Jennifer's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 11 Mar 2025 23:12:21 -0700 60 Jennifer's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Funny Story 194802722 A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it... right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned-up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex... right?]]> 400 Emily Henry Jennifer 0 currently-reading 4.21 2024 Funny Story
author: Emily Henry
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mansfield Park (ArcadianPress Edition)]]> 36471216 293 Jane Austen 2377939856 Jennifer 0 currently-reading 4.15 1814 Mansfield Park (ArcadianPress Edition)
author: Jane Austen
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1814
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/11
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Rose in the Wheel 21111810 305 S.K. Rizzolo 1615951784 Jennifer 4
Joining forces with Bow Street Runner, John Chase, Penelope risks her life as she sorts through a tangled web involving the victim’s family, well-placed politicians, clergy, and a surgeon. There is a large cast of interesting characters. The writing is descriptive and flowing. The plot moves slowly at times, but it is an easy, entertaining read. The ending surprised me � I won’t say more. If you like well-researched historical novels with a “whodunnit� theme, you will enjoy this. I feel the author has more books in line for Penelope Wolfe � let’s hope she comes back for an encore!]]> 3.70 2002 The Rose in the Wheel
author: S.K. Rizzolo
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/09/28
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review:
The Rose in the Wheel is a historical murder mystery set in London in the 1800’s. A wealthy woman who has devoted her life to helping poor, unwed mothers is savagely murdered and her body dumped in the street. At first, the police think it’s an accident, but they soon suspect murder. When her errant husband is named the chief suspect, Penelope Wolfe decides to clear his name. Penelope is an amazing heroine. I hadn’t met many like her � she’s fiercely independent and intelligent. Although legally wed, she lives apart from her feckless husband, Jeremy, who only comes to see her when he needs money. Penelope is a single woman raising her child in a time most women are simply housewives or drudges. Penelope manages to support herself and her child with her writing and a small allowance from her father. Life is difficult enough; to make matters worse, her husband’s name is suddenly linked to the murder.

Joining forces with Bow Street Runner, John Chase, Penelope risks her life as she sorts through a tangled web involving the victim’s family, well-placed politicians, clergy, and a surgeon. There is a large cast of interesting characters. The writing is descriptive and flowing. The plot moves slowly at times, but it is an easy, entertaining read. The ending surprised me � I won’t say more. If you like well-researched historical novels with a “whodunnit� theme, you will enjoy this. I feel the author has more books in line for Penelope Wolfe � let’s hope she comes back for an encore!
]]> <![CDATA[Vampire Justice (d'Argent Honor, #1)]]> 7455889 59 Ann Jacobs 1419905589 Jennifer 4 3.16 2006 Vampire Justice (d'Argent Honor, #1)
author: Ann Jacobs
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.16
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Vital Temptations: A Heart's Betrayal]]> 28790091 ]]> 186 K.L. Lewis 0997073020 Jennifer 4 4.67 Vital Temptations: A Heart's Betrayal
author: K.L. Lewis
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Storms Over Babylon (The Time for Alexander #4)]]> 36132446 240 Jennifer Macaire 1682996395 Jennifer 0 currently-reading 4.26 2012 Storms Over Babylon (The Time for Alexander #4)
author: Jennifer Macaire
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Daryk Hunter (Daryk World, #1)]]> 8856183 252 Denise A. Agnew 1419927825 Jennifer 3 3.46 2010 Daryk Hunter (Daryk World, #1)
author: Denise A. Agnew
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:

]]> Wilder Family Halloween 16107695 Several years ago, when I wrote WILDER FAMILY HALLOWEEN, I loved revisiting the Wilder family and discovering what happened after Darkness Chosen. This year, I updated the story, and posted it on my website for October. I’m also posting it here, in October *only,* as a download for my readers who would like to keep the story as part of their Darkness Chosen collection. So�

� WILDER FAMILY HALLOWEEN is a *short* Darkness Chosen epilogue (11 pages.)

� This download of WILDER FAMILY HALLOWEEN contains links to my other books and an excerpt of STONE ANGEL: the Chosen Ones.

� During the month of October, WILDER FAMILY HALLOWEEN can be read for *free* on my website. Visit christinadodd.com and follow the links from the home page.

However you read it, I hope you enjoy WILDER FAMILY HALLOWEEN!
Warmly,
Christina Dodd]]> 20 Christina Dodd 0985727322 Jennifer 3 4.05 2012 Wilder Family Halloween
author: Christina Dodd
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/09/18
shelves:
review:

]]> Another Cup of Christmas 23381515
Five years ago the staff of Pickwicks Cafe in Richmond were thrown into turmoil when their cook and part-owner, Scott, had a terrible accident. With help from his friends, his wife Peggy, and the staff at the local hospital, he made an amazing recovery. Now Pickwicks is preparing to host a special Christmas fundraiser for the hospital department that looked after Scott.

Pickwicks� waitress Megan has been liaising with the ward’s administrator, Nick, as all the staff who helped Scott’s recovery are invited are invited. As the problems of organising the fundraiser take up more and more of their busy lives, Megan and Nick contact each other more frequently, and their emails and phone calls start to develop from the practical into the flirty.

But can you actually fall for someone you’ve never met?
As the fundraiser draws closer, Megan is beginning to think that she had imagined all the virtual flirting between herself and Nick � he promised to arrange to meet her for real, but he hasn’t done so. Now he’s bringing someone with him to the fundraiser, and they’re just bound to be everything Megan feels she isn’t ...]]> 75 Jenny Kane 1783755776 Jennifer 0 to-read 3.82 2013 Another Cup of Christmas
author: Jenny Kane
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Choice of Secrets (Dark Glass #4)]]> 39884314
~Should she tell her soldier brother—who will take swift, ruthless action to ensure the family’s safety?

~Should she hold her tongue, let her sister deceive her husband into believing the child is his—and then hope Chloe can get away with the lie?

~Should she tell her family, hoping they will know the right thing to do?

With the help of a magic mirror, Nicole lives out each path, fighting to protect herself and those she loves with the weapons she has: wits, herbs, and fortitude. But no matter her cleverness, neither she nor her family can escape unscathed—for there are repercussions she could never have foreseen, involving her own heart . . .

A CHOICE OF SECRETS

New York Times bestselling author Barb Hendee spins a tale of intrigue, integrity, and the bonds of love and loyalty as one young woman finds her place in a turbulent world . . .]]> 276 Barb Hendee 1635730341 Jennifer 4 Nicola is a charming character - her older sister, Chloe, is bethrothed to Erik, a nobleman who has sworn to protect her family's lands in exchange for a mariage contract. Erik is a complex character - at first I didn't like him much because he seemed too interested in simply getting an heir for his domain. But when the story unfolded, things changed. In this story, the three choices didn't affect Nicola as much as they affected those around her. All choices had their good and bad points, and I was interested to see which choice Nicola made (I would have made the same!)
All in all, a superb addition to this wonderful series!

Merged review:

I loved the other books in this serties so I jumped at the chance to read "A Choice of Secrets".
Nicola is a charming character - her older sister, Chloe, is bethrothed to Erik, a nobleman who has sworn to protect her family's lands in exchange for a mariage contract. Erik is a complex character - at first I didn't like him much because he seemed too interested in simply getting an heir for his domain. But when the story unfolded, things changed. In this story, the three choices didn't affect Nicola as much as they affected those around her. All choices had their good and bad points, and I was interested to see which choice Nicola made (I would have made the same!)
All in all, a superb addition to this wonderful series!]]> 3.74 2018 A Choice of Secrets (Dark Glass #4)
author: Barb Hendee
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/07/22
shelves:
review:
I loved the other books in this serties so I jumped at the chance to read "A Choice of Secrets".
Nicola is a charming character - her older sister, Chloe, is bethrothed to Erik, a nobleman who has sworn to protect her family's lands in exchange for a mariage contract. Erik is a complex character - at first I didn't like him much because he seemed too interested in simply getting an heir for his domain. But when the story unfolded, things changed. In this story, the three choices didn't affect Nicola as much as they affected those around her. All choices had their good and bad points, and I was interested to see which choice Nicola made (I would have made the same!)
All in all, a superb addition to this wonderful series!

Merged review:

I loved the other books in this serties so I jumped at the chance to read "A Choice of Secrets".
Nicola is a charming character - her older sister, Chloe, is bethrothed to Erik, a nobleman who has sworn to protect her family's lands in exchange for a mariage contract. Erik is a complex character - at first I didn't like him much because he seemed too interested in simply getting an heir for his domain. But when the story unfolded, things changed. In this story, the three choices didn't affect Nicola as much as they affected those around her. All choices had their good and bad points, and I was interested to see which choice Nicola made (I would have made the same!)
All in all, a superb addition to this wonderful series!
]]> <![CDATA[The Mating Game: Why Men Want Sex & Women Need Love]]> 31184907 International bestselling authors Allan and Barbara Pease (WHY MEN DON'T LISTEN AND WOMEN CAN'T READ MAPS) focus their insight and wit on the most popular, and some would maintain, important part of any relationship: sex. In their inimitable style they explore what men and women want from a sexual relationship and give humourous and practical advice. Discover:

What men and women really want from love and sex
How to find a great partner
What to do when the chemistry is wrong
How to have a happy future with your partner

]]> 290 Allan Pease 1409168492 Jennifer 0 currently-reading 4.14 The Mating Game: Why Men Want Sex & Women Need Love
author: Allan Pease
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.14
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/26
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blindsided By His Betrayal: Surviving the Shock of Your Husband's Infidelity]]> 30057546

You used to be so together, so trusting. Now you're falling apart and doing things you would have never even considered doing, such
*Obsessively checking your husband's email and Facebook accounts
*Going through his cell phone history while he is in the shower
*Freaking out if he is 10 minutes late (or if you text him and he doesn't reply right away)
*Questioning whether you are attractive
*After a rare happy moment with your husband, getting really, really angry and raging at him out of nowhere


You're scared. Angry. Obsessive. Devastated.


One minute, you hope your marriage will make it. The next minute, you want to kill him. (And the other woman, too.)


All of this makes you feel like you are losing it. Sometimes you worry that you are going crazy. You wonder if you'll ever be the same again.


You are NOT crazy! You are having a normal reaction to being blindsided by your husband's betrayal! Your reactions are completely rational and expected responses to such a painful experience.


This book will help you figure out what to do as you deal with these explosive emotions. It's important that you understand that your feelings--erratic and unpredictable as they may be--are normal. You need to understand why you feel the things you feel and what to do with those feelings.


Dr. Caroline Madden, infidelity expert and marriage therapist
Posttraumatic Affair Syndrome (PTAS)
7 Actions you want to take but should NOT (as They May Backfire Horribly)
Understand the thoughts that plague you
12 Actions that will help you get back to the woman you were
The stupid things your husband says and why he says it


This book does not take a position on whether or not you should stay in your marriage. The suggestions provided here will help you get through this difficult time, even if you decide to leave the marriage. It is geared towards helping you deal with your tumultuous emotions and make sound decisions]]> 92 Caroline Madden 0986148539 Jennifer 0 4.45 2016 Blindsided By His Betrayal: Surviving the Shock of Your Husband's Infidelity
author: Caroline Madden
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2024/04/21
date added: 2024/04/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mask of Duplicity (Jacobite Chronicles #1)]]> 27717676 329 Julia Brannan 1514625733 Jennifer 4 4.12 2015 Mask of Duplicity (Jacobite Chronicles #1)
author: Julia Brannan
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/03/16
shelves:
review:
I enjoyed this book. It surprised me, because I don't always go for this sort of romance, but the author created an interesting heroine, and the hero is fascinating. I enjoyed the history and the writing is excellent. In all a very enjoyable read and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Kudos!
]]> <![CDATA[Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad #3)]]> 45053088 From Tana French—author of The Witch Elm and “the most important crime novelist to emerge in the past 10 years� (The Washington Post)—the bestseller called “the most stunning of her books� (The New York Times) and a finalist for the Edgar Award.

Back in 1985, Frank Mackey was a nineteen-year-old kid with a dream of escaping his familyʼs cramped flat on Faithful Place and running away to London with his girl, Rosie Daly. But on the night they were supposed to leave, Rosie didnʼt show. Frank took it for granted that sheʼd dumped him—probably because of his alcoholic father, nutcase mother, and generally dysfunctional family. He never went home again. Neither did Rosie. Then, twenty-two years later, Rosieʼs suitcase shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place, and Frank, now a detective in the Dublin Undercover Squad, is going home whether he likes it or not.]]> 437 Tana French Jennifer 0 4.22 2010 Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad #3)
author: Tana French
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at: 2024/02/18
date added: 2024/02/18
shelves:
review:

]]> A Remedy In Time 56579937
Upon arrival, one scientist is killed and the other calls for help - but her rescuers are part of a cabal that created the disease and now wants to cash in on it - only she knows, and so she must die.

From the futuristic cities on Earth and Mars to the wilds of the Paleolithic era, Robin must find a way to stay alive and return to her time with the antibodies that will save the lives of millions.]]> 192 Jennifer Macaire Jennifer 5 4.50 2021 A Remedy In Time
author: Jennifer Macaire
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/12
date added: 2024/02/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Under One Roof (The STEMinist Novellas, #1)]]> 59651557 A scientist should never cohabitate with her annoyingly hot nemesis � it leads to combustion.

Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn�.

