Dani's bookshelf: all en-US Wed, 30 Apr 2025 02:42:19 -0700 60 Dani's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Latte Darling (Darling, #2) 75572114
It’s comfortable.

On paper.

But I’m tired of doing everything by myself. Tired of being in charge of every decision in my life.

I want someone to lean on. Someone to spend time with. Sit with. Hug.

And I really don’t want to go to my best friend’s wedding alone.

So, I signed up for a dating app, and agreed to meet with the first guy that messaged me.

And now here I am, at the bar.

Only it’s not my date that just sat down in the chair across from me. It’s his dad.

And holy hell, he’s the definition of Silver Fox. If a Silver Fox can be thick as a house, have piercing blue eyes and tattoos from his neck down to his fingertips.

He’s giving me Big Bad Wolf vibes. Only instead of running, I’m blushing. And he looks like he might just want to eat me whole.]]> 388 S.J. Tilly Dani 0 currently-reading 4.04 2022 Latte Darling (Darling, #2)
author: S.J. Tilly
name: Dani
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Brutal Vows (Queens & Monsters, #4)]]> 59652129 An Italian mafia princess with a dark secret.
Two enemy empires joined in sacred marriage vows.
Let the hating games begin.

Reyna
If this arrogant Irish mobster my brother sold my niece to thinks I’m going to play nice over this arranged marriage BS, he should think again.
I don’t care if this match with the Mob will make my brother capo of the Five Families.
I don’t care how much money, territory, or power it will gain us.
I especially don’t care that the Irishman is the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.
I won’t allow my innocent niece to suffer the same way I did.
Even if I have to kill him.

Spider
I’m supposed to marry sweet, beautiful Lili. So why ’t I stop thinking about her swamp witch of an aunt?
Reyna who hates me. Reyna who challenges me. Reyna with the guts of a Viking, the body of a fertility goddess, and the attitude of a feral cat.
Nothing good can come of what I’m feeling for a woman who’s not the one in the wedding contract I signed.
A woman I want so much, I’ll have to burn the whole world down to get.
If she doesn’t kill me first.

Author's Note:
There is a thirteen-page epilogue set in the future not included in the ARCs that will be in the digital and paperback versions.]]> 394 J.T. Geissinger Dani 4 I'll always be recommending this to everyone I know and don't know. Spider and Reina live in my head rent-free.

~~
This series is absolutely bonkers, but I fucking love it. I need more mafia books from JT Geissinger, STAT.]]> 4.30 2022 Brutal Vows (Queens & Monsters, #4)
author: J.T. Geissinger
name: Dani
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/01
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: audiobook, kindle-books, kindle-unlimited, cute-steamy-romcom, mafia-or-mafia-esque, trope-enemies-to-lovers, dark-romance, hot-hot-hot, romantic-af-why-am-i-still-single, trope-grumpy-sunshine
review:
2025 (after countless audio listens):
I'll always be recommending this to everyone I know and don't know. Spider and Reina live in my head rent-free.

~~
This series is absolutely bonkers, but I fucking love it. I need more mafia books from JT Geissinger, STAT.
]]> Smoky Darling (Darling, #1) 75572077
I fell in love with Beckett when I was 7.

He broke my heart when I was 15.

When I was 18, I promised myself I’d forget about him.

And I did. For a dozen years.

But now he’s back home. Here. In Darling Lake. And I don’t know if I should give in to the temptation swirling between us or run the other way.

- Beckett -

She had a crush on me when she was a kid. But she was my brother’s best friend’s little sister. I didn’t see her like that. And even if I had, she was too young. Our age difference was too great.

But now I’m back home. And she’s here. And she’s all the way grown up.

It wouldn’t have worked back then. But I’ll be damned if I won’t get a taste of her now.]]> 350 S.J. Tilly Dani 2 audiobook, kindle-unlimited Too insta-love 3.91 Smoky Darling (Darling, #1)
author: S.J. Tilly
name: Dani
average rating: 3.91
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/29
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: audiobook, kindle-unlimited
review:
Too insta-love
]]> Second Bite (Bite #1) 62926807
Michael -

I’m starting to think I’ve been doing this for too long. The screaming fans. The constant media attention. The fat paychecks. None of it brings me the happiness I yearn for.

Yet here I am. Another year. Another holiday special. Another Christmas spent alone in a hotel room.

But then the lights go up. And I see her.

Alice -

It’s an honor to be a contestant, I know that. But right now it feels a little like punishment. Because any second Chef Michael Kesso, the man I’ve been in love with for years, the man who doesn’t even know I exist, is going to walk onto the set, and it will be a miracle if I don’t pass out at the sight of him.

But the time for doubts is over. Because Second Bite is about to start - “in three� two� one…”]]> 128 S.J. Tilly Dani 3 audiobook, kindle-unlimited 3.75 Second Bite (Bite #1)
author: S.J. Tilly
name: Dani
average rating: 3.75
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/29
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: audiobook, kindle-unlimited
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mountain Boss (Mountain Men #1)]]> 223437788
I’m just so exhausted—always living on the edge of desperation, one paycheck away from ruin.
But this new job�
It could be the fresh start I need.
It could change everything.
The contract is only for three months, but if I keep my head down, work hard, and prove myself, maybe I could stay longer.
Maybe I could make Black Mountain Lodge my home.
As I pull down the gravel drive, surrounded by the forest and mountains and bright blue skies, I feel something I haven’t felt in a while.
I feel hope.

Sterling

My new employee is late.
I’m already in a bad mood about having to train him, still salty about my old guy retiring on me.
But while I’m waiting, a woman pulls up my drive.
A woman straight from my damn dreams.
Curvy and pretty, looking at me with wide eyes framed with sooty lashes.
And suddenly, I’m no longer thinking about my late employee.
But then she opens her mouth and asks for me, introducing herself as Courtney, my new hire.
Courtney. Not Court, like the application said.
And I realize there’s been a mistake.
I ’t have this woman working here. Living on my property. Distracting me. I mean, my staff.
No. She ’t work for me. End of story.
Except she won’t leave. She even threatens to sue me.
Fine. If she won’t let me fire her before she even starts, then I’ll just have to make her leave on her own.]]> 510 S.J. Tilly 1962096246 Dani 4 audiobook 4.20 Mountain Boss (Mountain Men #1)
author: S.J. Tilly
name: Dani
average rating: 4.20
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/20
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: audiobook
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Throne of Vengeance (Throne Duet, #2)]]> 55855971






You don't know me, but I know you.

I'm the shadow that creeps behind you without notice.

The moment you see me, you're dead.

An assassin. A killer. A nobody.

Until I became somebody.

I'll make everyone who reduced me to a shadow pay.

To do that, I'm willing to risk everything.

Everything except for my reluctant wife.

Rai Sokolov can show me her worst, but this will only end when death does us part.

The road to the throne is paved with loss, betrayal, and blood baths.

To win, we go all in.

Our lives included.




This book is the conclusion of a duet and is not standalone.]]> 344 Rina Kent Dani 3 4.05 2021 Throne of Vengeance (Throne Duet, #2)
author: Rina Kent
name: Dani
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/08
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves: audiobook, kindle-books, kindle-unlimited, mafia-or-mafia-esque, dark-romance
review:
Aaaand I think I need a break from Rina Kent. These books are just blending into each other in my brain at this point and I haven’t even started the damn Royal Elite series.
]]> The Fall Risk 223199392 Two good neighbors make the best of a bad Valentine’s Day in a funny and improbably romantic short story by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just for the Summer.

It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and Charlotte and Seth are not looking for romance. Armed with emotional-support bear spray, Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation and on guard from men. Having a stalker can do that to a person’s nerves. Just across the hall and giving off woodsy vibes is Seth, a recently divorced arborist. As in today recently. Heights, he’s fine with. Trust? Not so much. But when disaster traps them one flight up and no way down, an outrageously precarious predicament forces a tree-loving guy and a rattled girl next door to embrace their captivity. Soon their defenses are breaking away. Considering how close they both are to the edge, Charlotte and Seth could be in danger of falling—in love.]]> 82 Abby Jimenez 1662529082 Dani 5 4.11 2025 The Fall Risk
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Dani
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves:
review:
This is my first Abby Jimenez and it’s a novella getting 5 stars from me WHAT
]]> <![CDATA[Darkest Sins (Perfectly Imperfect, #9)]]> 199599389 NERA

In a night of blood and death,
Fate brought us together.
I thought I was saving the life of an innocent man,
A man I'd never see again.
I was wrong.

A slight shift in the air.
A glint of silver eyes in the darkness.
I may not see him, but I know he's there.
My angel of death,
Lurking in the shadows,
Watching over me.
Protecting me,
Before disappearing into thin air,
Until we meet again.

A man who took a bullet for me,
But he won't touch me,
Love me,
Or even share his name.


KAI

Darkness. Pain. Blood.
It's all I have ever known.
An empty shell of a human being,
No heart. No soul. No dreams.
Surrounded by death,
I was a dead man walking.

But then, her light shone through my darkness,
Breathing life into my dead soul.
My fearless tiger cub,
My only reason to keep living.

