And once she meets Aiden—well, let’s just say he confirms all her worst assumptions about hockey players.

Being the captain of the college hockey team has its perks, except when a reckless mistake by Aiden’s team threatens to jeopardize their entire season. As punishment, Aiden’s coach nominates him as the subject of a student research project. Participating is the last thing he wants to do, especially since the girl leading the project looks like she could wield his skates as a weapon.

Summer can’t stand Aiden’s blasé approach to life, and Aiden doesn’t understand why she’s twenty years old with a twenty-five-year plan. But their bickering soon turns to bantering—and once they let their guards down, there’s nothing to check their feelings.]]> 395 Bal Khabra mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 3.78 2023
author: Bal Khabra
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199246937
He’s on edge while she’s en pointe in this fake-dating sports romance from the author of the smash hit Collide.

Elias Westbrook, a newly drafted hockey player for the Toronto Thunder, is facing the challenges of fame and media scrutiny. With a growing fan base and too many expectations on his shoulders, he’s struggling to make his first career goal. The tabloids are reporting on his every move, including which woman he was last seen with, but all he wants to do is escape the spotlight.

Enter from stage left Sage Beaumont, an aspiring ballerina with dreams of joining the Aurora Ballet Theatre, but her lack of popularity online leaves her at a major disadvantage for securing the lead role. When Sage finds herself with the perfect opportunity to make her dreams come true by fake dating Elias, she takes her shot.

Soon enough, the flimsy fake-dating rules they set in place fall away in the face of their sizzling connection. But before things spiral out of control, Sage and Elias will have to decide if they’re willing to take the leap together or if they'll call it quits.]]> Bal Khabra mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 3.86 2025
author: Bal Khabra
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214152028 The highly anticipated follow-up to Peyton Corinne’s “unputdownable and unforgettable�� (Bal Khabra, author of Collide) TikTok sensation Unsteady follows hopeless romantic Ro and player—on and off the ice—Freddy as their feelings for each other grow from strictly friendly to so much more.

Matt “Freddy�� Fedderic is all smiles—at least on the surface. On the ice, he’s the star left winger for the Waterfell Wolves with a stellar reputation in bed and a potential future in the NHL. But in the classroom, he’s barely scraping by on a 2.0 GPA, retaking dropped classes and struggling with a rough mix of dyslexia, dyscalculia, and ADHD. Freddy had plans to enter the NHL draft at eighteen, but then his estranged father added a “graduation�� clause to his inheritance, and now, he needs help to pass Biology with a professor who’s already betrayed him before.

Ro Shariff is a hopeless romantic with terrible luck in love—and now, Freddy’s new tutor. She keeps telling herself that she’s very happy with her on again/off again boyfriend, but Ro is desperate for real affection. As her tutoring sessions with Freddy lead to friendship and late-night phone calls, an undeniable heat begins to simmer between them, which they’re both trying desperately to ignore.

Although they are too protective of their newfound friendship to cross that line, Ro can’t stop thinking about how Freddy was her first kiss her freshman year at Waterfell, a spine-tingling moment seared into Ro’s memory that Freddy doesn’t seem to remember, and Freddy is determined to protect Ro from his reputation at all costs. Meanwhile, Ro wants to prove to him that despite what others have led him to believe, he’s worth more than his body. But maybe, just maybe, together they can learn how easily the right person can love every part of you, even your flaws.]]> 464 Peyton Corinne 1668068486 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.11 2025
author: Peyton Corinne
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 29367958
But when Aiden Graves shows up at her door wanting her to come back, she's beyond shocked.

For two years, the man known as The Wall of Winnipeg couldn't find it in him to tell her good morning or congratulate her on her birthday. Now? He's asking for the unthinkable.

What do you say to the man who is used to getting everything he wants?]]> 475 Mariana Zapata mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4 4-stars, my-loves 4,5 ��<br /><br />" 4.18 2016
author: Mariana Zapata
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/11
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: 4-stars, my-loves
review:
4,5 ��

"
]]> 199798652
When his procrastination lands him in a difficult class with his least favorite professor, Henry Turner knows he’s going to have to work extra hard to survive his junior year of college. And now with his new title of captain for the hockey team—which he didn’t even want—Henry absolutely cannot fail. Enter Halle Jacobs, a fellow junior who finds herself befriended by Henry when he accidentally crashes her book club.

Halle may not have the romantic pursuits of her favorite fictional leads, but she’s an academic superstar, and as soon as she hears about Henry’s problems with his class reading material, she offers to help. Too bad being a private tutor isn’t exactly ideal given her own studies, job, book club, and the novel she’s trying to write. But new experiences are the key to beating her writer’s block, and Henry’s promising to be the one to give them to her.

They just need to stick to their rule book.

Oh, and not fall in love.]]> 433 Hannah Grace 1668026252 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 3.92 2024
author: Hannah Grace
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

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

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

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

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

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


Court of Winter is book one in a four-book enemies-to-lovers fae fantasy romance that takes place in Krista Street’s Supernatural World. This series contains steamy romance, a strong female fae who refuses to bow, a morally gray prince whose brutality knows no bounds, and a deadly tangle of royal strife and intrigue.]]> 354 Krista Street mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.12 2023
author: Krista Street
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199926331 Estranged exes must stick close together to save their best friend’s wedding after a string of disasters in this swoony and steamy second-chance romance.

Georgia Woodward lives by her lists, none more so than the one about her ex, Eli Mora. It’s full of the ironclad dos and don’ts they’ve been following since she returned to the Bay Area after their cataclysmic breakup five years ago.

With the wedding of their mutual best friend, Adam, looming, and them about to step into their roles as best woman and man, Georgia’s never needed it more. She refuses to threaten their tight-knit friend group with her messy—and still very present—feelings. The rules on that list will keep her cool, calm, and compartmentalized.

What’s not on her list? Eli arriving from New York with a new rule-breaking attitude or the all-inclusive venue burning to the ground, leaving the bride and groom in dire straits. Nor does she anticipate Adam asking her and Eli to help him make a miracle happen. Together.