As an environmental engineer, Mara knows all about the delicate nature of ecosystems. They require balance. And leaving the thermostat alone. And not stealing someone else’s food. And other rules Liam, her detestable big-oil lawyer of a roommate, knows nothing about. Okay, sure, technically she’s the interloper. Liam was already entrenched in his aunt’s house like some glowering grumpy giant when Mara moved in, with his big muscles and kissable mouth just sitting there on the couch tempting respectable scientists to the dark side…but Helena was her mentor and Mara’s not about to move out and give up her inheritance without a fight.

The problem is, living with someone means getting to know them. And the more Mara finds out about Liam, the harder it is to loathe him…and the easier it is to love him.]]> 112 Ali Hazelwood 0593437810 Jennifer 0 currently-reading 3.65 2022 Under One Roof (The STEMinist Novellas, #1)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/10
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Finding Cinderella (Hopeless, #2.5)]]> 18631291
When their hour is up and the girl rushes off like Cinderella, Daniel tries to convince himself that what happened between them seemed perfect only because they were pretending it was. Moments like that happen only in fairy tales.

One year and one bad relationship later, his disbelief in love-at-first-sight is stripped away the day he meets Six: a girl with a strange name and an even stranger personality. Unfortunately for Daniel, finding true love doesn"t guarantee a happily ever after... it only further threatens it.

Will an unbearable secret from the past jeopardize Daniel and Six's only chance at saving each other?]]> 176 Colleen Hoover Jennifer 0 currently-reading 3.83 2013 Finding Cinderella (Hopeless, #2.5)
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/03
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)]]> 123161057 ASIN B0BPP58HR2 moved to the more recent edition

Welcome to the brutal and elite world of Basgiath War College, where everyone has an agenda, and every night could be your last . . .

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general - also known as her tough-as-talons mother - has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you're smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away . . . because dragons don't bond to 'fragile' humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother's daughter - like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She'll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Alliances will be forged. Lives will be lost. Traitors will become allies . . . or even lovers. But sleep with one eye open because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.]]> 646 Rebecca Yarros Jennifer 0 currently-reading 4.68 2023 Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.68
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/03
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Leaving Time 36680980 417 Jodi Picoult Jennifer 5 4.20 2014 Leaving Time
author: Jodi Picoult
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2022/05/11
date added: 2023/06/29
shelves:
review:

]]> The Girl in the Gallery 36503820
It’s a perfect summer’s morning in the plush south London suburb, and thirty-something Beth Haldane sneaks off to visit one of her favourite places � the world-famous Picture Gallery.

She’s enjoying a few moments� respite from juggling her job at prestigious private school Wyatt’s and her role as single mum to little boy, Ben, when she stumbles across a shocking new exhibit on display. Before she knows it, she’s in the thick of a fresh, and deeply chilling, investigation.

Who is The Girl in the Gallery?

Join Beth in adventure #2 of The London Murder Mystery series as she tries to uncover the truth about a secret eating away at the very heart of Dulwich.]]> 253 Alice Castle Jennifer 5
Inspector Harry York is called in to investigate, but Beth cannot help getting involved as well. Like Miss Marple, Beth is a keen observer of human nature, and this book rises above your everyday cozy mystery by deftly juggling serious social concerns (teenage angst, bullying), with the charm of English country life. ]]> 4.22 The Girl in the Gallery
author: Alice Castle
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.22
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/06/10
shelves:
review:
Set in the village of Dulwich, this cozy mystery features an engaging heroine, AliceCastle, archivist by trade and dreamer by nature. Her favorite escape is an art gallery, where she knows each portrait by heart. One day, however, Beth comes across a girl's body lying on a sarcophagus in the gallery.

Inspector Harry York is called in to investigate, but Beth cannot help getting involved as well. Like Miss Marple, Beth is a keen observer of human nature, and this book rises above your everyday cozy mystery by deftly juggling serious social concerns (teenage angst, bullying), with the charm of English country life.
]]> <![CDATA[The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales]]> 63697 243 Oliver Sacks Jennifer 0 to-read 4.08 1985 The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales
author: Oliver Sacks
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1985
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Remarkably Bright Creatures 58733693 Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

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

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

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

Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.]]> 368 Shelby Van Pelt 0063204150 Jennifer 3 The octopus was an interesting character - and so was Ethan. Tove was so passive it was annoying in the end. There was so much promise, and the book was so good in so many ways, that it was almost aggravating to finish the book and realize that there was so much I actually didn't like about it.
Finally, the most interesting parts of the book were the parts that were Not there. So much went unexplained. Perhaps that's a lot like real life - but at the same time - so much was irreal (an octopus that solves a mystery). I will probably watch the movie, it will be one of those tear-jerkers and Cameron's character will get a major overhaul. I would have liked more character developement, but there was only one (Cameron) who went from jerk to wonderful with nothing in between.
The author writes very well, and I do hope to read more books from her - she really has a lovely, lyrical way with words. Three stars for the writing and the octopus.]]> 4.35 2022 Remarkably Bright Creatures
author: Shelby Van Pelt
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/02/11
shelves:
review:
I read the book in a day - it was so good that I didn't want to put it down. On the other hand, I found myself skipping huge chunks, there was a lot that did not really mean much to me - (and I never liked one of the main characters - Cameron. To me, he was a total loser, and the way he ended up just never made any sense at all to me. Most of Cameron's story I skimmed over).
The octopus was an interesting character - and so was Ethan. Tove was so passive it was annoying in the end. There was so much promise, and the book was so good in so many ways, that it was almost aggravating to finish the book and realize that there was so much I actually didn't like about it.
Finally, the most interesting parts of the book were the parts that were Not there. So much went unexplained. Perhaps that's a lot like real life - but at the same time - so much was irreal (an octopus that solves a mystery). I will probably watch the movie, it will be one of those tear-jerkers and Cameron's character will get a major overhaul. I would have liked more character developement, but there was only one (Cameron) who went from jerk to wonderful with nothing in between.
The author writes very well, and I do hope to read more books from her - she really has a lovely, lyrical way with words. Three stars for the writing and the octopus.
]]> <![CDATA[Hatched: How Nine Little Chicks Cracked My Shell]]> 60142700
But what sort of miracles might spring forth if you said Yes! instead?

In this memoir, the author shares 12 powerful lessons that flowed from a transcendent moment of Yes! Join her as the first cracks appear in the confining shell of her normal routines, preprogrammed expectations, and limiting beliefs. Share in a refreshing shift of perspective as the story unfolds, one that allows her to create a new life of greater presence and purpose.

Be prepared for these insights to wake you up to new choices in how you think, how you show up, how you parent, how you eat, how you love, how you make decisions, and how you let go. Formerly published as What I’ve Learned From Chickens, this expanded edition also tackles the tough issues of addiction and divorce.

We all have more power than we think to live our best life. Let this delightful and authentic story inspire you to begin to live yours.]]> 109 Sharon Wallen Jennifer 0 4.50 2015 Hatched: How Nine Little Chicks Cracked My Shell
author: Sharon Wallen
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at: 2023/02/11
date added: 2023/02/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ink Black Heart (Cormoran Strike, #6)]]> 60144955
When frantic, disheveled Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn’t know quite what to make of the situation. The co-creator of a popular cartoon, The Ink Black Heart, Edie is being persecuted by a mysterious online figure who goes by the pseudonym of Anomie. Edie is desperate to uncover Anomie’s true identity.

Robin decides that the agency can’t help with this—and thinks nothing more of it until a few days later, when she reads the shocking news that Edie has been tasered and then murdered in Highgate Cemetery, the location of The Ink Black Heart.

Robin and her business partner, Cormoran Strike, become drawn into the quest to uncover Anomie’s true identity. But with a complex web of online aliases, business interests and family conflicts to navigate, Strike and Robin find themselves embroiled in a case that stretches their powers of deduction to the limits � and which threatens them in new and horrifying ways . . .]]> 1391 Robert Galbraith 0316473537 Jennifer 3 However - Robin and Strike continue their puerile relationship, and their inner thoughts about each other are absurd and (for me) took away from the flow of the story each time we got inside their respective heads. I tried to skip as much as possible without losing the thread of the story.

[spoilers removed]

So, in the end, I gavethe story 3 stars. Don't hesitate to read it - the crime and detective parts are superb. And if the Robin/Strike relationship makes you queasy, just skip over those parts. The story stands very well on its own without all that mushy stuff. ]]> 4.07 2022 The Ink Black Heart (Cormoran Strike, #6)
author: Robert Galbraith
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2023/02/07
shelves:
review:
How can I rate this? On one hand, I want to give it five stars - on the other, I found myself skipping such huge cringe-worthy chunks of story I wanted to give it one star. Five stars for the fabulous world-building around an eeriely beautiful online animated film and spin-off video game/chat room. The work that the author must have put into this is astounding, yet it flows effortlessly. Everything was spot on - and fascinating. The characters were well developed, though some got more attention than others, and red herrings abounded. Five stars for the detective work that went into solving the mystery, and for the detective agency's ups and downs.
However - Robin and Strike continue their puerile relationship, and their inner thoughts about each other are absurd and (for me) took away from the flow of the story each time we got inside their respective heads. I tried to skip as much as possible without losing the thread of the story.

[spoilers removed]

So, in the end, I gavethe story 3 stars. Don't hesitate to read it - the crime and detective parts are superb. And if the Robin/Strike relationship makes you queasy, just skip over those parts. The story stands very well on its own without all that mushy stuff.
]]> You And Me, Always 25873308 Learning more about the first and only real love of her mum's life is a revelation. On the same day, Lily also meets Eddie Tessler, a man fleeing fame who just might have the ability to change her world in unimaginable ways. But her childhood friend Dan has his own reasons for not wanting Lily to get too carried away by Eddie's attentions.

Before long, secrets begin to emerge and Lily's friends and family become involved. In the beautiful Cotswold village of Stanton Langley, nothing will ever be the same again...

]]> 358 Jill Mansell 1472208889 Jennifer 5 4.15 2001 You And Me, Always
author: Jill Mansell
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2023/02/07
date added: 2023/02/07
shelves:
review:
Fun and bubbly as a glass of champagne - I love all Jill Mansell's books and this was another winner! Just what I needed to get over the winter blahs!
]]> Women Talking 40046077
While the men of the colony are off in the city, attempting to raise enough money to bail out the rapists and bring them home, these women—all illiterate, without any knowledge of the world outside their community and unable even to speak the language of the country they live in—have very little time to make a choice: Should they stay in the only world they’ve ever known or should they dare to escape?

Based on real events and told through the “minutes� of the women’s all-female symposium, Toews’s masterful novel uses wry, politically engaged humor to relate this tale of women claiming their own power to decide.]]> 216 Miriam Toews 1635572584 Jennifer 5 3.61 2018 Women Talking
author: Miriam Toews
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2022/09/10
date added: 2022/09/18
shelves:
review:
Absolutely amazing. I was hooked from the beginning and would hardly put this book down. Ms Toews has accomplished an amazing tour de force - giving women who are never heard a real and important voice. I am in awe of the story, the characters, and the writing. This will stay on my keeper shelf alongside The Handmaid's Tale, and I will encourage other women to read this.
]]> <![CDATA[The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1)]]> 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 Jennifer 2 4.12 2017 The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1)
author: S.A. Chakraborty
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2017
rating: 2
read at: 2022/09/18
date added: 2022/09/18
shelves:
review:
I wonder at the rave reviews for this book. Did the reviewers read the whole thing? It certainly started out well, with fabulous worldbuilding and a wealth of lovely description. The heroine is clever and ambitious, but she lives in a world where women cannot become healers. Because of her inate talents, she would make an excellent physician, but it is a futile dream. Then one day, she accidently conjures a djinn, a powerful, supernatural being, who rescues her from certain death and carries her off on a flying carpet towards his land, where, he assures her, she will be honored and be able to realize her dream of becoming a healer. But all she wants to do is escape him to regain her "freedom" (why? she has nothing to go back to - if the author had taken the time to give her something real to go back to I might have understood, as it was, the heroine just comes off as a fool). The story soon degenerated into a very puerile 'she hates him, but she has tingles in her lower stomach when she looks at him' triteness. The djinn, of course, is incredibly handsome, and she, of course, finds out she has djinn blood, which makes her a halfbreed. During their trip to his lands they quarrel, she tries to escape numerous times - despite not knowing where she was or where she wanted to go. I kept reading, hoping for something more - there is a parallel story taking place in the djinn's land that started out well and also soon fell apart. I finished the book, but it took an effort and I won't, I'm afraid, be buying the next in the series. I applaud the author's world building, but I despair of the "she hates him on first sight and won't listen to reason" purple prose romance theme that denigrates so many women in fiction.
]]> <![CDATA[The Eternal Banquet (The Time for Alexander #7)]]> 44413408 On their way back to Egypt, Alexander and Ashley stop in Carthage where they save a boy intended for a bloody sacrifice. Fleeing Carthage's warships, they take refuge in Rome where Alexander is recognised, captured, and forced to take part in the terrifying 'Game of Phersu' in the arena.
No doubt having Alexander the Great as a gladiator will draw the crowds... but can it mean the end of his adventures?
It's too late for regrets. Time, as Alexander and Ashley discover, marches on � whether or not you cheat the fates.]]> 162 Jennifer Macaire 1786154552 Jennifer 0 currently-reading 4.21 2012 The Eternal Banquet (The Time for Alexander #7)
author: Jennifer Macaire
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/10
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Soul of Time (The Time for Alexander #6)]]> 42954940 180 Jennifer Macaire Jennifer 0 4.44 2012 The Soul of Time (The Time for Alexander #6)
author: Jennifer Macaire
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at: 2022/07/10
date added: 2022/07/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Chants to Persephone (The Time for Alexander #5)]]> 41479558 'A vividly written, characterful, informed and unusual take on Alexander and Ancient Times. I loved it.' - Carol McGrath, author of The Woman in The Shadows

In the fifth book in the Time For Alexander series, the Oracle of Amon tells Alexander he must go to the Land of Ice and Snow, so they leave their home in Alexandria and head north, to Gaul.