Every time I have to leave her in the light,
My black heart breaks and bleeds,
As I retreat to the shadows,
Where I belong.

I cannot change the past,
Cannot take back what I have done.
My darkest sin.

*Darkest Sins is a full-length novel with several open-door steamy scenes, no cheating and a guaranteed HEA. This is book 9 in Perfectly Imperfect mafia series. Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order.]]> 372 Neva Altaj Dani 3 4.14 2024 Darkest Sins (Perfectly Imperfect, #9)
author: Neva Altaj
name: Dani
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/18
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Silent Lies (Perfectly Imperfect, #8)]]> 184470846 DRAGO

There is only one punishment for spies and liars,
A slow and painful death.
And my sweet, angelic wife,
Who bewitched everyone in my home,
From my men - even to my dogs,
Is the worst traitor of all.

But it seems I have fallen under her spell as well,
With every smile, every ridiculous outfit,
I'm struggling,
And failing.

I want to hate her,
But instead, I'm yearning to hear,
Every silent lie that leaves her irresistible lips.


SIENNA

Only show them what I want them to see,
Never let them in.
That's how I handle things.

I may have agreed to this marriage,
But I'll never be his,
Never let him see beneath my mask.

But with every passing day,
It's getting harder to fulfill my task,
I'm struggling,
And failing.

I am falling in love,
With the man I vowed to betray.


*Silent Lies is book 8 in Perfectly Imperfect mafia series. Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order. No cheating and a guaranteed HEA.]]> 342 Neva Altaj 1961423103 Dani 3 4.20 2023 Silent Lies (Perfectly Imperfect, #8)
author: Neva Altaj
name: Dani
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves:
review:

]]> Just Our Luck 215361843 A lottery ticket + donuts = love in this steamy new fake dating romance from beloved author Denise Williams.

Who needs love? Not Sybil Sweet. After years of bouncing from job to job in search of something that feels right and from man to man in search of something special, Sybil is embracing her role as the directionless, floundering member of her family. All she really wants now is a little financial stability and carb comfort. Lucky for her, she’s got just enough in the bank to buy a lottery ticket, and the late-night donut store is open.

Kiran Anderson abandoned his dreams of becoming a doctor to take over running his family’s bakery, and after two years of fighting a losing battle to save the place, he’s exhausted and broke. But when a whirlwind of a woman sweeps in late one night, flirty energy gives way to more…until she runs out the next morning, leaving behind her winning lottery ticket.

Lucky for Kiran, his attempt to return the ticket looks like a grand romantic gesture and goes viral, sending sales through the roof. In an effort to keep the store afloat and to get Sybil’s family off of her back, they agree to fake a relationship for three months. Even with hundreds of millions of dollars, finding each other might end up being the sweetest bit of luck for both of them.]]> 400 Denise Williams 0593641434 Dani 0 to-read 3.49 2025 Just Our Luck
author: Denise Williams
name: Dani
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Folklore of Forever (Moonville, #2)]]> 216536383 From the acclaimed author of Old Flames and New Fortunes comesa steamy enemies-to-lovers romantasy about a paranormal skeptic who is roped into a ghost hunting romp by the charming boy next door . . . who might just show her what real fantasies are made of.

Paranormal skeptic Zelda Tempest is hoping for a much-needed creativity boost for a new paranormal mystery novel. But despite the alleged magic of her hometown, Moonville, Ohio, she’s as stuck as ever.

With two witch sisters, not believing in magic is strange for a Tempest, but no one is more disappointed than Morgan Angelopoulos, the charming man next door. So, to cure her of her writer's block and her disbelief in magic, Morgan ropes her into a ghost-hunting romp, only for Zelda to discover something else bizarre, never-before-seen creatures that appear as ordinary pets to everyone else.

Curious about what else might be lurking in Moonville's woods, Zelda and Morgan embark on a quest to uncover the true magic that lies in their midsts . . . and perhaps, just maybe, they will find that the magic they're searching for has been with them all along.]]> 397 Sarah Hogle 059371508X Dani 0 to-read 3.27 2025 The Folklore of Forever (Moonville, #2)
author: Sarah Hogle
name: Dani
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Proposal to Die For 216247735 A fast-paced, witty, and delightful new mystery about a marriage proposal planner whose biggest job yet is threatened by a dead body (or two).

Jessamine Bricker loves a plan. Contingency plans and pros-and-cons lists are her love language, and because of that, her proposal planning business is thriving. But with rent costs rising at her office building, Jess jumps at the chance to plan a proposal between her snobby high school classmate, Diana, and her very wealthy boyfriend, Trenton Tillard…the Fourth.


Roped into joining Diana’s ”pre-bridal� retreat at the exclusive Golden Ash resort, Jess hopes to fade into the background, get some work done, and maybe find some time to unwind.Their first day is anything but Diana is furious about the mountain spa’s lack of cell phone reception, the couple next door argues constantly, and Jess swears she just saw a drug deal go down. To top it all off, she’s warned to stay out of the woods by the gruff and sexy chef, Dean Osbourne. Is this a retreat or a horror movie?


As Jess tries to do her job while placating the bride-to-be and her increasingly over-the-top demands, she spends more and more time withtheresort owners, finding herself much more in tune with the laid-back Osbourne family than her social climbing “boss.� Between a meditation garden-related drowning and Jess’s discovery of a body in a sauna, it's clearthatdeadlysecrets abound at the Golden Ash. Now it’s up to Jess to unravel the mysteries here in the mountains—before all her plans are cancelled…permanently.]]> 349 Molly Harper 0593817338 Dani 0 to-read 4.30 2025 A Proposal to Die For
author: Molly Harper
name: Dani
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Precious Hazard (Perfectly Imperfect, #11)]]> 220953074 TARA

My life is perfect just the way it is now,
Without Arturo DeVille in it.
And now, I'm ordered to marry that arrogant, self-centred snob.

He expects me to be a sophisticated, docile wife,
Who will smile and nod at his every demand.
But it's the last thing I plan to do.

Our marriage vows may say I will cherish and obey my husband,
But the only vow I'm promising is to make his life a living hell.
Until he regrets the day he said, "I do."


ARTURO

There are three qualities I expect in a wife:
Obedient. Meek. Respectful.
A woman who will fit into the Cosa Nostra world.

I didn't get a single trait that I wanted in a spouse.
Instead I got everything I never knew I craved.
She surged into my life like an earthquake,
Shaking me to my very core.

My beautiful harbinger of chaos.
My precious hazard.
My wife.


*Precious Hazard is a full-length novel with no cheating and a guaranteed HEA.
This is book 11 in Perfectly Imperfect mafia series. Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order.]]> Neva Altaj Dani 0 to-read 4.20 2025 Precious Hazard (Perfectly Imperfect, #11)
author: Neva Altaj
name: Dani
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Burned Dreams (Perfectly Imperfect, #7)]]> 123276269 Alessandro

Eight long years, I have been waiting,
Patiently plotting my revenge.
Now, I've found him,
And I'm going to make him pay.

He hired me to guard his wife,
Ensure her safety.
And I'm going to kill the same woman I vowed to protect.

He'll suffer like I did,
And when I'm done with him, he'll be begging for mercy,
Mercy, I won't give.


Ravenna

He stares at me with hatred in his dark gaze,
His eyes as black as an abyss,
Following my every move.

Those eyes see everything;
I can't escape that silent stare,
Or hide the bruises that cover my body,
Every mark proof of burned dreams.

I also can't deny the craving I have for a man,
Who will never be mine.


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

This is the seventh book in Perfectly Imperfect mafia series. Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order.]]> 290 Neva Altaj 1961423111 Dani 3 - bodyguard MMC, tasked with guarding FMC whose husband is super jealous. Higher ups think he’s gay, so he’d be the perfect bodyguard to the wife of a super jealous capo.
- FMC is the wife to one of the capos. Trapped in an abusive marriage as the bargaining chip after her brother gets involved with the mafia.]]> 3.88 2023 Burned Dreams (Perfectly Imperfect, #7)
author: Neva Altaj
name: Dani
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves:
review:
Tropes so I don’t forget (these books are just blending into each other in my brain atp):
- bodyguard MMC, tasked with guarding FMC whose husband is super jealous. Higher ups think he’s gay, so he’d be the perfect bodyguard to the wife of a super jealous capo.
- FMC is the wife to one of the capos. Trapped in an abusive marriage as the bargaining chip after her brother gets involved with the mafia.
]]> <![CDATA[A Deal with the Elf King (Married to Magic, #1)]]> 55608666 The elves come for two things: war and wives. In both cases, they come for death.

Three-thousand years ago, humans were hunted by powerful races with wild magic until the treaty was formed. Now, for centuries, the elves have taken a young woman from Luella's village to be their Human Queen.

To be chosen is seen as a mark of death by the townsfolk. A mark nineteen-year-old Luella is grateful to have escaped as a girl. Instead, she's dedicated her life to studying herbology and becoming the town's only healer.

That is, until the Elf King unexpectedly arrives... for her.