As Georgia and Eli rush up to Napa Valley to pull off the perfect wedding, their old chemistry comes back in technicolor. Somewhere between cake tastings gone wrong, disastrous DJ auditions, and Eli’s heated attention, Georgia starts recognizing the man she fell in love with before. And if she lets herself break her rules, she might find what they’re building isn’t the something old that ruined them—it’s a chance at something new.]]> 399 Jessica Joyce 0593548434 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.13 2024
author: Jessica Joyce
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 154462768
Eve Hatch is pretty content with her life. Her apartment in Brooklyn is cozy and close to her childhood best friend Willa, but far from her midwestern, traditional family who never really understood her. While her job is only dream- adjacent , she’s hoping her passion and hard work will soon help her land a more glamorous role. And sure, her most recent romantic history has consisted of not one but two disappointing men named Derek. At least she always knows what to expect…until she finds herself expecting after an uncharacteristic one-night stand.

The unplanned pregnancy cracks open all the relationships in her life. Eve's loyal��friendship with Willa is feeling off , right when she needs her most. And it’s Willa’s steadfast older brother, Shep, who steps up to help. He has always been friendly, but now he’s checking in, ordering her surprise lunches, listening to all her complaints, and is�� suddenly kinda hot? Then there’s the baby's father, who is supportive but conflicted. Before long, Eve is rethinking everything she thought she knew about herself and her world.

Over the course of nine months, as Eve struggles to figure out the next right step in her expanding reality, she begins to realize that family and love, in all forms, can sneak up on you when you least expect it.]]> 400 Cara Bastone 0593595718 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 3.97 2024
author: Cara Bastone
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/06
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 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.02 2025
author: Hannah Bonam-Young
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 212806981 A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis.

Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself.

Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...]]> 447 Ali Hazelwood 0593550447 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.12 2025
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 75668288 The heart is a battlefield.

All Talasyn has ever known is the Hurricane Wars. Growing up an orphan in a nation under siege by the ruthless Night Emperor, Talasyn has found her family among the soldiers who fight for freedom. But she is hiding a deadly secret: light magic courses through her veins, a blazing power believed to have been wiped out years ago that can cut through the Night Empire's shadows.

Prince Alaric, the emperor's only son and heir, has been forged into a weapon by his father. Tasked with obliterating any threats to the Night Empire's rule with the strength of his armies and mighty Shadow magic, Alaric has never been bested. That is until he sees Talasyn burning brightly on the battlefield with the magic that killed his grandfather, turned his father into a monster, and ignited the Hurricane Wars. In a clash of light and dark, their powers merge and create a force the likes of which has never been seen.

Talasyn and Alaric both know this war can only end with them. But a greater threat is coming, and the strange new magic they can create together could be the only way to overcome it. Thrust into an uneasy alliance, they will confront the secrets at the heart of the war and find, in each other, a searing passion--one that could save their world...or destroy it.

An exquisite fantasy brimming with unforgettable characters, sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance, and richly drawn worlds, The Hurricane Wars marks the breathtaking debut of an extraordinary new writer.]]> 472 Thea Guanzon 0063277271 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 3.65 2023
author: Thea Guanzon
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199285128 Kennedy

I’m the only woman on staff for the Windy City Warriors, and after years of putting up with a sexist lead doctor, I’m desperate to land my dream job with a new team next year. All I have to do is maintain my professional reputation for my final season in Chicago.

But a Las Vegas run-in with the team’s shortstop threatens it all, leaving me with a fuzzy memory and a ring on my left hand.

Now, not only am I legally bound to the most persistent man I’ve ever met, but thanks to Isaiah’s scheme to save my job, I have to pretend the whole thing was a planned elopement and not a drunken mistake.

Isaiah Rhodes is reckless, impulsive, and frustratingly charming. He’s also my brand-new husband.

They got the saying wrong. What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas�� sometimes it follows you right back home.


Isaiah

As the shortstop for Chicago’s professional baseball team, I’ve had my fair share of fun. But that all ended the day Kennedy Kay became a single woman.

I’ve crushed on the team’s athletic trainer for years. I’ve flirted to no avail, so imagine my surprise when I woke up in Sin City with a ring on my finger and my favorite redhead in my bed.

We agree to stay married for one baseball season, just long enough to keep her job safe, but in my mind, I’m using our time together to prove to her I’m husband material.

Kennedy might be reluctant to join in on our game, but it’s one I refuse to lose.

So come on, wife�� play along.]]> 384 Liz Tomforde mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.44 2024
author: Liz Tomforde
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199532113 Talia Hibbert meets Carley Fortune in this swoon-worthy story of love and friendship in the age of social media—where what you see might not be all you get.

To her countless Instagram followers Josephine Boateng is the dazzling Dr. Jojo—and her opinions on health, growth, and self-love matter. Her message: be smart (she has a medical degree after all), be significant, and do not put up with foolish men.

But behind the camera, Jo’s story is more complicated—she finds her influencer career underwhelming; her potential career in medicine overwhelming, and she’s hung up on her best friend, nepo-baby and romcom heartthrob Ezra Adelman. When Ezra shows up to his thirtieth birthday party with her childhood bully on his arm, however, Josephine realizes that it’s time to take her own advice and prioritize herself for once.

No one is more shocked than Malcolm Waters when his debut novel turns him into a critic’s darling. When he’s invited to a swanky penthouse party to discuss turning his book into a film, he knows rubbing elbows with the elites of entertainment will be great for his career. The only problem: he’s not good with people, and even worse at networking.

Just when he’s about to throw in the towel, he’s rescued by none other than Dr. Jojo. He’s been following her on social media for years, and she’s even more impressive in real life. And to his bewilderment, the feeling is mutual.

But in a world where the lines between private and public are as blurred as those between friendship and love, can they risk it all for something real?]]> 368 Shirlene Obuobi 0063307316 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 3.83 2024
author: Shirlene Obuobi
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 61111295 In this heart-fluttering romance by Kristina Forest, a shy bookworm enlists her charming neighbor to help her score a date, not knowing he's the obscure author she's been corresponding with.

Shy, bookish, and admittedly awkward, Lily Greene has always felt inadequate compared to the rest of her accomplished family, who strive for Black excellence. She dreams of becoming an editor of children's books but has been frustratingly stuck in the nonfiction division for years without a promotion in sight. Lily finds escapism in her correspondences with her favorite fantasy author, and what begins as two lonely people connecting over e-mail turns into a tentative friendship and possibly something else Lily won't let herself entertain--until he ghosts her.