But the Thief of Souls not only captured Alexander’s soul. He also wants Paul, and the druids have raised an army to capture him. In the heart of winter, in ancient Gaul, a terrible sacrifice is made to Persephone, goddess of the Underworld � and Ashley finds herself taking part in a deadly ceremony.]]> 220 Jennifer Macaire Jennifer 0 4.13 2012 Chants to Persephone (The Time for Alexander #5)
author: Jennifer Macaire
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at: 2022/07/08
date added: 2022/07/08
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[An Unwilling Suspect (McLaren Mysteries)]]> 35143415 323 Jo A. Hiestand 1546620478 Jennifer 0 to-read 3.00 An Unwilling Suspect (McLaren Mysteries)
author: Jo A. Hiestand
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/06/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Foster 8143909
Winner of the Davy Byrnes Memorial Prize, Foster is now published in a revised and expanded version. Beautiful, sad and eerie, it is a story of astonishing emotional depth, showcasing Claire Keegan's great accomplishment and talent.]]> 89 Claire Keegan 0571255655 Jennifer 0 to-read 4.32 2010 Foster
author: Claire Keegan
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/06/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Vol. III: Conrad's Fate and The Pinhoe Egg]]> 58143098 “Always perfectly magical.� —Neil Gaiman

A timeless classic with brand-new cover art! Diana Wynne Jones’s bestselling, magical, and funny Chrestomanci novels will enchant fans of Soman Chainani, Rick Riordan, and Chris Colfer.

Volume III contains Conrad’s Fate and The Pinhoe Egg.

In Conrad’s Fate, Conrad Tesdinic must overcome his terrible karma while working at the mysterious Stallery Mansion. Luckily for him, young Christopher Chant is also undercover at Stallery to rescue his friend Millie.

In The Pinhoe Egg, Cat Chant and Marianne Pinhoe discover a mystical egg in Marianne’s attic. If Marianne and Cat can harness their own considerable powers, they’ll soon see how the egg fits into the many secrets in Marianne’s family of secret rogue witches. But it may lead to a mess only the Chrestomanci can sort out.

The third of three volumes, the Chronicles of Chrestomanci can be read in any order.]]> 685 Diana Wynne Jones 0063136856 Jennifer 5 4.73 2006 The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Vol. III: Conrad's Fate and The Pinhoe Egg
author: Diana Wynne Jones
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.73
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2022/04/30
date added: 2022/04/30
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]]> Project Hail Mary 54493401
Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.

Or does he?]]> 476 Andy Weir 0593135202 Jennifer 5 4.49 2021 Project Hail Mary
author: Andy Weir
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/04/23
shelves:
review:
What a fantastic story! I loved everything about it - the beginning, where the narrator wakes from a deep coma and doesn't know who or where he is - the slow seep of information - just enough to keep you turning the pages - and the world building was incredible. Science buffs beware - you're going to love this. If you are not a science fan, sometimes the book gets pedantic. But for this nerdy science gal, it was all good. The alien world building was something else - Andy Weir makes you believe in the impossible. There were twists and unexpected turns - the ending was incredibly satisfying - I had almost given up on the main character, when the story got turned upside-down. A perfect ending is hard to find, but this book had it. Bravo, Mr. Weir!
]]> Our Subway Baby 49814214 This gentle and incredibly poignant picture book tells the true story of how one baby found his home.

"Some babies are born into their families. Some are adopted. This is the story of how one baby found his family in the New York City subway."

So begins the true story of Kevin and how he found his Daddy Danny and Papa Pete. Written in a direct address to his son, Pete's moving and emotional text tells how his partner, Danny, found a baby tucked away in the corner of a subway station on his way home from work one day. Pete and Danny ended up adopting the baby together. Although neither of them had prepared for the prospect of parenthood, they are reminded, "Where there is love, anything is possible."]]> 40 Peter Mercurio 0525427546 Jennifer 0 to-read 4.56 2020 Our Subway Baby
author: Peter Mercurio
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/04/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Island in the Sea of Time (Nantucket, #1)]]> 99702 608 S.M. Stirling 0451456750 Jennifer 0 to-read 4.01 1998 Island in the Sea of Time (Nantucket, #1)
author: S.M. Stirling
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue]]> 50623864
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.]]> 448 Victoria E. Schwab 0765387565 Jennifer 0 to-read 4.16 2020 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Mastodonia 1436437 233 Clifford D. Simak 034527427X Jennifer 0 to-read 3.57 1978 Mastodonia
author: Clifford D. Simak
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.57
book published: 1978
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/01/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[One Day All This Will Be Yours]]> 54303485 Adrian Tchaikovsky - asmart, funny tale of time-travel and paradox

Welcome to the end of time. It’s a perfect day.

Nobody remembers how the Causality War started. Really, there’s no-one to remember, and nothing for them to remember if there were; that’s sort of the point. We were time warriors, and we broke time.

I was the one who ended it. Ended the fighting, tidied up the damage as much as I could.

Then I came here, to the end of it all, and gave myself a mission: to never let it happen again.]]> 144 Adrian Tchaikovsky 1781088748 Jennifer 2 4.02 2021 One Day All This Will Be Yours
author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2021/01/01
shelves:
review:
I wanted to like this book - I really did - because it has everything I love in it - time travel, a dinosaur, lots of wit... but it dragged on and on about "the war" and went over and over the same info so many times that I felt as if I were caught in a time trap myself - one I just wanted to get out of. So the witty narrator and his Eden at the End of Time; his Russian tractors and his agro-bots were wonderful but the paradox and the parallel timelines and the mess that was the war ... well, we all know war is a mistake, no matter how it starts. This review is as choppy as the book. Like I said, I really wanted to read it, and because I got a free copy from NetGalley I forced myself to read it - but it wasn't my cup of tea. After seeing most of the other reviews, which raved about the book, I am glad it does please other readers, but it just didn't do it for this reader. I do think it could have been a smashing short story.
]]> <![CDATA[A Short History of Nearly Everything]]> 21 544 Bill Bryson 076790818X Jennifer 5 4.21 2003 A Short History of Nearly Everything
author: Bill Bryson
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/12/31
shelves:
review:
I loved this book from the first page to the last. I read it while confined to the house during lockdown, and made my husband laugh by reading whole passages aloud. It's funny and intelligent - a rare mixture of science and literature. I loved the timeline, the beginning of life, our ancestors, the adventures of the first explorers, modern times... all tied together with Bill Bryson's wonderful prose and humor. I'll gladly read it again and again. My favorite book of 2020 by far (a year where I had loads of free time to read!)
]]> <![CDATA[The Coffin Maker’s Garden (Ash Henderson, #3)]]> 54494926 A village on the edge�
As a massive storm batters the Scottish coast, Gordon Smith’s home is falling into the North Sea. But the crumbling headland has revealed what he’s got buried in his garden: human remains.


A house full of secrets�
With the storm still raging, it’s too dangerous to retrieve the bodies and waves are devouring the evidence. Which means no one knows how many people Smith’s already killed and how many more he’ll kill if he can’t be found and stopped.


An investigator with nothing to lose�
The media are baying for blood, the top brass are after a scapegoat, and ex-Detective Inspector Ash Henderson is done playing nice. He’s got a killer to catch, and God help anyone who gets in his way.]]> 496 Stuart MacBride 0008208328 Jennifer 5 A storm has eroded a cliff and as the waves dash the earth away, bodies are revealed - in fact, the property was a killing place, and the murderer has packed up and left - but he hasn't left off killing.
The police know his identity, but they have no idea where he is.
And then it turns out he's got a young woman with him - is she a hostage? His partner? Where are they headed, and how will Ash find them? At the same time, someone is kidnapping and murdering little boys, and Ash's long-time friend, psychiatrist Dr Alice McDonald, has troubles of her own as she tries to unravel the twisted mind behind the killer.
I love all of MacBride's books, and this one is a strong addition to a creepy, tense, action-packed series. I just hope I won't have too long to wait to read the next one!]]> 3.94 2021 The Coffin Maker’s Garden (Ash Henderson, #3)
author: Stuart MacBride
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/12/20
shelves:
review:
Stuart McBride has done it again - he's written a smashing mystery. I've read all his backlist, so I jumped at the chace to read this one and I wasn't disappointed. Ex-detective constable Ash Henderson is now working as a consultant, and his position is far better than what it was before, even though years have passed since he last appeared on the scene in "Birthdays for the Dead". In the next book in the series, "A Song for the Dying", Ash is injured, and this, the third book with Ash, opens with him hobbling about with a cane. The premise is as gruesome as only Mr MacBride can make it - but not without a dash of humor. In fact, as I read his books, I'm torn between terror and laughter - but there is no bathos here - his writing is clear and strong and his characters distinct and well rounded.
A storm has eroded a cliff and as the waves dash the earth away, bodies are revealed - in fact, the property was a killing place, and the murderer has packed up and left - but he hasn't left off killing.
The police know his identity, but they have no idea where he is.
And then it turns out he's got a young woman with him - is she a hostage? His partner? Where are they headed, and how will Ash find them? At the same time, someone is kidnapping and murdering little boys, and Ash's long-time friend, psychiatrist Dr Alice McDonald, has troubles of her own as she tries to unravel the twisted mind behind the killer.
I love all of MacBride's books, and this one is a strong addition to a creepy, tense, action-packed series. I just hope I won't have too long to wait to read the next one!
]]> <![CDATA[In Search of Reagan's Brain (A Doonesbury Book)]]> 629112 128 G.B. Trudeau 0030597889 Jennifer 5 3.99 1981 In Search of Reagan's Brain (A Doonesbury Book)
author: G.B. Trudeau
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1981
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/12/13
shelves:
review:
One of the best cartoonists and political satirists out there - Doonesbury pointed his wicked pen at Reagan, and he was almost too kind in this comic strip. From the Iran Contra scandal in Iran, to the White House in Washington, Roland Hedley, intrepid journalist, searches for a clue that Reagan has a brain - in vain - alas - the moron had no brain, and his actions have blighted the United States - and even the rest of the world - for decades.
]]> Rampant (Killer Unicorns, #1) 5495243
Real unicorns are venomous, man-eating monsters with huge fangs and razor-sharp horns. Fortunately, they've been extinct for a hundred and fifty years.

Or not.

Astrid had always scoffed at her eccentric mother's stories about killer unicorns. But when one of the monsters attacks her boyfriend—thereby ruining any chance of him taking her to the prom—Astrid finds herself headed to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter at the ancient cloisters the hunters have used for centuries.

However, at the cloisters all is not what it seems. Outside, the unicorns wait to attack. And within, Astrid faces other, unexpected threats: from the crumbling, bone-covered walls that vibrate with a terrible power to the hidden agendas of her fellow hunters to—perhaps most dangerously of all—her growing attraction to a handsome art student ... an attraction that could jeopardize everything.]]> 402 Diana Peterfreund 0061490008 Jennifer 0 to-read 3.54 2009 Rampant (Killer Unicorns, #1)
author: Diana Peterfreund
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/12/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Crown in Time (The Tempus U Time Travel series)]]> 50286393
Do your job well, and you'll go down in history. Fail, and you will be erased from Time . . .

In the far future, a convicted criminal is given a chance at redemption. The Corrector Program at Tempus University is sending Isobel back in time, to the year 1270, to rewrite history.
Her mission? To save the crown of France.
If she follows the Corrector's Handbook everything should run smoothly. But soon, Isobel finds herself accompanying a hot-headed young noble on his way to fight the infidel in Tunis: a battle Isobel knows is fated to be lost.
Isobel must fulfil her duty, knowing she can never return to her time, knowing one wrong move can doom the future, or doom her to be burned as a witch . . .