Everything Luella had thought she'd known about her life, and herself, was a lie. Taken to a land filled with wild magic, Luella is forced to be the new queen to a cold yet blisteringly handsome Elf King. Once there, she learns about a dying world that only she can save.

The magical land of Midscape pulls on one corner of her heart, her home and people tug on another... but what will truly break her is a passion she never wanted.

A Deal with the Elf King is a complete, stand-alone novel, inspired by the tales of Hades and Persephone, as well as Beauty and the Beast, with a "happily ever after" ending. It's perfect for fantasy romance fans looking for just the right amount of steam and their next slow-burn and swoon-worthy couple. ]]> 338 Elise Kova 1949694275 Dani 3 3.81 2020 A Deal with the Elf King (Married to Magic, #1)
author: Elise Kova
name: Dani
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Shadows of Winter (The Curse and the Crown, #1)]]> 211771113 she runs headlong into the powerful royal ranger, Lord Vlerion. He’s aloof, sexy, dangerous, and� he accuses her of being a spy.

To remove suspicion from her name, Kaylina must work with him to stop the real danger to the crown.

But she soon learns that Vlerion suffers from a curse. When he experiences strong emotions, he turns into a deadly beast who ’t tell friend from foe.

Irking him would be a bad idea. Developing feelings for him would be even worse. Unfortunately, as Kaylina spends more time with Vlerion, she struggles with both.

If she ’t keep from rousing the beast, she won’t clear her name, fulfill her dream, or even survive the week.

~

Shadows of Winter is the first in a romantic fantasy series perfect for fans of Beauty and the Beast and enemies-to-lovers stories.]]> 388 Lindsay Buroker Dani 0 to-read 4.44 2024 Shadows of Winter (The Curse and the Crown, #1)
author: Lindsay Buroker
name: Dani
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Still Beating 198717645 WARNING: This book contains subject matter that may be sensitive for some readers. There is dark and triggering content between these pages. 18+ only. Please read responsibly.

When Cora attends her sister’s birthday party, she expects at most a hangover or a walk of shame. She doesn’t anticipate a stolen wallet, leaving her stranded and dependent on Dean—her arch nemesis and ultimate thorn in her side.

And she really doesn’t anticipate waking up in shackles in a madman’s basement.

To make matters worse, Dean shares the space in his own set of chains.

After fifteen years of teasing, insults, and practical jokes, the ultimate joke seems to be on them. The two people who always thought they’d end up killing each other must now work together if they want to survive.

But Cora and Dean have no idea their abductor has a plan for them. A plan that will alter the course of their relationship, blur the line between hate and love, and shackle them together with far more than just chains.]]> 314 Jennifer Hartmann Dani 3 4.35 2020 Still Beating
author: Jennifer Hartmann
name: Dani
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves:
review:

]]> Evidence of the Affair 41715227 The repercussions of an illicit affair unfold in this short story by bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Dear stranger�

A desperate young woman in Southern California sits down to write a letter to a man she’s never met—a choice that will forever change both their lives.

My heart goes out to you, David. Even though I do not know you�

The correspondence between Carrie Allsop and David Mayer reveals, piece by piece, the painful details of a devastating affair between their spouses. With each commiserating scratch of the pen, they confess their fears and bare their souls. They share the bewilderment over how things went so wrong and come to wonder where to go from here.

Told entirely through the letters of two comforting strangers and those of two illicit lovers, Evidence of the Affair explores the complex nature of the heart. And ultimately, for one woman, how liberating it can be when it’s broken.]]> 88 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1542044510 Dani 4 novella, audiobook 3.86 2018 Evidence of the Affair
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Dani
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/20
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: novella, audiobook
review:
I forgot how talented a writer TJR is wtf
]]> <![CDATA[Cruel Winter with You (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #1)]]> 220389458 New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood.

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

Ali Hazelwood’s Cruel Winter with You is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]> 73 Ali Hazelwood 1662528396 Dani 0 audiobook, novella 3.68 2024 Cruel Winter with You (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #1)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Dani
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: audiobook, novella
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Merry Ever After (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #2)]]> 220389465 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey.

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

Tessa Bailey’s Merry Ever After is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]> 59 Tessa Bailey 1662528736 Dani 0 audiobook, novella 2.79 2024 Merry Ever After (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #2)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: Dani
average rating: 2.79
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: audiobook, novella
review:

]]> <![CDATA[All by My Elf (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #3)]]> 220389455
Nina and William are underpaid adjunct professors at the same university, where winter break is no break at all: ’tis the season to make extra money. When their holiday side hustle has them stranded by a blinding blizzard in the middle of nowhere, there’s nothing to do but cuddle up for warmth and play a game of Never Have I Ever to pass the time. But in the game of love, secrets never stay secret for long�

Olivia Dade’s All by My Elf is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]> 55 Olivia Dade 166252823X Dani 0 audiobook, novella 2.58 2024 All by My Elf (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #3)
author: Olivia Dade
name: Dani
average rating: 2.58
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: audiobook, novella
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Merriment and Mayhem (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #4)]]> 220389457
When Everleigh Dangerfield’s baking disaster necessitates a call to 911, firefighter Griffin Brantley douses the flames in the kitchen, but the ones he stokes in Everleigh are an entirely different story. Unfortunately, Everleigh’s only visiting and doesn’t do casual hookups, no matter how smoldering the temptation. But Everleigh’s holiday mishaps have just begun. And Griffin is seemingly always on call. If Everleigh is game for a change of plans, he can give her the merriest Christmas of her life.

Alexandria Bellefleur’s Merriment and Mayhem is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]> 58 Alexandria Bellefleur 1662529341 Dani 0 audiobook, novella 3.28 2024 Merriment and Mayhem (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #4)
author: Alexandria Bellefleur
name: Dani
average rating: 3.28
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: audiobook, novella
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Only Santas in the Building (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #5)]]> 220389090
All Evie Cruz wants for Christmas is a nap. And maybe some ornaments for her naked Christmas tree. And while she’s making a list, she wouldn’t mind unwrapping her sexy upstairs neighbor like a present. Luckily, the building’s Santa-themed party and a surprise sprig of mistletoe give her just the opening she needs to make all her wishes come true.

Alexis Daria’s Only Santas in the Building is part of Under the Mistletoe, a stirring collection of December romances that thrill and tingle all the way. They can be read or listened to in one swoony sitting.]]> 65 Alexis Daria 1662529376 Dani 0 audiobook, novella 3.36 2024 Only Santas in the Building (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #5)
author: Alexis Daria
name: Dani
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: audiobook, novella
review:

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

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

Miles sees right through her though. Turns out, he knows a lot about grief and, surprisingly, he offers her a proposition. He’ll help her complete everything on her “live again� list if she’ll help him connect with Ainsley and overcome his complicated relationship with Reese. Lenny doubts anything can fill the Lou has left behind, but she begins to spend more time with Miles, Lenny is surprised to discover that, sometimes, losing everything is only the first step to finding yourself, and love, again.]]> 416 Cara Bastone 0593595734 Dani 0 to-read 4.22 2025 Promise Me Sunshine
author: Cara Bastone
name: Dani
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: to-read
review:

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

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

Over the course of nine months, as Eve struggles to figure out the next right step in her expanding reality, she begins to realize that family and love, in all forms, can sneak up on you when you least expect it.]]> 400 Cara Bastone 0593595718 Dani 0 to-read 3.96 2024 Ready or Not
author: Cara Bastone
name: Dani
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2) 90202302 “The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.� —Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders� capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.]]> 623 Rebecca Yarros 1649374178 Dani 0 currently-reading 4.33 2023 Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Dani
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Reluctant Wife (The Davenports, #4)]]> 219154633
He protects my body. I'm destroying his heart.



Ryot Davenport: Former Marine. Billionaire security expert. Walking disaster with a heart locked tighter than a royal vault.



Our fake marriage? A calculated political move. Our real chemistry? Absolutely combustible.



He's sworn to keep me safe. I'm determined to make him feel again. Every possessive touch. Every heated glance. We're playing a dangerous game where the only rule is: don't fall.



But some rules are meant to be shattered.



TROPES THAT WILL MAKE YOU OBSESS:



✓Fake Marriage



✓Forced Proximity



✓Gܳ/ܲԲ󾱲Ա



✓Brooding Bodyguard



✓Curvy Princess



✓One Bed. One Chance.



Bonus: A champagne-stealing Great Dane who owns everyone's heart.



Some contracts are written in fire. Some hearts can't be contained.



Fall into the world of the Davenports. One click could change EVERYTHING.]]> 476 L. Steele Dani 0 to-read 3.92 The Reluctant Wife (The Davenports, #4)
author: L. Steele
name: Dani
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dead of Winter (Knife's Edge, Alaska #1)]]> 220388592

Welcome to Knife's Edge, Alaska, where the four Osprey brothers return from military service with shadows in their eyes and secrets in their hearts. As danger looms, new romances ignite, and these rugged men must fight for love…and survival.