Months later, still crushed but determined to take charge of her life, Lily seeks a date to her sister's wedding. And the perfect person to help her is Nick Brown, her charming, attractive new neighbor, whom she feels drawn to for unexplainable reasons. Little does she know that Nick is an author--her favorite fantasy author.

Nick, who has his reasons for using a pen name and for pushing people away, soon realizes that the beautiful, quiet woman from down the hall is the same Lily he fell in love with over e-mail months ago. Unwilling to complicate things even more between them, he agrees to set her up with someone else, though this simple favor between two neighbors is anything but--not when he can't get her off his mind.]]> 403 Kristina Forest 0593546431 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 3.80 2023
author: Kristina Forest
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 223705188
Preston Lawrence takes his hockey career very seriously because brawling on the ice is the only thing he’s good at. With the championship trophy and his contract extension on the line, he needs to figure out a way to control his temper that always flares and gets him ejected whenever he faces his rival.

So, when a heartbroken blonde asks Preston for a photo with him to try to make Christian jealous, he raises the stakes. Known for avoiding the spotlight, Preston kisses Elle in front of a crowd of sports reporters, certain the video will go viral.

Their “fake�� kiss felt a little too real for Elle and Preston. It looks real to Christian too, who goes ballistic when he sees Elle in the stands wearing Preston’s jersey, and holding up a sign that insults the size of Christian’s “stick.��

Infuriating Christian helps Preston keep his head in the game so his team could win game one of four. That’s why he suggests to Elle that they keep up their charade through the championships.

Christian and Preston have a complicated history. Their rivalry intensifies further when they begin to fight over Elle.

As Elle and Preston grow closer, secrets unravel, causing Elle to question if Preston's feelings are genuine or just a part of his revenge plot against Christian.

Will Preston be able to convince Elle that his feelings for her are real, or will Christian find a way to win her back?]]> 368 L.A. Hart mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0
I am very sad to come on here and say that this sadly enough was not what I expected.

The writing was very dull from the beginning. It didn’t have any ‘flavor�� to it, but I didn’t mind it since I was genuinely interested in the story. Not so good writing is not something that scares me away as long as I’m enjoying the story, but after the 35% the story also became boring to me & mixing that with the flavorless writing just turned this fun read to a not so fun read. I got no connection with the characters & their relationship just turned weird.

I wish the writing had a little bit more to it so we had the opportunity to get to know the characters. I also wished we got more interesting scenes, banter and tension.]]> 3.97
author: L.A. Hart
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.97
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: arc-or-just-send-to-me, dnf, not-for-me
review:
Dnf 37%

I am very sad to come on here and say that this sadly enough was not what I expected.

The writing was very dull from the beginning. It didn’t have any ‘flavor�� to it, but I didn’t mind it since I was genuinely interested in the story. Not so good writing is not something that scares me away as long as I’m enjoying the story, but after the 35% the story also became boring to me & mixing that with the flavorless writing just turned this fun read to a not so fun read. I got no connection with the characters & their relationship just turned weird.

I wish the writing had a little bit more to it so we had the opportunity to get to know the characters. I also wished we got more interesting scenes, banter and tension.
]]> 61373532 Working as a nanny for the world’s grumpiest single dad should have been simple. Except I can’t keep my eyes off him. And he can’t keep his hands off of me.

Cade Eaton is thirteen years older than I am and barely looks my way. Until I get him into the hot tub one night for a game of truth or dare. Then all bets are off—and so are our clothes.

He’s gruff, a little rough around the edges. But broad-shouldered ranchers with calloused hands and filthy mouths are this city girl’s kryptonite. So who am I to resist?

But it’s in our quiet moments together that he softens. It’s when he takes care of me that I realize his hardened exterior is just a façade. It’s when I watch him go all sweet with his little boy that I really fall for him.

Someone convinced him once that his best wasn’t good enough. But I’ve never felt more cherished than I do in his arms.

My contract may say this arrangement is only for two months.

But my heart says this is forever.
]]> 476 Elsie Silver mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.39 2022
author: Elsie Silver
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 62804258 Four brothers. Two missions. One explosive read. Jennifer Lynn Barnes returns to the world of her #1 bestselling Inheritance Games trilogy, and the stakes have never been higher. ��
��
Grayson Hawthorne was raised as the heir apparent to his billionaire grandfather, taught from the cradle to put family first. Now the great Tobias Hawthorne is dead and his family disinherited, but some lessons linger. When Grayson’s half-sisters find themselves in trouble, he swoops in to do what he does best: take care of the problem—efficiently, effectively, mercilessly. And without getting bogged down in emotional entanglements.
��
Jameson Hawthorne is a risk-taker, a sensation-seeker, a player of games. When his mysterious father appears and asks for a favor, Jameson can’t resist the challenge. Now he must infiltrate London’s most exclusive underground gambling club, which caters to the rich, the powerful, and the aristocratic, and win an impossible game of greatest stakes. Luckily, Jameson Hawthorne lives for impossible.
��
Drawn into twisted games on opposite sides of the globe, Grayson and Jameson—with the help of their brothers and the girl who inherited their grandfather’s fortune—must dig deep to decide who they want to be and what each of them will sacrifice to win.]]> 480 Jennifer Lynn Barnes 0316480770 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4 4-stars, my-loves A surprising 4 ��<br /><br />" 3.90 2023
author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/27
date added: 2025/01/29
shelves: 4-stars, my-loves
review:
A surprising 4 ��

"
]]> 30319086
As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, extra. But when the casting changes, and the secondary characters usurp the stars, the plays spill dangerously over into life, and one of them is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless.]]> 354 M.L. Rio 125009528X mai ༉‧⋆˚. 5
Edit: I came back to this review since everyone is reading it rn and I see I forgot to say something I really wanted to say ]]> 4.11 2017
author: M.L. Rio
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2022/07/23
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: tears-were-dropped, out-of-my-comfort-zone, my-loves, 6-stars
review:
6 ��

Edit: I came back to this review since everyone is reading it rn and I see I forgot to say something I really wanted to say
]]> 223757542
But as girls started disappearing, their lifeless bodies turning up a few weeks later, battered and abused, my safe place became like a lion’s den.
I let curiosity guide me as I uncovered the secrets carefully hidden within the walls of The Academy.