The first in an exciting new time-slip series, from the author of the action-packed Time for Alexander series, Jennifer Macaire. A CROWN IN TIME will have you on the edge of your seat from the very first page . . .]]> 300 Jennifer Macaire Jennifer 0 to-read 3.88 2020 A Crown in Time (The Tempus U Time Travel series)
author: Jennifer Macaire
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/10/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The First Sister (The First Sister Trilogy, #1)]]> 52378525
Lito val Lucius climbed his way out of the slums to become an elite soldier of Venus, but was defeated in combat by none other than Saito Ren, resulting in the disappearance of his partner, Hiro. When Lito learns that Hiro is both alive and a traitor to the cause, he now has a shot at redemption: track down and kill his former partner. But when he discovers recordings that Hiro secretly made, Lito’s own allegiances are put to the test. Ultimately, he must decide between following orders and following his heart.]]> 352 Linden A. Lewis 198212699X Jennifer 3 3.83 2020 The First Sister (The First Sister Trilogy, #1)
author: Linden A. Lewis
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/08/17
shelves:
review:
I enjoyed the book, the writing was excellent and the world building was great. I wanted to like it a lot more though. It was one of those books that got bogged down in too much description of feelings - and not enough showing. There are three characters telling their story in first person, but only one has a distinct voice - the other two are confusingly similar. We are constantly told what the character is feeling (some of the characters even have a neural implant used to handle feelings, which is commented on again and again). The character that interested me the most - the Sister in the story (I confess I bought the book because I loved the Handmaid's Tale and was looking forward to a different take on that idea) - was hampered by her inability to speak, so she has to use her expressions - thus we are treated with an unending monologue about what she is feeling and how she is using her eyes, mouth, hands, to communicate. It's not a bad idea, but some of her actions are simply laughable. I found myelf skipping pages of inner monologue in search of action, but when I found action, the writing tended to bog down in confusing directions. I gave it three stars because the world building and idea were terrific - in fact, there are a lot of very good ideas in this book that could have been more developed and a lot of information that could have been cut.
]]> Annie's Choices (Settlers) 53284202 326 Tricia McGill 0228613507 Jennifer 5 Then Zachary enters the picture, and Annie finds herself attracted to the dashing, mercurial man who takes her to parties and compliments her extravagantly. Soon Annie is driving out with him on Sundays, and going to his house where his family hold large gambling parties. Knowing her brother would not like that, Annie keeps that a secret. While at Zachary's house, she also meets a servant girl who looks disturbingly like her friend Sally, who still claims she remembers nothing of her past life, and who has now started working in the Annie's brother's house.
This story is like a winding brook, carrying you with it as it goes, bubbling with life and laughter, joy and tears. It's not only a coming of age story and romance; there is adventure, a murder, a journey, and a cast of well-rounded, believable characters. It's also beautifully written and once I started reading, I couldn't stop until I found out what happened to Annie, Jacob, Zachary, and Sally. Ms McGill's writing is like a tapestry with the woven threads of the story leading you further into the design � a design that shows Australia in the eighteen hundreds in all its complexity. The author also includes the massacres inflicted on the Aborigines and their consequences. I love historical romance, and this one is a wonderful addition to my collection.
“Annie's Choice� is book 4 in the Settlers' Series, but it can easily be read as a standalone. Warning � reading this one will make you want to read the entire series! Highly recommended.]]> 3.91 Annie's Choices (Settlers)
author: Tricia McGill
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.91
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/07/26
shelves:
review:
Frontier life in Australia was made up of back-breaking hard work. The author says in her dedication; “gallant women and brave men�, and it's true. This is the story of Annie, a girl who has come to spend Christmas season with her brother Tim and his wife Jo. The year is 1843, and after Christmas, Annie decides to stay in Port Philip, where life is far more exciting than in the mountains where she grew up. Young and frivolous Annie sets her sights on Jacob, who works for her family. Jacob is serious and hardworking. Annie manages to get him to take her for a drive, but a violent storm hits and they find an injured girl in a ditch at the side of the road. The girl suffers from amnesia and can only remember her name � Sally. Annie's brother and sister-in-law agree to take her in until she can recover, and Sally and Annie, being the same age, soon become friends.
Then Zachary enters the picture, and Annie finds herself attracted to the dashing, mercurial man who takes her to parties and compliments her extravagantly. Soon Annie is driving out with him on Sundays, and going to his house where his family hold large gambling parties. Knowing her brother would not like that, Annie keeps that a secret. While at Zachary's house, she also meets a servant girl who looks disturbingly like her friend Sally, who still claims she remembers nothing of her past life, and who has now started working in the Annie's brother's house.
This story is like a winding brook, carrying you with it as it goes, bubbling with life and laughter, joy and tears. It's not only a coming of age story and romance; there is adventure, a murder, a journey, and a cast of well-rounded, believable characters. It's also beautifully written and once I started reading, I couldn't stop until I found out what happened to Annie, Jacob, Zachary, and Sally. Ms McGill's writing is like a tapestry with the woven threads of the story leading you further into the design � a design that shows Australia in the eighteen hundreds in all its complexity. The author also includes the massacres inflicted on the Aborigines and their consequences. I love historical romance, and this one is a wonderful addition to my collection.
“Annie's Choice� is book 4 in the Settlers' Series, but it can easily be read as a standalone. Warning � reading this one will make you want to read the entire series! Highly recommended.
]]> <![CDATA[The Silken Rose (She-Wolves Trilogy #1)]]> 50713871 For fans of Karen Maitland, Alison Weir and Philipa Gregory, the first in a brand new trilogy from Carol McGrath. Featuring Ailenor of Provence, a courageous and fiercely loyal medieval queen, The Silken Rose will tran sport you to a world of intrigue and betrayal in the royal court.

1236. Beautiful Ailenor of Provence, cultured and intelligent, is only thirteen when she marries Henry III. Aware of the desperate importance of providing heirs to secure the throne from those who would snatch it away, she is ruthless in her dealings with Henry's barons.

As conflict escalates between them, Ailenor's shrewd and clever Savoyard uncles come to support her but her growing political power is threatened when Henry's half-siblings also arrive at court.

Henry and Ailenor become embroiled in an unpopular war to protect Gascony, last English territory on the continent, sparking conflict with warrior knight, Simon de Montfort, the King's seneschal. Ailenor, desperate to protect Gascony for her son, strives to treat with France and bring peace to Gascony.

Caught in a web of treachery and deceit, 'she-wolf' Ailenor's courage is tested to the limit. Can she find the strength to control her destiny and protect her all that she holds dear?

]]> 411 Carol McGrath Jennifer 5
Ailenor was married aged twelve or thirteen, but her husband, Henry, wishes to wait until she is older to consummate their marriage. During this time, Ailenor learns the ways of the court and manages to place her retinue and followers in important positions, a fact that does not endear her to the English. Headstrong, quick of tongue, and sure of herself, she falls in love with her older husband and manages to make him love her too - no small feat, as he is intelligent and experienced. As well as taking an interest in her husband's affairs, Ailenor was also interested in the art of embroidery, and she befriends a commoner - Rosiland - a woman with great talent - and becomes her patroness. So there are two strong female characters in the story, their lives, one noble-born and destined for history, and the other, a product of the brand new middle class of artisan workers who will eventually make Europe into a modern state.

Also important to the story are the characters Simon de Montfort and his wife, Nell, who was Henry's sister. Nell and Simon fall in love and Ailenor helps them marry, getting papal disposition. However, Simon and Nell fall heavily in debt and Henry ends up footing their bills. Furious, he orders Simon imprisoned, but Ailenor helps them escape England. I loved the way the author ties history and fiction together - I have always been fascinated by this period, and especially by this royal family. Richard of Cornwall, Simon de Montfort - and of course the Crusades are all woven together in this richly embroidered tapestry. Especially prevailent is the embroidery itself - the different fabrics and clothes the people wore, their colors and textures adding richness to an already fascinating tale. Highly reccommended.]]> 3.92 2020 The Silken Rose (She-Wolves Trilogy #1)
author: Carol McGrath
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/04/11
shelves:
review:
History, especially before the Renaissance, was written by, for, and about men. If you only read the history books, you can be forgiven for thinking that women were deaf and dumb vessels only meant to carry children. How refreshing it is to read about a woman who made history herself, Ailenor of England, often referred to as she wolf, (which was applied to three of the early English Queens, proof of their strong personalities!) was a noblewoman from France who married King Henry III, grandson of the indomitable Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Ailenor was married aged twelve or thirteen, but her husband, Henry, wishes to wait until she is older to consummate their marriage. During this time, Ailenor learns the ways of the court and manages to place her retinue and followers in important positions, a fact that does not endear her to the English. Headstrong, quick of tongue, and sure of herself, she falls in love with her older husband and manages to make him love her too - no small feat, as he is intelligent and experienced. As well as taking an interest in her husband's affairs, Ailenor was also interested in the art of embroidery, and she befriends a commoner - Rosiland - a woman with great talent - and becomes her patroness. So there are two strong female characters in the story, their lives, one noble-born and destined for history, and the other, a product of the brand new middle class of artisan workers who will eventually make Europe into a modern state.

Also important to the story are the characters Simon de Montfort and his wife, Nell, who was Henry's sister. Nell and Simon fall in love and Ailenor helps them marry, getting papal disposition. However, Simon and Nell fall heavily in debt and Henry ends up footing their bills. Furious, he orders Simon imprisoned, but Ailenor helps them escape England. I loved the way the author ties history and fiction together - I have always been fascinated by this period, and especially by this royal family. Richard of Cornwall, Simon de Montfort - and of course the Crusades are all woven together in this richly embroidered tapestry. Especially prevailent is the embroidery itself - the different fabrics and clothes the people wore, their colors and textures adding richness to an already fascinating tale. Highly reccommended.
]]> <![CDATA[Echoes of the Runes (Runes, #1)]]> 49650911 Their love was forbidden. But echoed in eternity.

When Mia inherits her beloved grandmother's summer cottage, Birch Thorpe, in Sweden, she faces a dilemma. Her fiance Charles urges her to sell and buy a swanky London home, but Mia cannot let it go easily. The request to carry out an archaeological dig for more Viking artefacts like the gold ring Mia's grandmother also left her, offers her a reprieve from a decision―and from Charles.

Whilst Mia becomes absorbed in the dig's discoveries, she finds herself drawn to archaeologist Haakon Berger. Like her, he can sense the past inhabitants whose lives are becoming more vivid every day. Trying to resist the growing attraction between them, Mia and Haakon begin to piece together the story of a Welsh noblewoman, Ceri, and the mysterious Viking, known as the 'White Hawk', who stole her away from her people in 869 AD.

As the present begins to echo the past, and enemies threaten Birch Thorpe's inhabitants, they will all have to fight to protect what has become most precious to each of them...

The pacy, evocative and romantic new dual-time novel from Christina Courtenay is perfect for fans of Barbara Erskine, Diana Gabaldon and Vikings.

]]> 368 Christina Courtenay Jennifer 4 This dual timeline romance is well written and the story is well paced. The author shows a good knowledge history and especially about the Viking culture in the IX century. I knew practically nothing of this, so all the information was welcome.
Mia meets a man who works as an archeologist in a museum, and who immediately notices her ring. He shows her one identical to it in an exhibit. When the man puts the ring on, he has visions of things that happened in the past. So does Mia, through her own ring. Bit by bit, the story is pieced together as the past and the present a pulled together.
The past is seen through Ceri, a Celtic woman, was kidnapped by Viking raiders. Her kidnapper is kind to her, and instead of the life of serivtude she fears, she is treated well and asked to look after the man's deaf and mute daughter.
I enjoyed both the historical and modern parts of the book, and recommend it highly to anyone who loves dual timeline romances.]]> 4.13 2020 Echoes of the Runes (Runes, #1)
author: Christina Courtenay
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/03/06
shelves:
review:
I'm a big fan of historical fiction, and I love books that weave the past and the present together. This book is about Mia, a modern day woman, who is tied to a woman in the far past through a ring. Artifacts play an important part of this story, as does the woman's childhood home, which is where most of the treasures are found.
This dual timeline romance is well written and the story is well paced. The author shows a good knowledge history and especially about the Viking culture in the IX century. I knew practically nothing of this, so all the information was welcome.
Mia meets a man who works as an archeologist in a museum, and who immediately notices her ring. He shows her one identical to it in an exhibit. When the man puts the ring on, he has visions of things that happened in the past. So does Mia, through her own ring. Bit by bit, the story is pieced together as the past and the present a pulled together.
The past is seen through Ceri, a Celtic woman, was kidnapped by Viking raiders. Her kidnapper is kind to her, and instead of the life of serivtude she fears, she is treated well and asked to look after the man's deaf and mute daughter.
I enjoyed both the historical and modern parts of the book, and recommend it highly to anyone who loves dual timeline romances.
]]> <![CDATA[Rage and Retribution (D.I. Sterling #4)]]> 50530056
A man is found by the side of a canal, comatose and brutally attacked.

It quickly becomes clear that someone is abducting men and subjecting them to horrific acts of torture. After three days they're released, fighting for their lives and refusing to speak.

A councillor is accused of fraud.

Montague Mason is an upstanding member of the community. That is until he's publicly accused of stealing the youth centre's funds - an accusation that threatens to rip through the very heart of the community and expose his best-kept secret. But how far would he go to protect himself?

Two cases. One deadly answer.

As the two cases collide, D.I. Paolo Sterling finds he has more questions than answers. And, when torture escalates to murder, he suddenly finds himself in a race against time to find the killer and put an end to the depravity - once and for all.

'A dark, cleverly plotted tale . . . I was gripped from the opening scene and raced through the book to its final, shocking ending. Crime writing at its very best' Sheila Bugler

'Gritty, topical, sometimes lacerating, but always enthralling. A truly compulsive read' Abbie Frost

Lorraine Mace brings us the fourth instalment in her dark, gritty and shocking series featuring DI Paolo Sterling - perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter, Tess Gerritsen and Mo Hayder.

Readers love the D.I. Sterling thrillers:

'I could not put my kindle down while reading this!'

'A real page turner'

'Gripping, gritty and gruesome. A perfect start to a new series!'

'An absolutely brilliant read'

'A gritty and gripping thriller that kept me turning the pages'

'Wow!!! What a book!!!'

'Dark, disturbing yet utterly gripping!'