Brock Osprey has spent years in the rugged Alaskan wilderness, far from civilization and even farther from his past. A former Navy Seal, Brock is now the unwilling protector of Knife's Edge, a remote town with more secrets than residents. But when FBI agent Ophelia Spilazi arrives to investigate the unsolved murder of his guardian—and recent unexplained deaths in the area—Brock's carefully guarded world is thrown into chaos.

Agent Ophelia Spilazi has one last chance to save her career, and Knife's Edge is her shot. The isolated town is full of secrets, and she's certain Brock knows more than he's letting on. The town's recent string of mysterious deaths only heightens her suspicion, but the more time she spends with the brooding Alaskan, the harder it becomes to ignore the dangerous chemistry between them.

As a brutal storm traps them in the isolated wilderness, Brock and Ophelia's growing attraction ignites, even as shadows from their pasts threaten to tear them apart. But with a dangerous conspiracy and powerful enemies lurking in the shadows, their only hope is to trust each other—before the wilderness consumes them both.]]> 358 Rebecca Zanetti 1947418572 Dani 0 to-read 4.30 2025 Dead of Winter (Knife's Edge, Alaska #1)
author: Rebecca Zanetti
name: Dani
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dragon Marked (Dragon Kings #9)]]> 219093123
From the moment I saw her, she held me enthralled. It was more than her beauty. It was in the very way she looked at the world.

The way she looked at me.

She saw me as no one ever had. The scars I tried to bury, the wounds no one else knew about. She saw the worst parts of me—and she didn’t look away.

Together we pursue a shared nemesis. While a terrifying foe stalks us at every turn.

Whatever enemy dares to get close, I will slay. Whatever path she walks, I will be beside her.

For I am hers. Utterly. Completely.

She’s my greatest temptation. The other half of my soul.

My mate.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Donna Grant delivers a powerful story of redemption, danger, and passion in the next chapter of the Dragon King series.]]> 360 Donna Grant 1958353469 Dani 0 to-read 4.49 Dragon Marked (Dragon Kings #9)
author: Donna Grant
name: Dani
average rating: 4.49
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)]]> 63219094 Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from #1 New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros.

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.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.]]> 665 Rebecca Yarros Dani 4 4.74 2023 Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Dani
average rating: 4.74
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: 2-5-stars, audiobook, fantasy-romance, kindle-books, reread-potential, disability-neurodiversity-rep, hot-hot-hot, trope-enemies-to-lovers, trope-forced-proximity
review:
I can't believe 2025 me is giving this 4 stars when 2023 me gave this 2
]]> Book Boyfriend 213870552 Devoted fangirl meets hesitant fanboy in this swoony contemporary love letter to readers who adore fantasy worlds, from the beloved authors of The Breakup Tour.

Jennifer Worth lives to escape into the world of her favorite romantasy series Elytheum Courts, where the romance is sweeping and the men are brave, chivalrous... and winged. Newly single and craving connection, she travels to an immersive fan experience celebrating all things Elytheum, only to see the last face she expected—Scott Daniels, her work nemesis, whose disinterest in Jennifer’s favorite series and standoffishness have made their publishing jobs feel like a feuding fae court.

Except the Scott she encounters there, in his secondhand cosplay outfit, is... different. Swaggering, flirtatious, confident. Unlucky in romance himself and inspired by Jennifer’s love for the swoonworthy men of Elytheum, Scott is determined to remake himself into the perfect book boyfriend.

Jennifer has no interest in helping the man who vexes her every workday and dismisses her fictional fantasies, but as the immersive convention activities force them together, they’re surprised to discover magic like none Jennifer has ever read about. But is enemies-to-lovers romance only for books, or can Jennifer and Scott bring the trope to life?]]> 376 Emily Wibberley 0593638670 Dani 0 to-read 3.44 2025 Book Boyfriend
author: Emily Wibberley
name: Dani
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> There's Something About Mira 211290229 From USA Today bestselling author Sonali Dev comes the heartfelt story of a woman determined to reunite a lost ring with its owner, who ends up finding herself along the way.

Mira Salvi has the perfect life—a job she loves, a fiancé everyone adores, and the secure future she’s always imagined for herself. Really, she hasn’t a thing to complain about, not even when she has to go on her engagement trip to New York alone.

While playing tourist in the city, Mira chances upon a lost ring, and her social media post to locate its owner goes viral. With everyone trying to claim the ring, only one person seems to want to find its owner as badly as Mira journalist Krish Hale. Brooding and arrogant, he will do anything to get to write this story.

As Krish and Mira reluctantly join forces and jump into the adventure of tracing the ring back to where it belongs, Mira begins to wonder if she is in the right place in her own life. She had to have found this ring for a reason…right? Maybe, like the owner of the lost ring, her happy ending hasn’t been written yet either.]]> 314 Sonali Dev 1662524250 Dani 0 to-read 4.24 2025 There's Something About Mira
author: Sonali Dev
name: Dani
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Yips (All Aces Baseball Sports Romance Series, #1)]]> 224043142 374 Emma McCoy Dani 0 to-read 3.83 The Yips (All Aces Baseball Sports Romance Series, #1)
author: Emma McCoy
name: Dani
average rating: 3.83
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Deep End 212808709 A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis.

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

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

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...]]> 464 Ali Hazelwood Dani 0 to-read 3.93 2025 Deep End
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Dani
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Not in Love (Not in Love, #1) 198716261 A forbidden, secret affair proves that all’s fair in love and science.

Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.

Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through - and he's a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can't stop thinking about. The woman who's off-limits to him.

Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business - one that plays for keeps.]]> 384 Ali Hazelwood 1408728915 Dani 0 to-read 3.59 2024 Not in Love (Not in Love, #1)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Dani
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Untitled (The Empyrean, #4) 204802999 Rebecca Yarros Dani 0 to-read 4.44 Untitled (The Empyrean, #4)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Dani
average rating: 4.44
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3) 209439446
Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.]]> 527 Rebecca Yarros 1649374186 Dani 0 to-read 4.17 2025 Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Dani
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fractured Souls (Perfectly Imperfect, #6)]]> 63916515 Asya

I can't go back to my family.
I'm not worthy of them,
Could never be one of them again.
The sister they know, love, and remember,
Doesn't exist.
Not anymore.

Until him....

The one who took me in,
Healed me from my demons,
My fears,
My scars,
Piecing me back,
Bit by bit.


Pavel

I don't get close to people,
And I certainly don't need anyone.

Until her...

Now, she's all I want,
All I need.
The selfish bastard in me,
Wants to steal her away,
All for myself.

But she no longer needs me.
I have to let her go,
Let her soar,
Not break the wings that help her fly.
She's not mine to keep.
To love,
To have.

Can I teach my fractured soul to survive without her?

This is the sixth book in Perfectly Imperfect mafia series. Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order. ]]> 254 Neva Altaj 1961423197 Dani 3
Tropes
- abused, kidnapped FMC
- enforcer/ former underground fighter MMC
- he helps her heal from trauma/PTSD]]> 4.08 2023 Fractured Souls (Perfectly Imperfect, #6)
author: Neva Altaj
name: Dani
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: mafia-or-mafia-esque, audiobook
review:
Got way too sappy at the end.

Tropes
- abused, kidnapped FMC
- enforcer/ former underground fighter MMC
- he helps her heal from trauma/PTSD
]]> <![CDATA[Stolen Touches (Perfectly Imperfect, #5)]]> 61210821 Milene

Rules,
I know them,
But I didn’t follow them.
I moved into his city, his domain without approval.
And now, it’s time for me to pay the price.

Marry the cold, calculating Don of La Cosa Nostra,
The man who many have never seen-or could recognize,
And be bound to the mafia forever.

But when he comes to collect me,
I realize that this isn’t the first time we’ve met.


Salvatore

Nothing amazes me anymore.
I’ve seen and done too much.
Until her.

She’s an anomaly,
Living in poverty,
In MY city,
Without approval.

I’m drawn to her in ways I never imagined.
She ignites me and intrigues me.
I want more than stolen touches.
I want it all.
And what Salvatore Ajello wants, he takes.

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

This is the fifth book in Perfectly Imperfect mafia series. Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order. ]]> 288 Neva Altaj 1961423200 Dani 3 4.03 2022 Stolen Touches (Perfectly Imperfect, #5)
author: Neva Altaj
name: Dani
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/11
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: mafia-or-mafia-esque, audiobook, trope-forced-proximity, trope-enemies-to-lovers
review:
The premise got me hooked but what I'm starting to notice with Neva Altaj's books are that they get so cringe as it goes on lmao. And the plots/characters all just start to blend together into a pile of predictable tropes
]]> From Nowhere (Wildfire, #2) 216840885 From Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Jewel E. Ann comes the exciting second novel in the Wildfire series, an emotional romance that burns up the page as it tugs at the heart.

When Maren Bernabe stops by the office to update some paperwork, she’s not looking for love. Then sparks fly during an awkward meet-cute with a stranger in the bathroom, and suddenly anything seems possible.

A seasoned air tanker pilot, Maren battles fires across the rugged Montana wilderness. With firefighters for roommates, she’s no stranger to tough guys—or tough situations. Ozzy Laster is the helpful stranger she meets, one of Cielo Aviation’s newest aircraft mechanics who’s faced his fair share of hardship too. Two years ago, his wife and father died in a car crash. Now Ozzy and daughter Lola shun cars in favor of bikes.