Dangerous, deadly secrets.

One thing I didn’t expect, though, was having to share them with someone I could barely stand.

Konstantin Korolov. The Strategist.

His family’s reputation preceded him. Everybody knew not to fuck with the Korolovs, they were unhinged savages who only answered to their own rules and couldn’t give less of a fuck about Mafia codes. They were mercenaries, free spirits who openly looked down on The Families, mine included, and fucked with them as they pleased.

Konstantin lived up to his family’s legacy, he roamed the halls of The Academy like he fucking owned it, and I was the lucky girl who got on his last nerve. His forever rival and the one person he could never outsmart in class, no matter how hard he tried.

But as time passed and sickening truths got uncovered, I started to think that, maybe, what I felt for Konstantin wasn’t merely hatred, but something much more lethal.

Something neither of our families would approve of.

Not without blood getting spilled and both our legacies being tinted in crimson.


***

Soulless Rivalry is a dark rivals to lovers story set in an old, castle on a mysterious island. It contains strong, explicit languages and scenes which may not be for anyone.


-Touch her and 💀
-Organized crime
-Dark academia college
-Rivals to lovers
-Dual virgins
-Enemy families
-Found family
-Murder mystery with a shocking plot twist!]]> 290 Macy T. Riosa mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.01
author: Macy T. Riosa
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.01
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 58410355 The seductive and action-packed follow-up to Alex Aster’s instant #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and internationally bestselling novel, Lightlark

Isla Crown has secured the love of two powerful rulers and broken the curses that plagued the six realms for centuries, but few know the true origins of her powers.

Now, in the wake of a crushing betrayal, Isla finds herself struggling to win respect as the newly crowned leader of two separate realms. Worse, her fellow rulers haven’t ceded victory quietly, and there are others in Isla’s midst who don’t believe her ascent to power was earned.

As certain death races toward Lightlark and secrets from the past begin to unravel, Isla must weigh her responsibility to her people against the whims of the most dangerous traitor of all: her heart.

Alex Aster’s intricate world expands after the riveting culmination of the Centennial games, delving more deeply into Isla’s memories of her past, as her future hurtles toward two possible fates.]]> 432 Alex Aster mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 dnf
You would never see me conflicted and battling my heart for two man called Oro and bitch ass useless stinky Grim.]]> 4.11 2023
author: Alex Aster
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/22
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: dnf
review:
Dnf page 120

You would never see me conflicted and battling my heart for two man called Oro and bitch ass useless stinky Grim.
]]> 222361609
Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life―begging the goddess he befriended in dreams to help him. When his request went unanswered, Vincent moved on, becoming the hardened, irreverent lord of the river who has long forgotten Matilda. That is, until she comes tumbling into his bedroom window with a letter for him.

As Fate would have it, Matilda and Vincent were destined to find each other beyond dreams. There may be a chance for Matilda to rewrite the blood-soaked ways of the gods, but at immense sacrifice. She will have to face something she fears even more than losing her magic: to be vulnerable, and to allow herself to finally be loved.]]> Rebecca Ross 1250373360 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read YES MA’AM 4.74 2025
author: Rebecca Ross
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.74
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves: to-read
review:
YES MA’AM
]]> 31373633 A little book with a big heart!

From the New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, and Britt-Marie Was Here comes an exquisitely moving portrait of an elderly man’s struggle to hold on to his most precious memories, and his family’s efforts to care for him even as they must find a way to let go.

With all the same charm of his bestselling full-length novels, here Fredrik Backman once again reveals his unrivaled understanding of human nature and deep compassion for people in difficult circumstances. This is a tiny gem with a message you’ll treasure for a lifetime.]]> 97 Fredrik Backman 1501160575 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4
I’m still drying my tears. Thank you Fredrik Backman.

��

“I always knew who I was with you. You were my shortcut,��

“Why are you holding my hand so tight, Grandpa?�� the boy whispers again.
“Because all of this is disappearing, Noahnoah. And I want to keep hold of you longest of all.��]]> 4.34 2015
author: Fredrik Backman
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/18
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: almost-5-stars, tears-were-dropped, out-of-my-comfort-zone
review:
4,5 ��

I’m still drying my tears. Thank you Fredrik Backman.

��

“I always knew who I was with you. You were my shortcut,��

“Why are you holding my hand so tight, Grandpa?�� the boy whispers again.
“Because all of this is disappearing, Noahnoah. And I want to keep hold of you longest of all.��
]]> 36065344
She's a single mother, assistant manager at a grocery store, existing in monotony with her five-year-old daughter. Every day when she goes to work, lurid tabloids surround her, the face of a notorious bad boy haunting her from their covers.

A man and a woman, living vastly different lives, but that wasn't always the case. Once, they were just a boy and a girl who bonded over comic books and fell in love unexpectedly.

When Kennedy Garfield met Jonathan Cunningham back in high school, she knew he had all the makings of a tragic hero. With stars in his eyes, and her heart on her sleeve, the pair ran away together to follow their dreams.

But dreams, sometimes, turn into nightmares.

Now, years later, the only thing they share is a daughter—one who has no idea her father plays her favorite superhero. But Jonathan is desperate to make amends, and at the top of his list is the woman who gave up everything for him and the little girl he hasn't yet met.]]> 452 J.M. Darhower 1942206232 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 3.95 2017
author: J.M. Darhower
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 34499221
The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?]]> 344 Alexandra Christo 1250112680 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 3 4-stars 3,75 ��<br /><br />" 3.72 2018
author: Alexandra Christo
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/20
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: 4-stars
review:
3,75 ��

"
]]> 18386
How, Tolstoy asks, does an unreflective man confront his one and only moment of truth?

This short novel was an artistic culmination of a profound spiritual crisis in Tolstoy's life, a nine-year period following the publication of Anna Karenina during which he wrote not a word of fiction.
A thoroughly absorbing, and, at times, terrifying glimpse into the abyss of death, it is also a strong testament to the possibility of finding spiritual salvation.]]> 86 Leo Tolstoy mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.12 1886
author: Leo Tolstoy
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1886
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214387949
When an ill-advised date with her Godson’s math teacher goes horribly wrong, she brings him under her protection while she figures out who’s sabotaging her operation.