'This series is now a firm favourite of mine and I'm looking forward to the next one'

'Every book I've read in the series has been fantastic' ]]> 272 Lorraine Mace 1786156857 Jennifer 5 Enter D.I. Paolo Sterling and his team. Again I was surprised - the detective is a calm, kind, almost spiritual man. He's a fascinating character. He's raising one daughter, his other died in a car accident, and he is still looking for the driver, but he isn't obsessional about it. I thought that Sterling was one of the most balanced characters in a detective novel that I've read, and the small forays into his private and personal life didn't take away from the main plot, which is the search for the criminal.
Well written, and with a large cast of interesting characters, this is a fast-paced book that held my attention to the end. Highly recommended.]]> 4.28 Rage and Retribution (D.I. Sterling #4)
author: Lorraine Mace
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/03/06
shelves:
review:
This is the fourth book in the D.I. Paolo Sterling series, but it was the first one I'd read. You don't have to read the first three to enjoy this one, but after reading this one, I will be going back to read them, beccause I really enjoyed the main character, D.I. Paolo Sterling! The story starts out very dark and very violent, with a murderer kidnapping and torturing abusive men. Already the scene is set - the very real wish for retribution against the terrible things these men have done, but the way the revenge is carried out with such rage is beyond the pale. Once released from the torturer these men refuse to speak about it, so the kidnapper runs free. But then, apparently, the kidnapper turns murderer.
Enter D.I. Paolo Sterling and his team. Again I was surprised - the detective is a calm, kind, almost spiritual man. He's a fascinating character. He's raising one daughter, his other died in a car accident, and he is still looking for the driver, but he isn't obsessional about it. I thought that Sterling was one of the most balanced characters in a detective novel that I've read, and the small forays into his private and personal life didn't take away from the main plot, which is the search for the criminal.
Well written, and with a large cast of interesting characters, this is a fast-paced book that held my attention to the end. Highly recommended.
]]> <![CDATA[The Karma Book Club (The Club, #2)]]> 51886916 I wore the banana suit!

Escape into the hilarious, feel-good rom-com that will leave you smiling until the very end.

"Kayley Wood mastered comedy romance in The Karma Book Club." - Jo Jo Maxson - 5 Stars

"This book had me laughing out loud, along with experiencing many heartfelt emotions throughout this grand slam of a story!" - Chick Lit Café - 5 Stars

“Phenomenal. I laughed a lot with this one." - that1girl - 5 Stars

“I just want to gush on how much I loved The Karma book club by Kayley Wood... If you are a fan of R. S. Grey you definitely need to get it!� - Kari Valdez - 5 Stars

Sweet. Funny. Heartfelt.

Mia never felt the need to speak up for herself. Not with three protective sisters, an assertive boyfriend, and a bestie who has no problem stealing the attention for herself. With a nervous bladder (which strikes at the worst possible times) and a terrible fear of public speaking, Mia is comfortable with the way things are.

That is, until she comes home to find her things packed by the door and faces the news that her boyfriend and best friend have fallen in love.

Now homeless and anything but comfortable, Mia’s sisters come to the rescue (as usual) by helping her land the perfect apartment—but a colossal mishap lands gorgeous bad boy Logan Miller on her doorstep with a key and a lease contract of his own.

In exchange for a free month's stay, Logan agrees to help Mia find the voice and confidence she now desperately craves. The goal? To finally stand up for herself and give her exes what they deserve.

It’s not revenge. It’s Karma.

Mia's one rule: No matter how charming, funny, and sexy Logan is, she cannot fall in love with him.

Logan's one rule: No matter how adorable, sweet, and sexy she is, Mia is off limits.

Are some rules made to be broken, or will Logan turn out to be exactly what everyone warns her he is—a player who will only break her heart in the end?

THE KARMA BOOK CLUB is the endearing, yet hilarious second installment in the Club Series. A page-turning New Adult Romantic Comedy full of lol moments, lovable characters, and redemption at its finest. Told in dual points of view.

Perfect for fans of Becky Monson, R.S. Grey, and rom-coms that leave you with an overall happy feeling. ]]> 244 Kayley Wood Jennifer 5 This book was an interesting mix of light romance and a very deep question - that of redemption and forgiveness.
The story starts as Mia finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her, and that he's basically kicked her out of her own apartment. Not one for theatrics, (and deep-down, faintly relieved that the romance is over), Mia finds another apartment right away and moves in...at the same time as someone else moves in. A mistake at the agency means the apartment has been rented out to two people - Mia and Logan. Mia is no pushover and she's determined to have the apartment. She's already lost a boyfriend, her apartment, and her favorite sofa - nothing is going to take this place away. Backed up by her three sisters, Mia rolls up her sleeves to fight, and finds herself charmed by Logan. She lets him stay until he finds a place of his own, and she settles down to get to know him and maybe fall in love again, because he's so nice, cute and - and then she finds out the truth about him. And what he's done. And her world falls apart once more, because she's really fallen hard for him.
This was a terrific addition to the series, the author does a great job of making her characters come alive. I highly recommend it.
]]> 4.56 The Karma Book Club (The Club, #2)
author: Kayley Wood
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.56
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/02/28
shelves:
review:
How can someone make up for doing something awful - and how long should that person be punished for the misdeed?
This book was an interesting mix of light romance and a very deep question - that of redemption and forgiveness.
The story starts as Mia finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her, and that he's basically kicked her out of her own apartment. Not one for theatrics, (and deep-down, faintly relieved that the romance is over), Mia finds another apartment right away and moves in...at the same time as someone else moves in. A mistake at the agency means the apartment has been rented out to two people - Mia and Logan. Mia is no pushover and she's determined to have the apartment. She's already lost a boyfriend, her apartment, and her favorite sofa - nothing is going to take this place away. Backed up by her three sisters, Mia rolls up her sleeves to fight, and finds herself charmed by Logan. She lets him stay until he finds a place of his own, and she settles down to get to know him and maybe fall in love again, because he's so nice, cute and - and then she finds out the truth about him. And what he's done. And her world falls apart once more, because she's really fallen hard for him.
This was a terrific addition to the series, the author does a great job of making her characters come alive. I highly recommend it.

]]> Nothing To Lose 34640139
As Gillian delves into the victims� lives and unpicks their stories one by one, she uncovers secrets that lead her to discover the cause of this tragedy. And tragedy is brewing in Gillian’s own life…can she help her daughter before it’s too late?]]> 200 Anna Legat 1783759631 Jennifer 5 to-read 4.00 2017 Nothing To Lose
author: Anna Legat
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/02/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century]]> 568236 Barbara Tuchman anatomizes the century, revealing both the great rhythms of history and the grain and texture of domestic life as it was lived.]]> 714 Barbara W. Tuchman 0345349571 Jennifer 5 4.04 1978 A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century
author: Barbara W. Tuchman
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1978
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/01/27
shelves:
review:

]]> My Dear Hamilton 41014257 New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter comes the epic story of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton—a revolutionary woman who, like her new nation, struggled to define herself in the wake of war, betrayal, and tragedy. Haunting, moving, and beautifully written, Dray and Kamoie used thousands of letters and original sources to tell Eliza’s story as it’s never been told before—not just as the wronged wife at the center of a political sex scandal—but also as a founding mother who shaped an American legacy in her own right.

A general’s daughter�

Coming of age on the perilous frontier of revolutionary New York, Elizabeth Schuyler champions the fight for independence. And when she meets Alexander Hamilton, Washington’s penniless but passionate aide-de-camp, she’s captivated by the young officer’s charisma and brilliance. They fall in love, despite Hamilton’s bastard birth and the uncertainties of war.

A founding father’s wife...

But the union they create—in their marriage and the new nation—is far from perfect. From glittering inaugural balls to bloody street riots, the Hamiltons are at the center of it all—including the political treachery of America’s first sex scandal, which forces Eliza to struggle through heartbreak and betrayal to find forgiveness.

The last surviving light of the Revolution�

When a duel destroys Eliza’s hard-won peace, the grieving widow fights her husband’s enemies to preserve Alexander’s legacy. But long-buried secrets threaten everything Eliza believes about her marriage and her own legacy. Questioning her tireless devotion to the man and country that have broken her heart, she’s left with one last battle—to understand the flawed man she married and the imperfect union he could never have created without her…]]> 652 Stephanie Dray Jennifer 0 to-read 4.32 2018 My Dear Hamilton
author: Stephanie Dray
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Woman on the Edge of Time 772888
But Connie also bears witness to another potential outcome: a dystopian society of grotesque exploitation. One will become our world. And Connie herself may strike the decisive blow...]]> 376 Marge Piercy 0449210820 Jennifer 0 currently-reading 3.94 1976 Woman on the Edge of Time
author: Marge Piercy
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1976
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/01/23
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Good At Games 42004
Suzy fell for Harry the moment she showed him her husband's sperm sample. It didn't really belong to her husband, though, because she wasn't married. It wasn't a sperm sample either, it was a drinks carton containing the dregs of her milkshake. But when you're trying to get off a speeding charge you just have to improvise, don't you? And it wasn't actually love at first sight. Still, it was undeniably a healthy attack of lust...]]> 512 Jill Mansell 0747261326 Jennifer 5 Loved the characters, loved the setting.
A fun read all around.]]> 3.78 2000 Good At Games
author: Jill Mansell
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/12/20
shelves:
review:
This was my favorite Jill Mansell book - It's hilarious, touching, and takes you in completely different directions than you think the book is heading to with Jill's quick wit and snappy writing.
Loved the characters, loved the setting.
A fun read all around.
]]> Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1) 43263680
Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs� are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.]]> 461 Leigh Bardugo 1250313074 Jennifer 0 to-read 4.00 2019 Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/12/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Silent Patient 40097951
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....

The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband—and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.]]> 336 Alex Michaelides 1250301696 Jennifer 0 to-read 4.17 2019 The Silent Patient
author: Alex Michaelides
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/12/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Daisy Jones & The Six 40597810 Everyone knows DAISY JONES & THE SIX, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock ’n� roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.]]> 368 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1524798622 Jennifer 0 to-read 4.20 2019 Daisy Jones & The Six
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/12/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper]]> 37570548
What they had in common was the year of their murders: 1888.

Their murderer was never identified, but the name created for him by the press has become far more famous than any of these five women.

In this devastating narrative of five lives, historian Hallie Rubenhold finally gives these women back their stories.]]> 352 Hallie Rubenhold Jennifer 0 to-read 4.06 2019 The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
author: Hallie Rubenhold
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/12/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Five Feet Apart 38926328 In this moving story two teens fall in love with just one minor complication—they can’t get within five feet of each other without risking their lives.

Can you love someone you can never touch?

Stella Grant likes to be in control—even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.

The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn’t care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.

¾’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.

What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?]]> 304 Rachael Lippincott 1534437339 Jennifer 0 to-read 4.06 2018 Five Feet Apart
author: Rachael Lippincott
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/12/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air, #2)]]> 38237340
اولین درس اینه که خودتو قوی کنی.

حالا که راز بزرگ برملا شده و همه می دانند اوک وارث سرزمین پریان است

جود باید از برادرش محافظت کند. او برای این کار کاردن شاه پلید پریان را به خدمت گرفته است و خودش قدرت پشت پرده شده است.

رتق و فتق امور سیاسی سرزمین پریان که همواره در حال تغییر است، کار آسانی نیست

اما کنترل کردن کاردن آن را سخت تر می کند.با اینکه دل کاردن پیش جود گیر است، اما از تمام توانش استفاده می کند تا او را تحقیر کند.

در این میان معلوم می شود یکی از نزدیکان جود می خواهد به او خیانت کند و جان او و عزیزانش در خطر است.]]> 322 Holly Black 0316310352 Jennifer 0 to-read 4.34 2019 The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air, #2)
author: Holly Black
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/12/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Testaments (The Handmaid's Tale, #2)]]> 42975172 The Handmaid's Tale, readers had no way of telling what lay ahead for her--freedom, prison or death.

With The Testaments, the wait is over.

Margaret Atwood's sequel picks up the story more than fifteen years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.

In this brilliant sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, acclaimed author Margaret Atwood answers the questions that have tantalized readers for decades.

"Dear Readers: Everything you've ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book. Well, almost everything! The other inspiration is the world we've been living in." --Margaret Atwood

An alternate cover edition of ISBN 978-0385543781 can be found here.]]> 422 Margaret Atwood Jennifer 4 4.16 2019 The Testaments (The Handmaid's Tale, #2)
author: Margaret Atwood
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/12/12
shelves:
review:

]]> The Institute 43798285
In this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don’t, punishment is brutal. As each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from the Institute.

As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the spectacular kid power of It, The Institute is Stephen King's gut-wrenchingly dramatic story of good versus evil in a world where the good guys don't always win.
--front flap]]> 561 Stephen King Jennifer 0 to-read 4.17 2019 The Institute
author: Stephen King
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/12/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Clockwork Boys (Clocktaur War, #1)]]> 36618062
If they succeed, rewards and pardons await, but that requires a long journey through enemy territory, directly into the capital. It also requires them to refrain from killing each other along the way! At turns darkly comic and touching, Clockwork Boys puts together a broken group of people trying to make the most of the rest of their lives as they drive forward on their suicide mission.]]> 230 T. Kingfisher Jennifer 5 4.15 2017 Clockwork Boys (Clocktaur War, #1)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/12/04
shelves:
review:
I loved this - a suicide mission taken by misfits - well written and entertaining.
]]> Nothing to Lose 34685636 200 Anna Legat 1682996107 Jennifer 0 to-read 4.40 2017 Nothing to Lose
author: Anna Legat
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/11/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Gibbon's Decline and Fall 168540 480 Sheri S. Tepper 0553573985 Jennifer 5 Following the story of a lawyer who agrees to represent and defend a girl who left her newborn baby in a dumpster - it takes you on a journey into the lives of six very different women, their families, their loves - while also touching on the supernatural.
Perhaps the supernatural was what was weakest in this novel - it hardly needed it, because the premise - women vs men, was so interesting. But Ms Tepper pulled it off, with glorious writing and a glimpse of true friendship.
I highly reccomend this book.]]> 3.90 1996 Gibbon's Decline and Fall
author: Sheri S. Tepper
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/10/10
shelves:
review:
I think this is one of the most interesting books since 'The Handmaid's Tale' that looks at the place women occupy in modern society.
Following the story of a lawyer who agrees to represent and defend a girl who left her newborn baby in a dumpster - it takes you on a journey into the lives of six very different women, their families, their loves - while also touching on the supernatural.
Perhaps the supernatural was what was weakest in this novel - it hardly needed it, because the premise - women vs men, was so interesting. But Ms Tepper pulled it off, with glorious writing and a glimpse of true friendship.
I highly reccomend this book.
]]> The Karma Club 6584019

Madison Kasparkova always thought she understood how Karma works. Do good things and you'll be rewarded, do something bad and Karma will make sure you get what you deserve.