Maren and Ozzy fall hard, but guilt forces them to hide their relationship from Ozzy’s disapproving in-laws. And Lola. They all want to protect her from more heartbreak. But when tragedy strikes again, Lola’s reaction will surprise them all. And Ozzy could get a second chance at love after all�
]]> 345 Jewel E. Ann 1662523653 Dani 0 to-read 4.34 2025 From Nowhere (Wildfire, #2)
author: Jewel E. Ann
name: Dani
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dance of Thieves (Dance of Thieves, #1)]]> 37906104 A stunning new young adult adventure set in the kingdoms of the Remnant, by the author of the New York Times-bestselling Remnant Chronicles and the Jenna Fox Chronicles.

A formidable outlaw family that claims to be the first among nations.

A son destined to lead, thrust suddenly into power.

Three fierce young women of the Rahtan, the queen's premier guard.

A legendary street thief leading a mission, determined to prove herself.

A dark secret that is a threat to the entire continent.

When outlaw leader meets reformed thief, a cat-and-mouse game of false moves ensues, bringing them intimately together in a battle that may cost them their lives—and their hearts.]]> 507 Mary E. Pearson 1250159024 Dani 0 to-read 4.21 2018 Dance of Thieves (Dance of Thieves, #1)
author: Mary E. Pearson
name: Dani
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Pucking Proposal (Maple Creek, #2)]]> 216374877 A sports reporter and a hockey player get up close and personal in an outrageously sexy romantic comedy by Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Lauren Landish.

When it comes to hockey, unflappable Maple Creek sports reporter Joy Barlowe is privy to a lot of behind-the-scenes locker room activity. Like stumbling upon Dalton Days in all his unabashed glory. After the muscled goalie goes on to score better than he ever has, he proposes Joy take another peek before his next match. It works, and a provocative pregame tradition is born.

Dalton has the best stats in the league, but he’s also superstitious. Now he’s found his good luck charm. Joy is not only game, she’s playing along. She’s also his best buddy’s younger sister and totally off-limits. What happens between them has to be their late-night FaceTime secret. That’s the naked truth. So is the fact that Joy and Dalton are discovering there’s more to each other than meets the eye.

Falling in lust? Easy to hide. Falling in love? Much harder. Now Dalton has one more proposition for Joy. And the fallout could rock Maple Creek.]]> 268 Lauren Landish 1662524528 Dani 0 to-read 4.09 The Pucking Proposal (Maple Creek, #2)
author: Lauren Landish
name: Dani
average rating: 4.09
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Knight and the Moth (The Stonewater Kingdom, #1)]]> 218422159 From NYT bestselling author Rachel Gillig comesthe next big romantasy sensation, a gothic, mist-cloaked tale of a young prophetess who is forced on an impossible quest with the one infuriating knight whose future is beyond her sight. Perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout and Leigh Bardugo.

Sybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum’s windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams.

Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrickhas no respect for Sybil's visions.But when Sybil's fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral’s cloister is wrought with peril. Only thegods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she'd rather avoid Rodrick's dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god.]]> 396 Rachel Gillig 0316573787 Dani 0 to-read 4.70 2025 The Knight and the Moth (The Stonewater Kingdom, #1)
author: Rachel Gillig
name: Dani
average rating: 4.70
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[First-Time Caller (Heartstrings, #1)]]> 213245287 A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.

Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life-or lack thereof—she begins to question if she's as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending... even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.]]> 446 B.K. Borison 0593641205 Dani 0 to-read 4.20 2025 First-Time Caller (Heartstrings, #1)
author: B.K. Borison
name: Dani
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Heartless 58443261 Alternate cover edition can be found here

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland—the infamous Queen of Hearts—she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.

Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

In her first stand-alone teen novel, the New York Times-bestselling author dazzles us with a prequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

]]> 464 Marissa Meyer Dani 0 to-read 4.03 2016 Heartless
author: Marissa Meyer
name: Dani
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ruined Secrets (Perfectly Imperfect, #4)]]> 61161170 Isabella

Longing,
I’ve wanted him most of my life,
Since the day he saved me from drowning when I was a kid.
But he’s never noticed me,
Never given me a second thought.
To him, I’m just a child.
And now, he’s ordered to marry me.

He doesn't want me,
Not in his heart or in his bed.

But everything is allowed in war and love,
And I am ready to do whatever it takes,
Even lie to a man who doesn't remember his past.


Luca

As beautiful
As she is cunning,
My young wife masterfully guides me,
Through La Cosa Nostra waters,
Making sure no one suspects,
That I’ve had no memory since the accident.

Now, I’m falling hard for a woman I don’t even remember,
The woman who's been lying to me,
Since the moment I opened my eyes,
And I intend to unravel her secrets.

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

This is the fourth book in Perfectly Imperfect mafia series. Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order. ]]> 277 Neva Altaj 1961423189 Dani 3
Tropes:
- Amnesia plot line [spoilers removed]
- Age gap (him saying she was a teenager/too young every 5 seconds TOOK ME OUT LMAO)
- Single dad (kid was kinda cute). Evil biological mom.
]]> 3.77 2022 Ruined Secrets (Perfectly Imperfect, #4)
author: Neva Altaj
name: Dani
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/06
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: audiobook, mafia-or-mafia-esque
review:
Plot was kinda ridiculous and made me giggle. Started out good ngl then went downhill towards the end.

Tropes:
- Amnesia plot line [spoilers removed]
- Age gap (him saying she was a teenager/too young every 5 seconds TOOK ME OUT LMAO)
- Single dad (kid was kinda cute). Evil biological mom.

]]> <![CDATA[Hidden Truths (Perfectly Imperfect, #3)]]> 61153578 Sergei

Home,
Bratva is my home.
My sanctuary from the past.
The only place where a killing machine like me belongs.

Sometimes, my demons come rushing back,
And I feel out of control, full of rage,
Close to losing myself completely.

Until a broken, injured woman stumbles onto my path,
Awakening my protective instincts,
And sending my demons to sleep.

Keeping her prisoner is my only option.
If she leaves,
My darkness will resurface,
And there will be no escaping it this time.

Angelina

Escape,
That’s all I can do,
Only to end up in the hands of a crazed killer.

Now, I’m fighting to stay away from my enemies,
And trying to not fall for a man I shouldn’t want.

But what will happen when we both reveal our hidden truths?

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

This is the third book in Perfectly Imperfect mafia series. Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order. ]]> 266 Neva Altaj 1961423170 Dani 1
Tropes:
- mmc with PTSD, traumatic childhood/past. the most unhinged mmc so far
- captor captive]]> 4.11 2022 Hidden Truths (Perfectly Imperfect, #3)
author: Neva Altaj
name: Dani
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2022
rating: 1
read at: 2024/12/13
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: mafia-or-mafia-esque, audiobook, kinda-bored-very-meh
review:
Fucking hated this lol. I did not care for Sergei/Angelina and wanted everything to be over. Plot was ridiculous.

Tropes:
- mmc with PTSD, traumatic childhood/past. the most unhinged mmc so far
- captor captive
]]> <![CDATA[Broken Whispers (Perfectly Imperfect, #2)]]> 61047552 Mikhail

The Italian and Russian mafias are at war,
And it is brutal.
We’re both ruthless, relentless, and unforgiving.
But then, the decision is made to merge our worlds,
A marriage between the two sides.

The most beautiful woman of the Italian mafia,
And the Bratva's most feared monster.

I loved her from afar for so long,
And I finally get to have her as my own.
But will she run away,
When she realizes who I really am?

Bianca

Anything,
I would do anything for my sister,
Even marry into Bratva to keep her safe.
I expected a vicious, cold-hearted savage,
But I am in for a surprise.

This scarred, frightening man,
Is everything I have ever wanted.

Now, it’s up to me,
To break down his walls,
And destroy the barriers between us
With broken whispers.

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

This is the second book in Perfectly Imperfect mafia series. Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order.]]> 232 Neva Altaj 1961423162 Dani 2
Tropes:
- bratva mmc, single dad
- mute, ballerina fmc
- age gap
- he's obsessed with her, goes to all her shows
- idk wtf happened after that lmao]]> 4.01 2022 Broken Whispers (Perfectly Imperfect, #2)
author: Neva Altaj
name: Dani
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/11
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: audiobook, mafia-or-mafia-esque, reread-potential, kinda-bored-very-meh
review:
the most forgettable one I DID NOT REMEMBER A SINGLE THING ABOUT THIS even after my reread. Just that she was a ballerina and he's obsessed with her/stalks her from afar. wtf dude.