Nate, the goofy, dog-owning teacher, wants nothing to do with her after learning that she’s the queen of organized crime in the city. But when the choice is life or death, he chooses to accept her help and move in for the summer. Bored out of his mind, though, Nate offers his services on the hunt for a suitable husband, interviewing every eligible mafioso in Massachusetts.

But when more sparks begin to fly between her and Nate instead of her and her suitors... she starts to wonder. Can they work and live together, without falling for each other along the way?]]> 354 Kath Richards mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.05
author: Kath Richards
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.05
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: to-read
review:
The guy on the cover reminds me of Jimmy from mouthwashing
]]> 35068705
When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.]]> 545 R.F. Kuang 0062662597 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.16 2018
author: R.F. Kuang
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: to-read
review:
I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025 I will read this in 2025
]]> 217206738
Ruthless. Meticulous. Arrogant.

Dante Russo thrives on control, both personally and professionally.

The billionaire CEO never planned to marry—until the threat of blackmail forces him into an engagement with a woman he barely knows.

Vivian Lau, jewelry heiress and daughter of his newest enemy.

It doesn’t matter how beautiful or charming she is. He'll do everything in his power to destroy the evidence and their betrothal.

There’s only one problem: Now that he has her...he can't bring himself to let her go.

***

Elegant. Ambitious. Well-mannered.

Vivian Lau is the perfect daughter and her family’s ticket into the highest echelons of high society.

Marrying a blue-blooded Russo means opening doors that would otherwise remain closed to her new-money family.

While the rude, elusive Dante isn't her idea of a dream partner, she agrees to their arranged marriage out of duty.

Craving his touch was never part of the plan.

Neither was the worst thing she could possibly do: fall in love with her future husband.

King of Wrath is a steamy arranged-marriage billionaire romance. It includes explicit content and profanity. Recommended for mature listeners only.]]> 398 Ana Huang mai ༉‧⋆˚. 2 not-for-me, 3-stars
I read the back of Ana Huangs books and I’m like “omg this is just my thing]]> 4.05 2022
author: Ana Huang
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2023/05/17
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: not-for-me, 3-stars
review:
2,5 ��

I read the back of Ana Huangs books and I’m like “omg this is just my thing
]]> 61374793
Now trapped inside Jessica’s body, with access to Jessica’s most private journals and secrets, Jenna soon discovers that being the top student at the elite, highly competitive Havenwood Private Academy isn’t quite what she imagined. Worse, as everyone—including her own parents—start having trouble remembering who Jenna Chen is, or if she ever even existed, Jenna must decide if playing the role of the perfect daughter and student is worth losing her true self forever.]]> 320 Ann Liang 133552312X mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.09 2025
author: Ann Liang
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 52379413 'The pain of losing something precious can be forgotten over time. But our missed opportunities never leave us, and every time they come back to haunt us, we ache.'

A shy young man leaves his home in rural Turkey to learn a trade and discover life in 1920s Berlin. There, amid the city's bustling streets, elegant museums, passionate politics and seedy cabarets, a chance meeting transforms his life forever. Caught between his desire for freedom and his yearning to belong, he struggles to hold on to the new life he has found.]]> 176 Sabahattin Ali 0241422264 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.35 1943
author: Sabahattin Ali
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1943
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 67238 166 N.H. Kleinbaum 0553282980 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.19 1988
author: N.H. Kleinbaum
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1988
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 53063341 She came from nothing.

Avery has a plan: keep her head down, work hard for a better future. Then an eccentric billionaire dies, leaving her almost his entire fortune. And no one, least of all Avery, knows why.

They had everything.

Now she must move into the mansion she's inherited. It's filled with secrets and codes, and the old man's surviving relatives - a family hell-bent on discovering why Avery got 'their' money.

Now there's only one rule: winner takes all.

Soon she is caught in a deadly game that everyone in this strange family is playing. But just how far will they go to keep their fortune?

An utterly addictive and twisty thriller, full of dark family secrets and deadly stakes. Perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying and Knives Out.]]> 372 Jennifer Lynn Barnes mai ༉‧⋆˚. 5 5-stars, my-loves
“Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.��

There were some issues I had, some mistakes I saw or some developments that I was like “maybe it should have gone like this instead��, but I ended up loving, truly utterly loving, this book so much it all felt so insignificant compared to the pure joy I felt reading this.

I had literal tears in my eyes after finishing it, because I knew I would never be able to read it for the first time again, and I have not had that feeling in so long. A book that was just so fun I forgot i was reading, I forgot I needed to sleep, I forgot everything except the words in front of me.

If you couldn’t tell yet I recommend ]]> 4.11 2020
author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/11
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: 5-stars, my-loves
review:
5 ��

“Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.��

There were some issues I had, some mistakes I saw or some developments that I was like “maybe it should have gone like this instead��, but I ended up loving, truly utterly loving, this book so much it all felt so insignificant compared to the pure joy I felt reading this.

I had literal tears in my eyes after finishing it, because I knew I would never be able to read it for the first time again, and I have not had that feeling in so long. A book that was just so fun I forgot i was reading, I forgot I needed to sleep, I forgot everything except the words in front of me.

If you couldn’t tell yet I recommend
]]> 222706197 The HOTLY ANTICIPATED adult debut novel by the beloved, #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING author of the Caraval and Once Upon a Broken Heart series

It starts with a class in an old movie theater.

Folklore 517: Local Legends and Urban Myths, taught by a woman called the Professor. Most students believe the Professor’s stories are just fiction, but Holland St. James has always been convinced that magic is real. When she tracks down a local legend named the Watch Man, who can supposedly tell you when you’ll die, the world finally makes sense. Except that the Watch Man tells her she will die at midnight tomorrow unless she finds an ancient object called the Alchemical Heart.