But when Maddy’s boyfriend cheats on her, nothing bad comes his way. That’s why Maddy starts the Karma Club, to clean up the messes that the universe has left behind. Sometimes, though, it isn’t wise to meddle with the universe.

It turns out Karma often has plans of its own.

]]> 258 Jessica Brody 0374339791 Jennifer 5 3.71 2010 The Karma Club
author: Jessica Brody
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/06/01
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Joy After Noon (Sugar Sands, #1)]]> 44257127 232 Debra Coleman Jeter 1948888998 Jennifer 4 4.16 Joy After Noon (Sugar Sands, #1)
author: Debra Coleman Jeter
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/05/27
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Dead Red Heart (A Dead Red, #2)]]> 11190164 Lalla Bains certainly doesn't need any more distractions during the simmering summers in the San Joaquin Valley of California; her tight-wad, widowed father is now a born-again lady's man, a disreputable crop-dusting competitor threatens her business, and last but not least, she worries whether the sultry redhead in the local police department is taking more than a professional interest in her honey, Sheriff Caleb Stone.
But when a homeless vet is stabbed and dies at her feet, Lalla Bains, being the exasperating, pushy, tenacious gal she is, Lalla believes the dead man deserves a better homicide investigation than what he's getting.]]> 302 R.P. Dahlke Jennifer 3 3.87 A Dead Red Heart (A Dead Red, #2)
author: R.P. Dahlke
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.87
book published:
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2019/05/20
shelves:
review:

]]> A Time To Change 36287376
Louisa Arnold has always loved Hill House. As a little girl she played in the derelict manor’s overgrown gardens and peered through its cracked ballroom windows, hoping to glimpse spectral lords and ladies dancing within. The tragic story of the wealthy former owners, the Mandevilles, even inspired her to want to teach history. But, trapped by the hardship she grew up in, Lou fears that dream is forever out of reach.

After a terrible loss, Lou runs to hide within the house’s ruined halls. To her astonishment, Hill House begins to transform around her � in place of rotting floors and sagging ceilings, are vast silk rugs of embroidered roses and majestic crystal chandeliers. Maids and footmen flit busily around her � is Lou dreaming, or could she actually be standing in this place as it was a hundred years ago?

Lou is mystified by the warm welcome she receives as a guest of the illustrious Mandeville family. Over tea parties and shoots, banquets and dancing, she’s suddenly living the life she always dreamed of. And, though she tries to fight it, she’s increasingly drawn to the Mandeville heir, Thomas � whose heart-breaking fate she knows well from the pages of history.

As Lou falls more in love with this world that she never imagined could be hers, the truth about Hill House and the destiny of its family begins to unravel around her. Will the past run its stubborn course, swallowing Lou in its wake, or can she save this beautiful place and the people she’s come to treasure from certain ruin?

A heart-breaking, beautiful, emotional and unputdownable read, for fans of The Time Traveller’s Wife , Fiona Valpy and Lucinda Riley.]]> 346 Callie Langridge 1912175622 Jennifer 4 4.07 2017 A Time To Change
author: Callie Langridge
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/05/15
shelves:
review:
Thoroughly enjoyable read. The characters were terrific and the author really knew how to draw this reader in and hook her! I loved every bit of this tale, and found myself sad when it ended. The sign of a good book!
]]> <![CDATA[Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1)]]> 47212 HARRY DRESDEN � WIZARD

Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he's the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the "everyday" world is actually full of strange and magical things—and most don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a—well, whatever. There's just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks.

So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name. And that's when things start to get interesting.

Magic - it can get a guy killed.]]> 372 Jim Butcher 0451457811 Jennifer 5 3.99 2000 Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/05/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Rules of Magic (Practical Magic, #0.2)]]> 34037113 Find your magic

For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man.

Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the sixties, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique. Difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk.

From the start Susanna sets down rules for her children: No walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. And most importantly, never, ever, fall in love. But when her children visit their Aunt Isabelle, in the small Massachusetts town where the Owens family has been blamed for everything that has ever gone wrong, they uncover family secrets and begin to understand the truth of who they are. Back in New York City each begins a risky journey as they try to escape the family curse.

The Owens children cannot escape love even if they try, just as they cannot escape the pains of the human heart. The two beautiful sisters will grow up to be the revered, and sometimes feared, aunts in Practical Magic, while Vincent, their beloved brother, will leave an unexpected legacy.]]> 369 Alice Hoffman Jennifer 5 3.98 2017 The Rules of Magic (Practical Magic, #0.2)
author: Alice Hoffman
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/05/02
shelves:
review:

]]> Justice Gone 40398725 336 N. Lombardi Jr. 1785358766 Jennifer 4 4.34 2019 Justice Gone
author: N. Lombardi Jr.
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/04/30
shelves:
review:
Issues such as police brutality and the treatment of vets are hard to write about, but this book addresses both with unflinching honesty. Mr. Lombardi writes with authority about legal procedures, war veteran disabilities, mental health difficulties, PTSD, and police brutality - all intrinsic parts of this story that starts when Jason Felson, a decorated war veteran and homeless man, is beaten to death by four police officers for the crime of standing on a street corner. The town erupts and soon after, three cops are killed by a sniper. A multi-state manhunt is underway for a cop killer on the loose. Dr. Tessa Thorpe, a veterans counsellor, is caught up in the chase because the suspect is one of her patients. She is the head of the New Hope Trauma Recovery Centre that runs a centre for posttraumatic stress disorder. Another important character is Nathaniel Bodine, the blind defense attorney for the defendent. I liked the blind lawyer, and Tessa Thorpe was a strong character as well. The story was told through several viewpoints, all of which were well developed. In all, a fast-moving interesting story. Highly recommended.
]]> <![CDATA[Blood Debts (Leonidas the Gladiator Mysteries, #1.5)]]> 35650536
With the assistance of Cassia, daughter of a Greek scribe who was bestowed upon him as his slave, Leonidas fights for justice in the back lanes of Imperial Rome.

Cassia has no idea how to cook and clean or mend and weave, but she is very good at finding things out and writing things down, able to work through a dozen mathematical problems by the time most people can think of a sentence. Knowing both intuitively and empirically that Leonidas is innocent of the murder, she resolves to help clear him of the crime.

It’s the least she can do for a man who has proved to be far less brutal than his reputation and who protects all who come within his sphere.

And if Leonidas loses, he faces a short, painful future back in the amphitheater, this time without hope of survival.

A novella of the Leonidas the Gladiator mysteries. (34,000 words, 11 chapters)]]> 144 Ashley Gardner 1946455016 Jennifer 0 to-read 4.27 2017 Blood Debts (Leonidas the Gladiator Mysteries, #1.5)
author: Ashley Gardner
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Past Crimes: A Compendium of Historical Mysteries]]> 35694365
A Soupçon of Poison
(Kat Holloway Victorian Mysteries)

Kat Holloway, a young cook who is highly sought after by the wealthy of Victorian London, becomes embroiled in murder and must clear her name. Only the mysterious Daniel McAdam, who is much more than he seems, can come to her aid.

Blood Debts
(Leonidas the Gladiator Mysteries)

Leonidas, freedman, once the most popular gladiator in Rome and champion of the games, now must fight for his life outside the arena. A man who owed him money was murdered, and Leonidas is a prime suspect. With the assistance of Cassia, daughter of a Greek scribe who has been bestowed upon him as his slave, Leonidas fights for justice in the back lanes of Imperial Rome.

The Necklace Affair
(Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries)

Captain Lacey agrees to help a society matron discover what has become of her cherished diamond necklace and to clear her maid, who has been arrested for its theft. Lacey quickly becomes enmeshed in scandal and past secrets, and finds himself competing with the underworld criminal, James Denis, for the necklace's retrieval.

This collection includes three novellas of about 25,000-30,000 words each.]]> 318 Ashley Gardner 1946455032 Jennifer 5 3.87 2017 Past Crimes: A Compendium of Historical Mysteries
author: Ashley Gardner
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/04/28
shelves:
review:
Fantastic trio of mysteries - I was hooked from page one. The first features a cook as a the heroine, and I loved the way the mystery tied in with the food (poison, of course!) and how the mystery was solved. The characters were wonderful, really a great start to a terrific series. The second story was my favorite - book I in the Leonidas the Gladiator Mysteries -and here Ms Gardner shows her flair for creating unusual characters in unusual settings - and making everything work. The research was terrific, and it really helped the story along, making it incredibly realistic even though it was set in ancient Rome! Kudos! The third story was (in my opinion) the weakest, but it was still a page-turner, with a stolen necklace, a love triangle, and an ex-soldier detective who is wonderfully drawn. All in all a great read. I'm thrilled to have discovered this author!
]]> <![CDATA[Shape of Secrets (46. Ascending, #2)]]> 44064978
Zane, a young man with the ability to change his appearance, is starting his first job at Penthes Pharmaceuticals. However, it's not what he expects. Soon he is drawn into a world of corporate secrets and dangerous knowledge.

The deceptions are only beginning. A sales trip to the South Pacific leaves Zane dealing with an unsolved murder, an unsavory boot camp manager, and new friends with abilities as surprising as his own.

Can he use his unique talents to unravel the mysteries he's been presented with? More importantly, can he find out who framed his friend for murder before it's too late?]]> 281 Sherrie R. Cronin Jennifer 3 A murder mystery with a sci-fi slant, it was a hard book to classify. There is a homosexual relationship, and the author also addresses the ideas of greed, inherited wealth vs wealth that has been earned, and troubled teens sent away to "boot camps" in faraway tropical islands. I could not decide what age group the book was aimed at - in the begining it reads like a book aimed at 10 -12 yr olds, then changes and it becomes more of a young adult or even a new adult book. ]]> 3.82 2012 Shape of Secrets (46. Ascending, #2)
author: Sherrie R. Cronin
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2019/04/27
shelves:
review:
Zane is a smart, inquisitive boy with parents who don't understand him. His mother and father try, but Zane is mostly left to figure out life on his own. He discovers a talent - that of disguising himself by changing his body shape, and even his skin color. Very cool! Later, this comes in handy as he manages to blend in at the university, becoming nearly invisible, which suits him just fine, as he's not very sociable. However, he does have a "super hero" syndrome - he can't stand by and watch people get hurt. After he graduates, he lands in the sales department of Penthes Pharmaceuticals, he begins to uncover layers of corporate secrets.
A murder mystery with a sci-fi slant, it was a hard book to classify. There is a homosexual relationship, and the author also addresses the ideas of greed, inherited wealth vs wealth that has been earned, and troubled teens sent away to "boot camps" in faraway tropical islands. I could not decide what age group the book was aimed at - in the begining it reads like a book aimed at 10 -12 yr olds, then changes and it becomes more of a young adult or even a new adult book.
]]> Lest Darkness Fall 94715 174 L. Sprague de Camp 0515608173 Jennifer 0 to-read 3.96 1941 Lest Darkness Fall
author: L. Sprague de Camp
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1941
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/04/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Only Woman in the Room 39971465
But she kept a secret more shocking than her heritage or her marriage: she was a scientist. And she had an idea that might help the country fight the Nazis and revolutionize modern communication...if anyone would listen to her.

A novel based on the true story of the glamour icon and scientist whose groundbreaking invention revolutionized modern communication.]]> 312 Marie Benedict 1492666866 Jennifer 0 to-read 3.75 2019 The Only Woman in the Room
author: Marie Benedict
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/04/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Virgin Club (The Club Series, #1)]]> 44301055
Love? Okay, maybe she didn’t have it all, but what's the rush? At the tender age of twenty-three (almost twenty-four), Emma knows she has plenty of time to find the perfect guy.

That is, until her two best friends enter the dating scene and fall in love, leaving Emma to spend most weekends alone, binge-watching Netflix or playing the dreaded role of fifth-wheel.

Panic set in at the realization she was officially an outcast. The lone single virgin who sucked at reading signals and had more experience admiring from afar than being in an actual relationship.

After a night of one too many appletinis, a semi-meltdown, and a 'Lose My Virginity Challenge' post, Emma’s little blog goes viral.

When Emma's co-worker crush, Logan—gorgeous and not interested—finds out that she is the anonymous blogger, Emma's besties come up with a brilliant plan to finally win over the untouchable Logan.

Perfect! Things are finally looking up again, but then Emma's hot new billionaire boss, Alex, comes into the picture with plans of his own and a surprising secret she is totally unprepared for.]]> 273 Kayley Wood Jennifer 5
As luck would have it, a good cantidate is at the office with her - an impossibly good looking, funny, freindly guy who asks her out on a date - things are looking up! Then her blog explodes - and she finds it's harder and harder to remain anonymous, as Everyone seems to be seeking the reluctant virgin.