Tropes:
- bratva mmc, single dad
- mute, ballerina fmc
- age gap
- he's obsessed with her, goes to all her shows
- idk wtf happened after that lmao
]]> <![CDATA[Painted Scars (Perfectly Imperfect, #1)]]> 60881793 Nina

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

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


Roman

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

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

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


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

This is the first book in Perfectly Imperfect dark mafia series. Each book in this series features a different couple and can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, follow the recommended reading order.]]> 240 Neva Altaj 1961423030 Dani 5
BUT the fact that the audiobook became a comfort (AHAHHA) reread/relisten for me says otherwise, so imma rate this 5 stars when it definitely deserves less. Could use way more relationship building because they fell in love so suddenly from the 'enemies' phase. Also, it was refreshing to see a physically impaired (aka not perfect) man who held so much power but was very insecure about his physical ability and only behind closed doors let the fmc see his pain/weakness.

BUT ALSO the fact that every time this man says “my wife� got me kicking and screaming is� concerning.
---
I have to also list the tropes down for every book in the series because they'll all blend together in my mind otherwise ~~

Tropes:
- Disabled mmc (fucked up leg, walks with a cane) [spoilers removed]
- age gap
- arranged marriage/ marriage of convenience [spoilers removed]]]> 3.75 2022 Painted Scars (Perfectly Imperfect, #1)
author: Neva Altaj
name: Dani
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: audiobook, mafia-or-mafia-esque, trope-enemies-to-lovers, reread-potential
review:
Objectively, this is a bad book. I don't deny it.

BUT the fact that the audiobook became a comfort (AHAHHA) reread/relisten for me says otherwise, so imma rate this 5 stars when it definitely deserves less. Could use way more relationship building because they fell in love so suddenly from the 'enemies' phase. Also, it was refreshing to see a physically impaired (aka not perfect) man who held so much power but was very insecure about his physical ability and only behind closed doors let the fmc see his pain/weakness.

BUT ALSO the fact that every time this man says “my wife� got me kicking and screaming is� concerning.
---
I have to also list the tropes down for every book in the series because they'll all blend together in my mind otherwise ~~

Tropes:
- Disabled mmc (fucked up leg, walks with a cane) [spoilers removed]
- age gap
- arranged marriage/ marriage of convenience [spoilers removed]
]]> <![CDATA[Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (Vera Wong, #1)]]> 61070573
Then one morning, Vera trudges downstairs to find a curious thing-a dead man in the middle of her tea shop. In his outstretched hand, a flash drive. Vera doesn't know what comes over her, but after calling the cops like any good citizen would, she sort of . . . swipes the flash drive from the body and tucks it safely into the pocket of her apron. Why? Because Vera is sure she would do a better job than the police possibly could, because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands.

Vera knows the killer will be back for the flash drive; all she has to do is watch the increasing number of customers at her shop and figure out which one among them is the killer.

What Vera does not expect is to form friendships with her customers and start to care for each and every one of them. As a protective mother hen, will she end up having to give one of her newfound chicks to the police?

Knives Out meets Kim's Convenience in this captivating mystery by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties.]]> 368 Jesse Q. Sutanto 0593546180 Dani 0 to-read 4.17 2023 Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (Vera Wong, #1)
author: Jesse Q. Sutanto
name: Dani
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Very Stalker Christmas (Spicy Holiday)]]> 222141850
She has no idea it’s me, her stalker neighbor, who watches her every move. Seeing only the good around her, she fails to notice I also steal her panties and curtains. She doesn’t know I’m in her bedroom every night.

What I do is for her protection as much as for my pleasure. Emma loves to help, often bringing sick or lost animals into her home. She takes on way too much, sometimes forgetting to care for her own needs. I make sure she has food on her table, gas in her tank, and a safe, salted driveway.

It works out perfectly until she decides to make me her next pet project. I ’t risk being discovered, and even though I want nothing more than to be with her, it’s impossible. War trauma has left me unable to speak unless I wear a mask.

I know for a fact someone as innocent as her will never accept my creepy ways. Nothing, not even the magic of Christmas, will bring us together.

Even though I secretly wish it would.

This is a spicy Christmas novella involving stalking, masks, and toe-curling romance. If you find OTT protective ex-military stalkers hot, this book is for you!]]> 105 Layla Fae Dani 3 3.82 A Very Stalker Christmas (Spicy Holiday)
author: Layla Fae
name: Dani
average rating: 3.82
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/05
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves:
review:

]]> Phantom 217987129 The married woman of the manor. The stranger outside. An intoxicating novel of dark temptation and dangerous desire by the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Cat and Mouse Duet.

November 12, 1944. This house holds on to souls for a lifetime. I thought I had given it to my husband when I vowed to love him until the end of time. I lied. Nothing could have prepared me for the day my phantom appeared outside my window. He was terrifying, yet hypnotizing, and I couldn’t deny my intrigue. I never intended to fall into a whirlwind romance with my stalker. Especially because he’s so much more than that. A criminal. A mobster. The man who offers me solace from the monster in Parsons Manor. There are many that haunt these halls, yet it’s only my husband I fear.]]> 367 H.D. Carlton Dani 0 to-read 3.97 2025 Phantom
author: H.D. Carlton
name: Dani
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Holly & The Henchman (The Very Merry Mob, #3)]]> 63339002 I was blackmailed into spying on the kingpin.

Now I’m falling for his right hand man.

I’m a maid, not a secret agent. I don’t belong in this world, and I definitely have no business snooping around the De Rossi compound. Each day could be my last, and I’ll be lucky to make it through Christmas—especially with the way the kingpin’s right hand man stares at me.

Because the enforcer is gruff. Brutal. He’s scarred and brawny, and he watches me like a hawk. How will I ever survive this with his eyes on me all the time?

And� this is so messed up�

Why don’t I want him to look away?

Holly & The Henchman is a short and steamy instalove story, starring a reluctant spy and the mobster who’s watching her every move.

*Each book has an HEA, but the Very Merry Mob series is best read in order.*

]]> 77 Cassie Mint 1915735084 Dani 3 3.85 2022 Holly & The Henchman (The Very Merry Mob, #3)
author: Cassie Mint
name: Dani
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How My Neighbor Stole Christmas]]> 211148021 A new holiday enemies-to-lovers romance from USA Today bestselling author Meghan Quinn.

Every Kringle in Kringletown celebrated Christmas a lot.

But Cole Black on Whistler Lane, unfortunately, did not.

As his fellow citizens decorate their quaint town, brimming with carols and glad tidings, Cole wants nothing more than to hibernate the winter away. But his dreary plans are thwarted when his Christmas nemesis, Storee Taylor, moves in next door to care for her Aunt Cindy. Immediately, the new neighbor turns his life into a real nightmare before Christmas, especially when she decides to enter the town Christmas Kringle contest in honor of Cindy. And better yet, Storee is determined to win.

Over Cole's dead body, she will. With help from his friend Max, Cole decides to enter the competition as well, to beat Storee at her own game by pretending that this hometown grump's heart has grown three sizes this season and he's fallen for the girl next door. And unfortunately for Storee, she has to follow his lead to have a chance at the Christmas Kringle title.

But the competition isn't the only thing that heats up. Cole and Storee's fake relationship becomes very real, and before they know it, they're attempting to hide it from Aunt Cindy. Things get complicated, the competition gets tough, and all it takes is one single night for someone to steal it all…]]> 480 Meghan Quinn 1464230153 Dani 0 to-read 3.64 2024 How My Neighbor Stole Christmas
author: Meghan Quinn
name: Dani
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Silent Knight (The Very Merry Mob, #2)]]> 63213171 The stern doctor broke my heart years ago.

Now we’re holed up in a safe house for the holidays.

Dr Raul Ossani is the last man on earth I want to hide away with, even with a price on my head. Sure, he can stitch me up if something goes wrong—but what about my bruised heart? What about my damn pride?

This is a small, quiet house. We’re trapped here together, all alone.

It doesn’t help that the doctor keeps staring. That his touch lingers. That his body clearly wants me, even if his heart and brain disagree.

Maybe I’m looking at this the wrong way.

Maybe revenge is a dish best served� seductively.

Silent Knight is a short and steamy instalove story, starring a repressed doctor and his mafia princess.

*Each book has an HEA, but the Very Merry Mob series is best read in order.*

]]> 78 Cassie Mint 1915735068 Dani 3 3.76 Silent Knight (The Very Merry Mob, #2)
author: Cassie Mint
name: Dani
average rating: 3.76
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mistletoe Mobster (The Very Merry Mob, #1)]]> 63213155 I’m all set for a quiet holiday season.

Then a handsome mobster drips blood through my bookshop.

Fair enough, he’s not being sloppy—there’s a stab wound in his side. And once I get past his stormy eyes and his dangerous smile, I’m not scared of the mobster.

I like him.

Color me charmed when he stands guard outside my shop every day. And when he helps me hang the mistletoe? Forget it.

But this isn’t like the cozy romance stories on my bookshop shelves. The mobster brings trouble, and now there’s a target on my back.

He swears he’ll protect me, no matter the cost.

But who’s protecting my heart?

Mistletoe Mobster is a short and steamy instalove story, starring a wounded mobster and his holiday miracle.

*Each book has an HEA, but the Very Merry Mob series is best read in order.*

]]> 74 Cassie Mint 191573505X Dani 3 3.67 2022 Mistletoe Mobster (The Very Merry Mob, #1)
author: Cassie Mint
name: Dani
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves:
review:

]]> When She's Handy (Risdaverse) 218241750
I both love and hate him for that choice.