With the clock ticking, Holland is pulled deeper into this magical world in the heart of Los Angeles—and into the path of a magnetic stranger. Everything about him feels like a bad idea, but he promises Holland that her sister sent him to protect her. As they chase clues and stories that take them closer to the Alchemical Heart, Holland realizes everyone in this intoxicating new world is lying to her, even this stranger. And if she can’t figure out whom to trust, not even the Alchemical Heart will save her.]]> 336 Stephanie Garber 125078915X mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read Stephanie writes, mai reads 4.64 2025
author: Stephanie Garber
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:
Stephanie writes, mai reads
]]> 54163533 Alternative covers can be found here, here, here, here and here.

Anna Karenina is one of the most loved and memorable heroines of literature. Her overwhelming charm dominates a novel of unparalleled richness and density.

Tolstoy considered this book to be his first real attempt at a novel form, and it addresses the very nature of society at all levels - of destiny, death, human relationships and the irreconcilable contradictions of existence. It ends tragically, and there is much that evokes despair, yet set beside this is an abounding joy in life's many ephemeral pleasures, and a profusion of comic relief.

Translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude. Introduction and Notes by E.B. Greenwood, University of Kent]]> 848 Leo Tolstoy 1853262714 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 currently-reading 4.13 1878
author: Leo Tolstoy
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1878
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: currently-reading
review:
I’m not that kinda girl but I will make myself that kinda girl
]]> 58650445
In a world where no entities exist but the Stars, cruel and merciless gods that watch over the world, Elara has been cursed by fate. A prophecy that promises she will fall for a Star, and it will kill them both.

But when one descends to wreak havoc on Elara's Kingdom, she is forced to flee into the arms of her enemy in the neighbouring country.

As she learns more about her own magic, and the depth of the Stars' deceit, she also finds herself learning more about the country she is forced to take refuge in, and the enemy prince forced to train her into a weapon.

Something dark brews within her, a power made of night and shadows that begs to be broken free.]]> 619 Imani Erriu mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 3.97 2022
author: Imani Erriu
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 50899606 marvel: something you find amazing. Even ordinary-amazing. Like potatoes—because they make French fries happen. Like the perfect fries Adam and his mom used to make together.

An oddity: whatever gives you pause. Like the fact that there are hateful people in the world. Like Zayneb’s teacher, who won’t stop reminding the class how “bad�� Muslims are.

But Zayneb, the only Muslim in class, isn’t bad. She’s angry.

When she gets suspended for confronting her teacher, and he begins investigating her activist friends, Zayneb heads to her aunt’s house in Doha, Qatar, for an early start to spring break.

Fueled by the guilt of getting her friends in trouble, she resolves to try out a newer, “nicer�� version of herself in a place where no one knows her.

Then her path crosses with Adam’s.

Since he got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November, Adam’s stopped going to classes, intent, instead, on perfecting the making of things. Intent on keeping the memory of his mom alive for his little sister.

Adam’s also intent on keeping his diagnosis a secret from his grieving father.

Alone, Adam and Zayneb are playing roles for others, keeping their real thoughts locked away in their journals.

Until a marvel and an oddity occurs��

Marvel: Adam and Zayneb meeting.

Oddity: Adam and Zayneb meeting.]]> 342 S.K. Ali mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 dnf
Im so sad to say this but I am dnf’ing ]]> 4.29 2019
author: S.K. Ali
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/15
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves: dnf
review:
Dnf page 50

Im so sad to say this but I am dnf’ing
]]> 211399784 A love story set in the sparkling, savage sphere of elite figure skating about a woman determined to carve her own path on and off the ice

She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating—and each other—to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and rollercoaster relationship. Then a shocking incident at the Olympic Games suddenly ends their partnership.

As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorized documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the "real story" through interviews with their closest friends and fiercest rivals. Kat wants nothing to do with the documentary, but she can't stand the thought of someone else defining her legacy either. So after a decade of silence she's telling her story, from the childhood tragedies that created her all-consuming bond with Heath to the clash of desires that tore them apart. Sensational rumors have haunted their every step for years, but the truth may be even more shocking than the headlines.]]> 448 Layne Fargo 0593732049 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.19 2025
author: Layne Fargo
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 56182588
As the mystery grows and the plot thickens, Grayson and Jameson, the enigmatic and magnetic Hawthorne grandsons, continue to pull Avery in different directions. And there are threats lurking around every corner, as adversaries emerge who will stop at nothing to see Avery out of the picture - by any means necessary.

With nonstop action, aspirational jet-setting, family intrigue, swoonworthy romance, and billions of dollars hanging in the balance, The Hawthorne Legacy will thrill Jennifer Lynn Barnes fans and new readers alike.]]> 358 Jennifer Lynn Barnes mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4 almost-5-stars
Edit: went up again bc I now understand while reading book 3 that I was confused about something, sorry ]]> 4.18 2021
author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/12
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: almost-5-stars
review:
4,5��

Edit: went up again bc I now understand while reading book 3 that I was confused about something, sorry
]]> 196911424
She’s my captive, my little ballerina who dances only for me.

Nessa is sweet and innocent. She doesn’t deserve any of this. But that’s how our world works - the wolves eat the lambs, no matter how gentle they may be.

I’ll use her to get my revenge. Unless I give in to my hunger first...

“Stolen Heir�� is the dark and gothic second act of the “Brutal Birthright�� series. It’s a stand-alone Enemies to Lovers Romance, complete with HEA and no cliffhangers. It contains blazing hot bedroom scenes for mature readers only!!!]]> 430 Sophie Lark mai ༉‧⋆˚. 2 2,5 ��<br /><br />�� 3.77 2020
author: Sophie Lark
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2023/10/16
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: arc-or-just-send-to-me, out-of-my-comfort-zone, 3-stars
review:
2,5 ��

��
]]> 62348154
Callum Griffin is the heir to the Irish Mafia. He’s ruthless, arrogant, and he wants to kill me.

We got off on the wrong foot when I set a (very small) fire in his house.

Our families believe a marriage pact is the only thing that will prevent all-out warfare.

I think I might need to murder him while he sleeps.

This would all be a lot easier if Callum wasn’t so damned good-looking.

But I’ve got a lockbox around my heart. Because even if I’m forced to marry him��

I could never love a brutal prince.