Written in first person with chats and blog posts thrown in, this is an entertaining look at modern love and courtship, friendship, office realtionships, and introspection. Emma is a lovely character, and her freinds and family are nicely rounded and add much to the story. There are a couple twists and turns, an unexpected laugh or two - and all in all, a highly recommended read.]]> 4.17 The Virgin Club (The Club Series, #1)
author: Kayley Wood
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.17
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/04/02
shelves:
review:
Three friends, all single, independent, and virgins - and starting to regret their pact made in high-school to stay virgins until marriage - have decided to make another challenge, this time, have sex before their 24th birthdays. Two of the friends find true love soon after - leaving the third girl - Emma - still searching for her Mr Right. On a whim, she writes a blog post about it - never knowing that within days, her search for the man to take away her virginity will become virale.

As luck would have it, a good cantidate is at the office with her - an impossibly good looking, funny, freindly guy who asks her out on a date - things are looking up! Then her blog explodes - and she finds it's harder and harder to remain anonymous, as Everyone seems to be seeking the reluctant virgin.

Written in first person with chats and blog posts thrown in, this is an entertaining look at modern love and courtship, friendship, office realtionships, and introspection. Emma is a lovely character, and her freinds and family are nicely rounded and add much to the story. There are a couple twists and turns, an unexpected laugh or two - and all in all, a highly recommended read.
]]> The Winter Witch 15702859 Fledgling witch Morgana must defend her love, her home, and her life in this enthralling tale perfect for fans of Discovery of Witches

In her small early nineteenth century Welsh town, there is no one quite like Morgana, who has not spoken since she was a young girl. Her silence is a mystery, as well as her magic. Concerned for her safety, her mother is anxious to see her married, and Cai Jenkins, a widower from the far hills, seems the best choice.

After her wedding, Morgana is heartbroken at leaving her mother, and wary of this man, whom she does not know, and who will take her away to begin a new life. But she soon falls in love with Cai’s farm and the wild mountains that surround it. Cai works to understand the beautiful, half-tamed creature he has chosen for a bride, and slowly, he begins to win Morgana’s affections. It’s not long, however, before her strangeness begins to be remarked upon in her new village. A dark force is at work there—a person who will stop at nothing to turn the townspeople against Morgana. Forced to defend her home, her man, and herself, Morgana must learn to harness her power, or she will lose everything.]]> 340 Paula Brackston 1250001315 Jennifer 4 3.67 2013 The Winter Witch
author: Paula Brackston
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/03/25
shelves:
review:
Beautiful prose and engaging characters - this book is about a mute girl, Morgana, who has a power - she's a witch. Her mother marries Morgana to a widower who lives far away, because the village she's grown up in is wary of her. Morgana is half girl, half wild woman, and her new husband doesn't know how to deal with her. A woman in the village seems to have astrange influence on those around her, and soon Morgana understands that there is a great power in her new home - and that someone evil wants to possess it. The book captivated me, although it was far from original & there are several incoherences (and IMO) too many people died), but I loved the writing, and I will definitely look for more from this writer.
]]> <![CDATA[The Witch's Tower (Twisted Ever After, #1)]]> 40663689
Only one object can cut Rapunzel’s hair and end the curse: a pair of magical shears. But the shears are guarded by the most terrifying witches in the land, who also happen to be Gothel’s aunts. As Gothel and the prince’s squire, Raj Talmund, work to form a plan, she finds herself more and more drawn to the mysterious young man from the Outerlands. Unfortunately, his destiny is far more dangerous than she wants to admit: to save a princess, he must kill the witch who's been forced to guard her.

The Witch's Tower is the first in an inspired new series of fairy-tale retellings from award-winning fantasy author Tamara Grantham.]]> Tamara Grantham Jennifer 0 to-read 3.33 The Witch's Tower (Twisted Ever After, #1)
author: Tamara Grantham
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.33
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/03/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Reluctant Debutante (Light Division Romances, #2)]]> 34837356
When Cordelia Summers, daughter of a wealthy City merchant, reluctantly agrees to a London season it is purely to please her much loved father who is anxious to see her respectably settled in life. Intelligent and strong-willed, Cordelia has no wish to barter her fortune for a title and no wish to be married to any man who wants to curb her independent spirit.

Giles Fenwick, Earl of Rockcliffe shares Cordelia's distaste for matrimony. A scarred Waterloo veteran who spent much of the war as one of Wellington's exploring officers, he came into his title and fortune unexpectedly and has little respect for the polite world and the ambitions of the matchmaking mammas who see him as an eligible prospect for their daughters.

The cynical Earl and the high-spirited merchant's daughter form an unlikely alliance based on their mutual determination to avoid matrimony. But Giles and Cordelia quickly discover that friendship can easily turn into much more, and that all marriages are not created equal...

“The Reluctant Debutante� is the sequel to “A Regrettable Reputation� and the second of the Light Division Romances, a spin-off series to the Peninsular War Saga.]]> 178 Lynn Bryant Jennifer 5 4.36 The Reluctant Debutante (Light Division Romances, #2)
author: Lynn Bryant
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.36
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/02/24
shelves:
review:
This was a refreshing Regency romance - the heroine, Cordelia Summers, is a sensible, intelligent woman who is not part of the nobility. So, although her father is a merchant and they are very wealthy, she's not considered part of the 'ton'. Despite this, Lady Carlton convinces Cordelia's father to let Cordelia stay with her in order to make her debut into society during the season. Her father agrees, in hopes that she find a good match. Cordelia does not particularly want to marry, she's happy in her house in the country, and has no use for balls, lovely gowns, or fopish suiters. All that changes when Cordelia’s carriage breaks down on the way to London and she takes refuge in an inn while her groom changes carriages. Enter the Earl of Rockcliffe, who is very drunk, and who sees Cordelia and mistakes her for a tavern wench, and proceeds to try to seduce her. Not an auspicious beginning - but before things get out of hand, Rockcliffe comes to his senses and manages a clumsy exit. The two don't know it, but they are going to meet again during the first ball of the season. And that's when things get interesting. I really enjoyed this story. Cordelia and Rockcliffe are completely frank with each other, there is no "I hate him I hate him I love him" nonsense - the couple are well matched and their banter is fun. There is a happy ending, of course, but there are several twists that keep the reader turning pages to make sure everything turns out all right! I will be getting more of this author's books! Highly enjoyable!
]]> The Magic Touch 28947592 270 Kelly Florentia Jennifer 4 4.15 The Magic Touch
author: Kelly Florentia
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.15
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/02/22
shelves:
review:
Once burned, twice shy Emma is happy with her life, and happy with her partner, Harry. She's got everything she needs - but Harry (and his large, boisterous, Greek family) are pressuring her to get married. But, been there, done that - Emma has a deep fear of commitment and doesn't see why she should change anything - even though things have been getting, well, humdrum. The spark has somehow gone, as well as the excitement. Of course, Emma reasons, a spark and excitement isn't eveything - there is something to be said for security - right? And then, everything she thought was stable and secure suddenly isn't. Harry has the 'knight in shining armor' syndrome, and he's found another damsel in distress. Emma's life is suddenly full of something she's been trying desperately to avoid - emotion. Toss in a magical app that predicts the future, an old friend, a new (disturbingly flirty) friend, and anything can happen. I enjoyed this book. You get to know the characters and feel part of their lives. You find yourself rooting for Emma and for Harry - and hoping for a Happy Ever After. A lovely story with a touch of whimsy and a sprinkle of humor.
]]> Killer of Men (Long War, #1) 7998933 432 Christian Cameron 0752898582 Jennifer 0 to-read 4.32 2010 Killer of Men (Long War, #1)
author: Christian Cameron
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[My Australian Adventure (The Clarence Duval Series, #1)]]> 38097670
Al Spalding, co-founder of the Spalding Sporting Goods Company, also owns the Chicago White Stockings baseball team in 1888. That winter, he takes two teams on an international tour to publicize baseball and promote his company’s products abroad, providing Clarence his opportunity for adventure. There’s one other thing about Clarence, however: he’s an African American, and one of the team captains is Cap Anson, the most notorious racist in baseball.

While the teams travel to Australia, Clarence must keep his dignity and win the respect of his companions while exploring the underground passages of San Francisco’s Chinatown, cruising the Pacific Ocean, and becoming a spy for one faction of ballplayers. Share Clarence’s life as a societal outcast in the cold, unforgiving society of 1880s America in book one of the Clarence Duval Series, My Australian Adventure.]]> 258 Rob Bauer 1948478013 Jennifer 0 4.50 My Australian Adventure (The Clarence Duval Series, #1)
author: Rob Bauer
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2018/12/10
date added: 2019/02/18
shelves:
review:

]]> Photo Shoot 40919377 300 Jo A. Hiestand Jennifer 5
Michael McLaren is a wonderful character, and I'm always glad to grab a tea, sit in a cozy chair, and read his latest mystery. Fast moving, but full of evocative writing that conjurs up the scenery - Ms Heistand knows how to create mood and interesting characters. You can start the series with "Cold Revenge" (book1, but don't worry - each book can be read as a stand alone.) I highly recommend all of them! ]]> 4.40 Photo Shoot
author: Jo A. Hiestand
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/02/11
shelves:
review:
Don't hesitate to read this murder mystery made up of different layers, twists, and unexpectd turns! Retired detective Michael McLaren is back - this time in Scotland to look into an old case involving his uncle's fiancé, a professional photographer, who was killed while out on a boat at night. Cold cases are never easy to solve, but McLauren does his best. What he finds out is that the past is never fully behind - especially when it's connected to a deadly murder.

Michael McLaren is a wonderful character, and I'm always glad to grab a tea, sit in a cozy chair, and read his latest mystery. Fast moving, but full of evocative writing that conjurs up the scenery - Ms Heistand knows how to create mood and interesting characters. You can start the series with "Cold Revenge" (book1, but don't worry - each book can be read as a stand alone.) I highly recommend all of them!
]]> <![CDATA[The Things We Learn When We're Dead]]> 33142013
On the way home from a dinner party, Lorna Love steps into the path of an oncoming car. When she wakes up she is in what appears to be a hospital � but a hospital in which her nurse looks like a young Sean Connery, she is served wine for supper, and everyone avoids her questions.
It soon transpires that she is in Heaven, or on HVN, because HVN is a lost, dysfunctional spaceship, and God the aging hippy captain. She seems to be there by accident� or does God have a higher purpose after all?
Despite that, The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is neither sci-fi nor fantasy. It is a book about memory and how, if we could remember things slightly differently, would we also be changed?

In HVN, Lorna can at first remember nothing. But as her memories return � some good, some bad � she realises that she has decisions to make and that, maybe, she can find a way back home.]]> 501 Charlie Laidlaw 1786150352 Jennifer 4 3.43 2017 The Things We Learn When We're Dead
author: Charlie Laidlaw
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/04/01
date added: 2019/02/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fairy Lust: The Elfsong Trilogy]]> 37552410 Though he is in great demand at the court, Branagh, the Nutcracker Prince, has sought no mate and found no one to fill his needs.
Melflouise Fairnight, once an archer in the elf militia, now a kitchen maid in the palace of the Sugar Plum Fairy wanted only to catch a glimpse of the secretive Nutcracker Prince. She never dreamed he'd desire her, or that his loving could free the elf song she'd kept caged since her husband's death.
Their unexpected passion forces Branagh to make a terrible choice, between his kingdom and his woman.

Llewellyn’s Song
In the land of Hivernia, the whispers of war have grown louder. At the request of his king and in order to save his people, Llewellyn, a forest elf, goes to the far north seeking Frostbone, the ice-demon king. But on the way he finds a wounded d'ark t'uath, one of the women warriors of the hidden valley. Proud and untamed, these women have no use for men…but Tamara finds herself falling in love with the tall, one-eyed elf who rescues her.
Tamara and Llewellyn have to learn acceptance of each other's beliefs in order to join forces and warn Hivernia of impending war.

Merlin’s Song
War! If she hears the word once more, Kyla is going to scream. Not only is she locked up in a stuffy castle far from the glitter and glamour of the fairy court, she has nothing to do all day but perfect her potions. Then Merlin, an elf, arrives on a secret mission to the Southern Isles.
Intent on adventure, Kyla stows away on board Merlin's ship. But before she goes she gives Merlin a dose of her love potion and inadvertently takes some herself. Now she's madly in love with an insufferable elf, and to top it off she's putting his whole mission in jeopardy. He has to save Hivernia, but he can't stop ravishing her!]]> 285 Samantha Winston Jennifer 0 4.50 Fairy Lust: The Elfsong Trilogy
author: Samantha Winston
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2019/01/27
date added: 2019/01/27
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Loose Fish: Vol. 1 - A Memoir in Stories]]> 43360141 260 Beverly A. Jackson Jennifer 5 5.00 Loose Fish: Vol. 1 - A Memoir in Stories
author: Beverly A. Jackson
name: Jennifer
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/01/20
shelves:
review:
I loved this book! It's an autobiography, but the author writes so well, you find yourself relating to everything that happens to her. Growing up on army bases all over the world, tormented by her stepfather, unable to depend on her mother - the author nonetheless paints a picture of a vibrant youth in the 1950's and '60's. Some parts are tragic, others laugh-out-loud funny. The story kept me up late at night and made me late for work in the morning - I just wanted to keep on reading. And now I want more! Highly recommended - get it, you won't be sorry!
]]> Without Hesitation 42276744
He wasn't looking for a one night stand.