I've moved on and created a life for myself on this strange alien planet amongst the other refugee humans. I create things for them out of scrap, things from home, things that humans want and aliens don't understand. I'm happy enough.

But then the alien I can't forget...returns.]]> 105 Ruby Dixon Dani 3 4.02 When She's Handy (Risdaverse)
author: Ruby Dixon
name: Dani
average rating: 4.02
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves:
review:

]]> The Psychology of Money 41881472 242 Morgan Housel 0857197681 Dani 0 to-read 4.27 2020 The Psychology of Money
author: Morgan Housel
name: Dani
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Check & Mate 60683957 done with chess. Every move counts nowadays. After the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory's focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious "Kingkiller" Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning bad boy of chess.

Nolan's loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone—especially Mallory. What's even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory's victory opens the door to sorely needed cash prizes and, despite everything, she can't help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist....

As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren't only on the board, the spotlight is hotter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce(-ly attractive. And intelligent...and infuriating...)]]> 347 Ali Hazelwood 0593619919 Dani 0 to-read 3.93 2023 Check & Mate
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Dani
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Powerless (The Powerless Trilogy, #1)]]> 75513900 She is the very thing he’s spent his whole life hunting.
He is the very thing she’s spent her whole life pretending to be.

Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya—the exceptional, the empowered, the Elites.

The powers these Elites have possessed for decades were graciously gifted to them by the Plague, though not all were fortunate enough to both survive the sickness and reap the reward. Those born Ordinary are just that—ordinary. And when the king decreed that all Ordinaries be banished in order to preserve his Elite society, lacking an ability suddenly became a crime—making Paedyn Gray a felon by fate and a thief by necessity.

Surviving in the slums as an Ordinary is no simple task, and Paedyn knows this better than most. Having been trained by her father to be overly observant since she was a child, Paedyn poses as a Psychic in the crowded city, blending in with the Elites as best she can in order to stay alive and out of trouble. Easier said than done.

When Paeydn unsuspectingly saves one of Ilyas princes, she finds herself thrown into the Purging Trials. The brutal competition exists to showcase the Elites� powers—the very thing Paedyn lacks. If the Trials and the opponents within them don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for certainly will if he discovers what she is—completely Ordinary.]]> 523 Lauren Roberts Dani 0 to-read 4.17 2023 Powerless (The Powerless Trilogy, #1)
author: Lauren Roberts
name: Dani
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment, #1)]]> 60784546 After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again�

All eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow wants to do is hold her family together. With a brother on the frontline forced to fight on behalf of the Gods now missing from the frontline and a mother drowning her sorrows, Iris’s best bet is winning the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

But when Iris’s letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands � that of the handsome but cold Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper � an unlikely magical connection forms.

Expelled into the middle of a mystical war, magical typewriters in tow, can their bond withstand the fight for the fate of mankind and, most importantly, love?

An epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.]]> 357 Rebecca Ross 1250857430 Dani 0 to-read 4.14 2023 Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment, #1)
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Dani
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Snowed in Bite (Bite #2) 221320459 Alice
Just when I thought life couldn’t get any more magical, Michael takes me on my first plane ride for my first trip out of the country to watch him record the New Year’s Special in Canada.
Except the weather has other ideas, and we’re rerouted to a town in the middle of nowhere.
It might sound like a bad thing� stuck in a cabin, surrounded by pine trees and mounds of snow. But being there with the man who loves me, it’s the best Christmas gift I could ever ask for.
Even if it leads to some rather shocking� reveals.]]> 104 S.J. Tilly 1962096181 Dani 0 to-read 3.90 Snowed in Bite (Bite #2)
author: S.J. Tilly
name: Dani
average rating: 3.90
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Love, Utley (Love Letters, #1)]]> 214131996
Maddox Lovelace. The captivating football player I met in college.
The one I only knew for a week. A week that was� life-changing.
Until my phone rang, and I had no choice but to go home.
I left Maddox a letter, putting my feelings on paper, giving him my number, hoping he’d call.
But he didn’t call.
He never called.
He got drafted into the professional league and lived like a king while I stayed home and struggled to stay afloat.
I may have followed his career, but now that he’s retired from football, I’ve forced myself to stop thinking about him.
And it’s okay that I won’t ever see him again. That week in college was fifteen years ago.
I’m not in love with Maddox anymore.
I might even hate him.

Maddox
Hannah Utley. The name that’s haunted me since my senior year of college.
The girl who caught my attention with her wide eyes and freckled nose.
Who spent one week twisting up my insides until she stole a piece of my heart the night we got locked inside the campus library.
The girl who disappeared without a word.
It’s the name of the girl I’ve been trying to forget for fifteen years.
And it’s the name looking up at me from the résumé in my hand.
Because Hannah Utley works for the company I just purchased.
And that makes her mine. Whether she likes it or not.]]> 428 S.J. Tilly 1962096106 Dani 4 3.92 Love, Utley (Love Letters, #1)
author: S.J. Tilly
name: Dani
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/22
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves:
review:
Kinda cheesy towards the end but this is the first book I’ve picked up (physically and not audio!) this year because I’ve been in a year-long reading slump. Which is wild because 2025 is one week away wtf
]]> Dear Rosie, (Love Letters #2) 215107606 I was eight when Nathan moved away.
He was my best friend.
My only friend.
My safe space.
And then he was gone. And my life turned into Hell.
But I survived.
I broke free and made a life for myself.
And I tried to forget about the boy who grew up to be Nate Waller, the famous retired football player.
I really did try to forget.
But then I opened the door, while working at a client’s house, and he was there. Standing before me.
My old friend.
My unwitting confidant.
My Nathan.
Except� he doesn’t recognize me.

Nate
The curvy little redhead captured my attention the second I saw her.
And I knew I needed to have her.
Needed to know her better.
Needed to get my hands on her.
But when I did.
When she moaned my name. My full name. It all came rushing back.
Twenty-five years had passed, but in that moment I finally recognized her.
My Rosie.
My childhood friend.
I may have forgotten about her. But I remember now.
And this time I’m not letting her go.]]> 438 S.J. Tilly 1962096122 Dani 0 to-read 4.24 Dear Rosie, (Love Letters #2)
author: S.J. Tilly
name: Dani
average rating: 4.24
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tackled in the Stacks (Love Letters #0.5)]]> 216787980
And then she did, and I couldn’t get her out of my mind.

Her wide eyes. The freckles on her cheeks.

I needed to know her. The girl who scampered away every time we bumped into each other—by accident and by design. The girl who shyly agreed to come to my game, getting her first taste of football. The girl, Hannah Utley, who worked at the campus library and let me rest my head on her shoulder as she read to me in one of the study rooms.

It was innocent. Mostly.

Until we lose track of time and discover that the library has closed. And we’re locked inside.

Now it’s me and Hannah in the stacks.

Alone.

With nothing but desire between us.]]> 130 S.J. Tilly 1962096130 Dani 3 4.30 Tackled in the Stacks (Love Letters #0.5)
author: S.J. Tilly
name: Dani
average rating: 4.30
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/18
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lies of My Monster (Monster Trilogy, #2)]]> 63287431 From the USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a new dark mafia romance.

In our brutal world, there’s no such thing as the truth.
Lies overflow until they become a reality.
But I’m determined to uncover what happened to my family.
One problem, though.
My monster, Kirill.
We are not the same anymore.
It’s become hard to trust one another.
But it’s downright impossible to stay away from each other.
It’s mad, chaotic, and wrong, but it’s us.
And we might have to pay for it with blood.

This book is part of a trilogy and can't be read on its own.]]> 315 Rina Kent Dani 0 currently-reading 4.20 2023 Lies of My Monster (Monster Trilogy, #2)
author: Rina Kent
name: Dani
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blood of My Monster (Monster Trilogy, #1)]]> 63368678 From the USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a new dark mafia romance.

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


This book is part of a trilogy and is not a standalone.]]> 349 Rina Kent Dani 4 4.19 2023 Blood of My Monster (Monster Trilogy, #1)
author: Rina Kent
name: Dani
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/18
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Just for the Summer (Part of Your World, #3)]]> 195820807
Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected--including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?]]> 432 Abby Jimenez 1538704439 Dani 0 to-read 4.35 2024 Just for the Summer (Part of Your World, #3)
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Dani
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Yours Truly (Part of Your World, #2)]]> 61918816 A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match.

Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin�-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass� scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.

And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,� and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she ’t refuse.]]> 416 Abby Jimenez 1538704390 Dani 0 to-read 4.29 2023 Yours Truly (Part of Your World, #2)
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Dani
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Funny Story 194803835 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 0593441281 Dani 0 to-read 4.18 2024 Funny Story
author: Emily Henry
name: Dani
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Wedding People 198902277 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781250899576.

A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.

It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women ’t stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.]]> 384 Alison Espach Dani 0 to-read 4.11 2024 The Wedding People
author: Alison Espach
name: Dani
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Dom (Alliance, #3) 193557064
When I was nine, I went to my first funeral. Along with accepting my father's death, I had to accept new and awful truths I wasn't prepared for.