“Brutal Prince�� is the explosive first act in the epic “Brutal Birthright�� series. It’s a stand-alone Dark Mafia Romance, complete with HEA and no cliffhangers. It contains blazing hot bedroom scenes for mature readers only!!!]]> 376 Sophie Lark mai ༉‧⋆˚. 2 not-for-me, 3-stars 2,5 ��<br /><br />�� 3.64 2020
author: Sophie Lark
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2023/10/03
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: not-for-me, 3-stars
review:
2,5 ��

��
]]> 58517502 The devastatingly romantic fifth novella in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Shatter Me series, chronicling the events after Imagine Me, the explosive sixth novel.

Juliette and Warner fought hard to take down the Reestablishment once and for all. Life in the aftermath isn’t easy, as they and their friends at the Sanctuary work with their limited resources to stabilize the world.

Warner has his sights set on more than just politics. Since he proposed to Juliette two weeks ago, he’s been eager to finally marry her, the person he loves more than anything and has endured so much to be with. But with so much chaos around them, it’s been nearly impossible for them to have a wedding. And even Juliette has been distracted by everything they need to do.

At long last, Warner and Juliette’s future together is within reach, but the world continues to try to pull them apart. Will they finally be able to be happily, officially, together?

Celebrate the tenth anniversary of Tahereh Mafi's bestselling Shatter Me series with Believe Me!]]> 177 Tahereh Mafi 0063228319 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 3 3-stars
He’s a 10, but he’s an obsessed with his girl psychopath who tries to be a normal human but fails every time- and he has dimples ]]> 4.13 2021
author: Tahereh Mafi
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/31
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: 3-stars
review:
3 ��

He’s a 10, but he’s an obsessed with his girl psychopath who tries to be a normal human but fails every time- and he has dimples
]]> 48888168
She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.]]> 389 Marissa Meyer 1250768888 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 5 5-stars, my-loves 5��<br /><br />" 4.16 2012
author: Marissa Meyer
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/01
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: 5-stars, my-loves
review:
5��

"
]]> 57390604
Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs, helping the wounded who flood through the doors daily. Secretly, though, she is desperate to find a way out of her beloved country before her sister-in-law, Layla, gives birth. So desperate, that she has manifested a physical embodiment of her fear in the form of her imagined companion, Khawf, who haunts her every move in an effort to keep her safe.

But even with Khawf pressing her to leave, Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive. Salama must contend with bullets and bombs, military assaults, and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free. And when she crosses paths with the boy she was supposed to meet one fateful day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all.

Soon, Salama must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are—not a war, but a revolution—and decide how she, too, will cry for Syria’s freedom.]]> 417 Zoulfa Katouh 0316351377 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 5
Did I finish this or did it finish me?

I want to say “rtc�� but I don’t know if I will ever be able to write a review for this story- no words will ever do it justice]]> 4.48 2022
author: Zoulfa Katouh
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/10
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: my-loves, out-of-my-comfort-zone, tears-were-dropped, 6-stars
review:
6 ��

Did I finish this or did it finish me?

I want to say “rtc�� but I don’t know if I will ever be able to write a review for this story- no words will ever do it justice
]]> 83780487 The captivating sequel to the Gothic-infused Belladonna, in which Signa and Death face a supernatural foe determined to tear them apart.

A duke has been murdered. The lord of Thorn Grove has been framed. And Fate, the elusive brother of Death, has taken up residence in a sumptuous estate nearby. He's hellbent on revenge after Death took the life of the woman he loved many years ago...and now he's determined to have Signa for himself, no matter the cost.

Signa and her cousin Blythe are certain that Fate can save Elijah Hawthorne from prison if they will entertain his presence. But the more time the girls spend with Fate, the more frightening their reality becomes as Signa exhibits dramatic new powers that link her to Fate's past. With mysteries and danger around every corner, the cousins must decide if they can trust one another as they navigate their futures in high society, unravel the murders that haunt their family, and play Fate's unexpected games-all with their destinies hanging in the balance.

Dangerous, suspenseful, and seductive, this sequel to the story of Signa and Death is as utterly romantic as it is perfectly deadly.]]> 454 Adalyn Grace 139970513X mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4 almost-5-stars
“Your shoulders were not meant to bear the weight of their expectations, Signa. You were not made to please others.��

Best character award goes to Blythe Hawthorne]]> 4.10 2023
author: Adalyn Grace
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: almost-5-stars
review:
4,25 ��

“Your shoulders were not meant to bear the weight of their expectations, Signa. You were not made to please others.��

Best character award goes to Blythe Hawthorne
]]> 220833791
Everything changes, however, on what should’ve been a regular Monday - a classmate is stabbed to death in the school bathroom. Alyssa’s best friend is considered the number one suspect on everyone’s radar because of one controversial episode she recorded.

In an attempt to take the blame off her friend, Alyssa is forced to work with her academic rival, Matteo Romano, to solve the case...who seems to know a lot more about the murder than he’s saying. But will the infamous killer claim them first?

If you're looking for a fast-paced high school murder mystery book similar to A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and One of Us is Lying, with a hint of a trauma-filled enemies to lovers couple like Binding 13, then this is the perfect book for you.

*TWs of blood/gore, flashbacks of physical abuse, and (attempted) on-page rape. Please do not read if you are not comfortable.]]> 440 Marcelina LoBue mai ༉‧⋆˚. 3
Thank you to the author for sending me this arc!

I tried to finish this as best as I could but I was really struggling- I don’t even remember what happened at the end or what I was reading, that’s how detached I felt from the story. The reason for this is that the story just felt so fictional to me and unrealistic, I was not able to really indulge in it. Besides that, the love interest made the worst first impression ever so I was not able to like him at all. This is also why the tropes fell very flat for me and not executed well.

What I liked:
�� The mystery was interesting
�� The writing was good- very easy to follow and understand !
�� The plot twists were done sooo well, I did not expect any of it.
�� Putting chapters from the killers perspective was very smart and really kept you guessing.

Characters and romance:
�� The main character was kind of annoying me at certain moments when she was putting the blame on someone, she didn’t even believe committed the crime, on a PODCAST and telling all that to her best friend. She and her best friend were literally calling out “suspects�� in a podcast and that’s so dangerous and f-ed up it was hard for me to read bc you can seriously destroy someone’s life by doing that. It just made me dislike her a lot during that moment and I don’t even know if she learned something from it because by the time we went over page 200 I was so detached idk what happened. On all the other times, she was fun to follow along.