Can Gage convince Mindy to give over her heart without hesitation?]]> Lynn Burke 046363912X Jennifer 4 4.08 Without Hesitation
author: Lynn Burke
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/01/18
shelves:
review:
Without Hesitation is a continuation of the Sandy Ridge series, following three friends, Mindy, Kayla, and Meg. This story, Without Hesitation, follows Mindy, who has just been dumped and is heartbroken. Mindy goes to Sandy Ridge with Kayla to get a change of scene. She's not looking for a relationship, but she meets the cabin owner, Gage, and sparks fly. Mindy just wants sex, with no commitment. But Gage is looking for a lasting bond with the one he's fallen in love with. This is a hot short story that nicely fits in the Sandy Ridge series.
]]> <![CDATA[Season of the Raven (Servant of the Crown Mystery, #1)]]> 20698230
It’s 1194 and Sir Faucon de Ramis, the shire’s newly appointed Keeper of the Pleas, must do his duty and make an official declaration of the cause of a miller’s death.

Saddled with a clerk who names Faucon his ‘penance, the shire’s first Crowner must thread the tangled relationships between the sheriff, the village of Priors Holston and the priory that once ruled it. As a simple task takes a turn to the political, what seems obvious isn’t and what appears safe turns out to be more dangerous than he could imagine.]]> 203 Denise Domning Jennifer 5 3.90 2014 Season of the Raven (Servant of the Crown Mystery, #1)
author: Denise Domning
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/01/13
shelves:
review:
Oh what fun to discover a new series! I loved this book - mostly because of the characters, although the plot is well thought-out and intriguing! The author knows her history, especially when it comes to law and order! Set in Medieval England, in the time of the Norman rulers, the hero, Sir Faucon, has returned from the Crusades. Jaded, tired, and unsure of his future - imagine his surprise when his cousin names him Keeper of the Pleas (sort of a modern policeman/detective) and appoints as his scribe a priest who must do penance (I think the priest on the autistic spectrum, and he's a fascinating character!) Sir Faucon soon finds his job is more dangerous than he first thought - but also more interesting and rewarding. At any rate, I devoured the books, and highly reccommend them!
]]> <![CDATA[The Prophetic Mayan Queen: K'Inuuw Mat of Palenque (Mists of Palenque #4)]]> 42480546 398 Leonide Martin 1641463651 Jennifer 5 The story starts with a voyage - a young girl is accompanying her mother and her older sister to an island where priestesses live. They prophesize, and the girls are coming to be told their fortunes. The heroine of the story, K’inuuw Ma, is hoping to stay on the island and train to become one of the priestesses - but fate has other things in store for her - she is to marry a prince and found a dynasty. K’inuuw Mais a strong, interesting woman, and I found myself drawn into her story and not being able to stop reading! The author has done an amazing amount of research and I learned much about this incredible society. I loved the story, and highly recommend it! ]]> 4.69 The Prophetic Mayan Queen: K'Inuuw Mat of Palenque (Mists of Palenque #4)
author: Leonide Martin
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.69
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/01/13
shelves:
review:
I was fortunate to be able to read a copy of The Prophetic Mayan Queen. I knew so little about the Mayan cuture, and this book, besides being a fascinating story, was a wonderful glimpse into this civilization.
The story starts with a voyage - a young girl is accompanying her mother and her older sister to an island where priestesses live. They prophesize, and the girls are coming to be told their fortunes. The heroine of the story, K’inuuw Ma, is hoping to stay on the island and train to become one of the priestesses - but fate has other things in store for her - she is to marry a prince and found a dynasty. K’inuuw Mais a strong, interesting woman, and I found myself drawn into her story and not being able to stop reading! The author has done an amazing amount of research and I learned much about this incredible society. I loved the story, and highly recommend it!
]]> <![CDATA[The Du Lac Chronicles (The Du Lac Chronicles, #1)]]> 29243164 Bronze Medal Winner -- Circle Of Books Rings Of Honor Awards 2016
Finalist -- The Golden Box Book Publishing Golden Book Award 2017

“It is dangerous to become attached to a du Lac. He will break your heart, and you will not recover.� So prophesies a wizened healer to Annis, daughter of King Cerdic of Wessex. If there is truth in the old crone’s words, they come far too late for Annis, who defies father, king, and country to save the man she loves.

Alden du Lac, once king of Cerniw, has nothing. Betrayed by Cerdic, Alden’s kingdom lies in rubble, his fort razed to the ground and his brother Merton missing, presumably dead. He has only one possession left worth saving: his heart. And to the horror of his few remaining allies, he gives that to the daughter of his enemy. They see Annis, at best, as a bargaining chip to avoid war with her powerful father. At worst, they see a Saxon whore with her claws in a broken, wounded king.

Alden has one hope: When you war with one du Lac, you war with them all. His brother Budic, King of Brittany, could offer the deposed young king sanctuary—but whether he will offer the same courtesy to Annis is far less certain.

The Du Lac Chronicles has a recommended reading age of 16+]]> 318 Mary Anne Yarde 1519224435 Jennifer 4 4.43 2016 The Du Lac Chronicles (The Du Lac Chronicles, #1)
author: Mary Anne Yarde
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2018/12/27
shelves:
review:
This is a young adult, historical romance, set after Arthur and Lancelot. Alden is Lancelot's son and, at eighteen years of age, is King of Cerniw. Set in the fifth century in Southern Britain, the story starts when Alden has lost his kingdom and is about to be exectuted, but he's saved by his enemy's daughter - Annis. Tthe only way Alden and Annis can communicate is by speaking Latin, the language of the departed Romans, but this doesn't stop them from falling in love. This is the first book in a series that promises to be fascinating. I loved the mixture of history (solid - the author did her homework!) and myth. Highly recommended!
]]> <![CDATA[The Villainous Viscount: Or The Curse of the Venns]]> 34542007
This hereditary curse is becoming inconvenient - particularly as Venn is next on the list to come to a terrible end.

Clarinda Greendale has other reasons for rejecting Venn besides the curse: - such as his being a wild, brawling social outcast and a fortune hunter.

Harley Venn dismisses the history of the curse as a series of conjuring tricks.

Clarinda would like to help Venn fight the curse if she could; she just does not want to marry him and end up as part of his outrageous household in the haunted Stoke Castle.

Besides, wholly unlike the rackety Venn, Clarinda is spiritual and serious minded, and had dreamed of living independently.

They make an incongrous pair, though the wicked Venn has always set off unmaidenly tinglings in Clarinda.

Meanwhile the curse closes in. Can the drunken charlatan Venn hires to help him prove that it is all a hoax be of any use at all?

The author's fourth novel to win the coveted B.R.A.G medallion for outstanding self published fiction, this historically accurate and sensual spoof of classic Gothic should delight readers with a lively sense of humour.]]> 283 Lucinda Elliot 0992736153 Jennifer 5 3.92 2016 The Villainous Viscount: Or The Curse of the Venns
author: Lucinda Elliot
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/12/26
shelves:
review:
This book was utterly hilarious, a jaunty fling, a sexy romance, and carefully researched and full of fascinating facts! I had so much fun reading it. Clarinda Greendale inherits a fortune, and sets off a chain of events that end in a fireworks display of ghosts, a curse, a rake (no, not a gardener's rake, but a dissolute Viscount!), and a rousing fight. The heiress, Clarinda, is expected to make a good, no, a very good marriage, now that she is wealthy. Clarinda had been content to spend the rest of her life as a single, untroubled by love, woman. This all falls to pieces when Harley Venn, a practically penniless Viscount, decides he needs a rich wife and sets his sights on Clarinda's bank account and voluptuous rear end. Now, I know, you're not supposed to hate the hero - and I promise, you won't. He's incorrigeable, but likeable, and his admiration for Clarinda is real. First he admires her backside, then he admires her brain - and what gothic hero ever does that? Harley is a rake, a gambler, a drinker, a womanizer - but he must mend his ways of die from a curse (ghost?) (trickster?) who is killing his freinds one by one. Determined to walk the straight and narrow, he begs Clarinda to save him from himself - and from bankruptsy. The author spices the book with detailed information about the time period, the food, the clothing, the life the upstairs and downstairs lived - and it is fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing, and will probably go back and read it again, and I will also look up more of this talented author's books! So prepare to laugh, to have your interest piqued, and to enjoy this Gothic spoof!
]]> How to Stop Time 35411685 “The first rule is that you don’t fall in love," he said�, "There are other rules too, but that is the main one. No falling in love. No staying in love. No daydreaming of love. If you stick to this you will just about be okay."

A love story across the ages - and for the ages - about a man lost in time, the woman who could save him, and the lifetimes it can take to learn how to live.

Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old, but owing to a rare condition, he's been alive for centuries. Tom has lived history--performing with Shakespeare, exploring the high seas with Captain Cook, and sharing cocktails with Fitzgerald. Now, he just wants an ordinary life.

So Tom moves back his to London, his old home, to become a high school history teacher--the perfect job for someone who has witnessed the city's history first hand. Better yet, a captivating French teacher at his school seems fascinated by him.

But the Albatross Society, the secretive group which protects people like Tom, has one rule: Never fall in love. As painful memories of his past and the erratic behavior of the Society's watchful leader threaten to derail his new life and romance, the one thing he can't have just happens to be the one thing that might save him. Tom will have to decide once and for all whether to remain stuck in the past, or finally begin living in the present.

How to Stop Time is a bighearted, wildly original novel about losing and finding yourself, the inevitability of change, and how with enough time to learn, we just might find happiness.]]> 325 Matt Haig 0525522875 Jennifer 0 to-read 3.77 2018 How to Stop Time
author: Matt Haig
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/12/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> An Ocean of Minutes 36622743
America is in the grip of a deadly flu pandemic. When Frank catches the virus, his girlfriend Polly will do whatever it takes to save him, even if it means risking everything. She agrees to a radical plan—time travel has been invented in the future to thwart the virus. If she signs up for a one-way-trip into the future to work as a bonded labourer, the company will pay for the life-saving treatment Frank needs. Polly promises to meet Frank again in Galveston, Texas, where she will arrive in twelve years.

But when Polly is re-routed an extra five years into the future, Frank is nowhere to be found. Alone in a changed and divided America, with no status and no money, Polly must navigate a new life and find a way to locate Frank, to discover if he is alive, and if their love has endured.]]> 303 Thea Lim Jennifer 1 to-read 3.44 2018 An Ocean of Minutes
author: Thea Lim
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2018
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2018/12/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Skeleton Makes a Friend (Family Skeleton Mystery, #5)]]> 39289071
Sid reveals that he and Jen are part of a regular online gaming group that formed locally, and one of their members has gone missing. Sid admits that he might have bragged about his investigative prowess, enough so that Jen wants him to find their missing player. Given that Sid doesn’t have many friends IRL—none, really, unless you count the Thackery family—Georgia agrees to help him search. They manage to discreetly enlist Jen, who lives in town, and follow the clues to... a dead buddy.

Now they've got a killer on their hands. Probing the life of Sid's friend, they realize a lot is wrong both on campus and in the seemingly quaint town, and someone doesn't want them looking deeper.]]> 280 Leigh Perry 1635764440 Jennifer 4 4.25 2018 The Skeleton Makes a Friend (Family Skeleton Mystery, #5)
author: Leigh Perry
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2018/12/11
shelves:
review:
I had a lot of fun reading about Sid, the skeleton. I admit, I had no idea what the character would be like - but he's a real skeleton! I loved the description, and the way the author brings him to "life". He's a skeleton, but he's not scary - he's witty, and quite a bit of help with solving mysteries. He also has a rather sad, sweet side to him - his only friends are the Thackery family, so he spends a lot of time online (a geek skelecton - how cool!). Georgia Thackery is a single mom with a teenage daughter. This is their summer vacation, but she's thrilled to get a great summer job in a sleepy town, and rent a cabin right by a lake. Cool, right? Except the sleepy town isn't as sleepy as it appears, and Sid gets mixed up in a murder when one of his online gaming partners turns up dead. There were some interesting red herrings, and a few nods to current events. A very imaginative cozy mystery.
]]> <![CDATA[A Taste of Ashes (The Time for Alexander #4)]]> 17404748 202 Jennifer Macaire Jennifer 0 4.25 2012 A Taste of Ashes (The Time for Alexander #4)
author: Jennifer Macaire
name: Jennifer
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at: 2018/12/10
date added: 2018/12/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Legends of Persia (The Time for Alexander #2)]]> 35020430 Jennifer Macaire Jennifer 0 currently-reading 3.89 2006 Legends of Persia (The Time for Alexander #2)
author: Jennifer Macaire
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/12/10
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Take a Chance on Me 36691526
Apparently, everything. Three months in a small apartment becomes more than complicated. Brody shouldn’t be attracted to his dorky best friend…he most definitely shouldn’t. That would be absurd. She’s a relationship girl and he’s more a one-night-sans-clothes kind of guy.

One drunken dare of strip poker changes everything. Suddenly, two people with too much to lose play a dangerous game. The unapologetic playboy and the girl-next-door have a choice to make, if only their pasts didn’t keep getting in the way of their future.]]> 302 Jaqueline Snowe Jennifer 0 3.80 2017 Take a Chance on Me
author: Jaqueline Snowe
name: Jennifer
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2018/12/10
date added: 2018/12/10
shelves:
review:

]]>