�� I did not like the romance between our two characters. He was just a big asshole in the beginning and I could not forgive the things he did (that our main character mentioned he did when we just met him). Their relationship felt forced. I did not like it at. All.
I also didn’t like that he said “let’s play a game and take your clothes off�� in the beginning like stfu ugly.
Maybe later on we got an explanation for his stupid behavior in the beginninggggg, but again, I was so detached I wouldn’t even know if it happened

“Why do you keep flirting with me? I thought you hated me.��
“Why would you think that?��
BECAUSE YOU ARE AN ANNOYING BIG ASSHOLE? Read between the lines.

�� That best friend Brooklyn - my gosh why tf would you want to get your friend and this stupid guy together when he has literately spread horrible rumors about her- that’s what I mean with it being kind of unrealistic and annoying sometimes. Is there maybe a reason for all of this ? Probably. Do I know about it? No, I did not care anymore

Childish and unrealistic:
�� They did not really feel like 17 year olds and more like 14 year olds, seriously childish at times. When they kept saying stuff like “ewww I don’t like him!�� ]]> 3.21
author: Marcelina LoBue
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.21
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/04
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: 3-stars, arc-or-just-send-to-me
review:
3 ��

Thank you to the author for sending me this arc!

I tried to finish this as best as I could but I was really struggling- I don’t even remember what happened at the end or what I was reading, that’s how detached I felt from the story. The reason for this is that the story just felt so fictional to me and unrealistic, I was not able to really indulge in it. Besides that, the love interest made the worst first impression ever so I was not able to like him at all. This is also why the tropes fell very flat for me and not executed well.

What I liked:
�� The mystery was interesting
�� The writing was good- very easy to follow and understand !
�� The plot twists were done sooo well, I did not expect any of it.
�� Putting chapters from the killers perspective was very smart and really kept you guessing.

Characters and romance:
�� The main character was kind of annoying me at certain moments when she was putting the blame on someone, she didn’t even believe committed the crime, on a PODCAST and telling all that to her best friend. She and her best friend were literally calling out “suspects�� in a podcast and that’s so dangerous and f-ed up it was hard for me to read bc you can seriously destroy someone’s life by doing that. It just made me dislike her a lot during that moment and I don’t even know if she learned something from it because by the time we went over page 200 I was so detached idk what happened. On all the other times, she was fun to follow along.

�� I did not like the romance between our two characters. He was just a big asshole in the beginning and I could not forgive the things he did (that our main character mentioned he did when we just met him). Their relationship felt forced. I did not like it at. All.
I also didn’t like that he said “let’s play a game and take your clothes off�� in the beginning like stfu ugly.
Maybe later on we got an explanation for his stupid behavior in the beginninggggg, but again, I was so detached I wouldn’t even know if it happened

“Why do you keep flirting with me? I thought you hated me.��
“Why would you think that?��
BECAUSE YOU ARE AN ANNOYING BIG ASSHOLE? Read between the lines.

�� That best friend Brooklyn - my gosh why tf would you want to get your friend and this stupid guy together when he has literately spread horrible rumors about her- that’s what I mean with it being kind of unrealistic and annoying sometimes. Is there maybe a reason for all of this ? Probably. Do I know about it? No, I did not care anymore

Childish and unrealistic:
�� They did not really feel like 17 year olds and more like 14 year olds, seriously childish at times. When they kept saying stuff like “ewww I don’t like him!��
]]> 186631952
More about the destinies of these beloved characters coming soon!]]> 385 Lauren Roberts 1665955430 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4 4-stars
Edit: I am in fact not editing this review I’m sorry]]> 4.11 2024
author: Lauren Roberts
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: 4-stars
review:
4 ��

Edit: I am in fact not editing this review I’m sorry
]]> 60652911
Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being �� and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy.

Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother’s restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger, and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.

Signa’s best chance of uncovering the murderer, though, is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he’s made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful �� and more irresistible �� than she ever dared imagine.]]> 416 Adalyn Grace mai ༉‧⋆˚. 4 almost-5-stars
I. Loved. This.

This was just as good as I thought it would be. Deliciously slow romance, a concept that you keep learning more about as you read, a mystery to keep you guessing and side characters that were actually enjoyable and that I didn’t mind reading about (I loved them).

I loved how we immediately went into the story and met Death, because of it I was sucked in the moment I read the first page.

I had so many theories and they were all wrong ]]> 3.91 2022
author: Adalyn Grace
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/28
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves: almost-5-stars
review:
4,5 ��

I. Loved. This.

This was just as good as I thought it would be. Deliciously slow romance, a concept that you keep learning more about as you read, a mystery to keep you guessing and side characters that were actually enjoyable and that I didn’t mind reading about (I loved them).

I loved how we immediately went into the story and met Death, because of it I was sucked in the moment I read the first page.

I had so many theories and they were all wrong
]]> 126062562
When Celaena's scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, she finds herself acting independently of his wishes—and questioning her own allegiance. Along the way, she makes friends and enemies alike, and discovers that she feels far more for Sam than just friendship. But by defying Arobynn’s orders, Celaena risks unimaginable punishment, and with Sam by her side, he is in danger, too. They will have to risk it all if they hope to escape Arobynn’s clutches—and if they fail, they’ll lose not just a chance at freedom, but their lives . . .

A prequel to Throne of Glass, this collection of five novellas offers readers a deeper look into the history of this cunning assassin and her enthralling—and deadly—world.

Included in this volume:
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
The Assassin and the Healer
The Assassin and the Desert
The Assassin and the Underworld
The Assassin and the Empire]]> 451 Sarah J. Maas 1619632217 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 4-stars 3,5 �� 4.16 2014
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/02
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves: 4-stars
review:
3,5 ��
]]> 217202069 #1��New York Times��bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a stranger’s life twenty-five years later.

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

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

Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be put into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. As she struggles to decide what to do with this bequest, she embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn the story of how the painting came to be. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more she feels compelled to unleash her own artistic spirit, but happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this fresh testament to the transformative power of friendship and art.]]> 448 Fredrik Backman 1982121661 mai ༉‧⋆˚. 0 to-read 4.59 2025
author: Fredrik Backman
name: mai ༉‧⋆˚.
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>