When I was nineteen, I went to my mother's funeral. We weren't close, but with her gone, I became more alone than ever before.

Sure, I have a half-brother who runs The Alliance. And yeah, he's given me his protection � in the form of a bodyguard and chauffeur. But I don't have anyone that really knows me. No one to really love me.

Until I meet him. The man in the airport.

And when one chance meeting turns into something hotter, something more serious, I let myself believe that maybe he's the one. Maybe this man is the one who will finally save me from my loneliness. The one to give me the family I've always craved.

DOM

The Mafia is in my blood. It's what I do.

So when that blood is spilled and one funeral turns into three, drastic measures need to be taken.

And when this battle turns into a war, I'm going to need more men. More power.

I'm going to need The Alliance.

And I'll become a member. By any means necessary.]]> 474 S.J. Tilly 1962096009 Dani 5 4.28 2023 Dom (Alliance, #3)
author: S.J. Tilly
name: Dani
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/09
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves: trope-enemies-to-lovers, mafia-or-mafia-esque
review:
Such an addictive series and Dom's book is my favorite!! This makes me want to read regularly again after a year of not reading due to my job
]]> King (Alliance, #2) 125948154
Okay, so, my bad for assuming the guy I was going on a date with wasn’t married. And my bad for taking him to a friend’s house for dinner, only to find out my friend is also friends with his wife. Because, in fact, he is married. And she happens to be at my friend’s house because her husband was busy working.

Confused? So am I.

Unsurprisingly, my date’s wife is super angry about finding out that her husband is a cheating asshole.

Girl, I get it.

Then, to make matters more convoluted, there is the man sitting next to my date’s wife. A man named King, who is apparently her brother, and who lives up to his name.

And since my date is a two-timing prick, I’m not going to feel bad about drooling over King, especially since I’ll never see him again.

Or at least I don’t plan to.

I plan to take an Uber to the cheater’s apartment to get my car keys.

I plan for it to be quick.

And if I had to list a thousand possible outcomes� witnessing my date’s murder, being kidnapped by his killer, and then being forced to marry the super attractive but clearly deranged crime lord, would not have been on my Bingo card.

But alas, here I am.]]> 394 S.J. Tilly Dani 5 4.14 2023 King (Alliance, #2)
author: S.J. Tilly
name: Dani
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/09
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves: mafia-or-mafia-esque, trope-enemies-to-lovers
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke, #1)]]> 33259027 When girl meets Duke, their marriage breaks all the rules�

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

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

But Emma is no pushover. She has a few rules of her own:
- They will have dinner together every evening.
- With conversation.
- And unlimited teasing.
- Last, and most importantly� Once she’s seen the man beneath the scars, he ’t stop her from falling in love�]]> 389 Tessa Dare Dani 5

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reread 4/2022 as audiobook: 5+++ ⭐️

After two years and this is still fucking fantastic.
Gonna insert some quotes later bcuz Ash & Emma are that comedic duo and when the fuck do i get the Bride Bet i'm dying here you don't understand


~~~~~~~~~~~~
4.5 ⭐️
This was so unexpectedly good amidst my reading slump.
I never binge series, but I may have started The Governess Game. Oops.]]> 3.99 2017 The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke, #1)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Dani
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/06
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves: kindle-books, romantic-af-why-am-i-still-single, historical-romance, all-time-favorites-6-stars-fight-me, trope-marriage-of-convenience, need-to-reread, disability-neurodiversity-rep, trope-grumpy-sunshine, audiobook, cute-steamy-romcom, trope-beauty-and-the-beast, reread-potential
review:
reread #3: I just got a signed paperback and I'm obsessed


~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reread 4/2022 as audiobook: 5+++ ⭐️

After two years and this is still fucking fantastic.
Gonna insert some quotes later bcuz Ash & Emma are that comedic duo and when the fuck do i get the Bride Bet i'm dying here you don't understand


~~~~~~~~~~~~
4.5 ⭐️
This was so unexpectedly good amidst my reading slump.
I never binge series, but I may have started The Governess Game. Oops.
]]> <![CDATA[When She Belongs (Risdaverse, #4)]]> 55339584
I can live with being stuck on the far end of space. I can live with having to spend weeks on an abandoned station in an asteroid belt. Sure, I don’t belong, but I’ve got my book and my eight-legged attack cat with me. I should be fine.

I’m not fine.

My alien host, Jerrok, is a jerk. He’s surly and unpleasant. He hasn’t bathed in years. He’s part cyborg - and all those parts seem to be falling to pieces. He’s the one in charge of this remote station, which means we’re forced to interact. It’s an absolutely miserable situation for both of us�

…until I realize that all his anger and bluster is covering the fact that he’s thoughtful and understanding. He’s protective, too, keeping me safe when the bad guys approach. When I get hurt, he’s the one tenderly caring for my wounds.

Jerrok is also intensely, utterly lonely, just like me.

As time passes, I start to wonder…maybe where I belong isn’t a place…but a person.]]> 468 Ruby Dixon Dani 5
A lot sweeter than I remembered ]]> 4.23 2020 When She Belongs (Risdaverse, #4)
author: Ruby Dixon
name: Dani
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/02
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves: scifi-romance-for-the-freaks, audiobook, kindle-books, reread-potential, all-time-favorites-6-stars-fight-me
review:
reread audio 9/21/21: 4.5 stars ⭐️

A lot sweeter than I remembered
]]> For the Fans 62990658 Kyran Harbor is everything I’m not.

Rich. Popular. A superstar football player who’s awfully broody for someone who has it all. Basically, he’s a preppy jock who hates me. Oh, and he’s also my stepbrother.

That’s right. We’re stuck together, sharing a school, a house� A bathroom. Honestly, I wouldn’t care� If he wasn’t such an uptight control-freak who messes with me just because we’re different.

I had every intention of avoiding him when we got to college� Until abrupt misfortune forces us both into a compromising position.

Now the grouchy jerk I was hoping to evade might be the only person who can help me out of it.

Avi Vega is everything I despise.

A dreamer. A flake. An artist who smokes too much weed and thinks aliens exist. And by some sick cosmic joke, he’s now my stepbrother, following me on what should’ve been my escape plan.

It was already a disaster. Add a sudden financial disruption to the mix, and let’s just say my options are heavily limited.

If I want to stay an all-star quarterback on the way to the NFL, I’ll need to do something drastic. Unfortunately for me, and my desperate desire for control, the perpetually smiling stoner has a plan.

Maybe we can stop hating each other just enough to pull this off. As long as we remember we’re only doing it� for the fans.

** For The Fans is a full-length standalone MM forbidden romance with an HEA. This book contains sensitive subject matter that could make some readers uncomfortable. Please heed foreword warnings and proceed with caution.]]> 546 Nyla K. Dani 0 to-read 4.34 2023 For the Fans
author: Nyla K.
name: Dani
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Love at First Psych 97057731 True love is put to the test in this romantic comedy brought to hilarious life by Santino Fontana (Frozen, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Stephanie Einstein, and a full cast!

This Psych 312 assignment just might send me off the deep end. Determining whether love at first sight really exists with Robbie Moravian as my project partner of all people?

He’s the sappiest man alive, so upbeat I could scream, and clearly rooting for happy endings at every turn. How does he not learn from experience considering our own meet-cute last semester almost got us expelled?

But we both need to pass this course to graduate. So we’re interviewing five random couples about their meet-cutes and relationships and spending all this time together. Which is certainly...educational.

Because it turns out Robbie isn’t just the charming golden boy I thought I knew. There’s some actual depth beneath all those lame dad jokes and the �70s-inspired thrift wardrobe (even if he does look ridiculously great in a flared collar). Next thing I know he’s walking me back to my office on the regular and finishing all my sentences and protecting me from freak storms, and...

Wait. Could Robbie be right? Can happy endings really come from unhappy beginnings? Is he about to change my entire world view?

Group projects are the worst.]]> 5 Cara Bastone Dani 2 3.61 2023 Love at First Psych
author: Cara Bastone
name: Dani
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/22
date added: 2024/11/01
shelves: audiobook, kinda-bored-very-meh
review:

]]> Maybe This Time 211109423
Finding true love is only a matter of time in this heartfelt and hilarious romantic comedy, starring Zoë Chao (The Afterparty), Noah Reid (Schitt’s Creek), and a full cast!

Romance can be a little complicated when you get sucked into a wormhole. Just ask high school English teacher June Flint. One little solar flare happens and suddenly you find yourself 85 years in the future. Eighty-five years from your dream job. Your ailing mother whose only companion in this world is you. Your favorite stuffed-crust pizza from DeLucia’s on Sunday nights.

But when June’s cell phone inexplicably picks up a signal, she’s able to call back to the present—more specifically, four weeks before she accidentally time traveled. Problem is, the phone can only call one number: her work nemesis, gym teacher Mikey Shannon.

Now future June must help Mikey befriend present-day June to keep her from disappearing. But present-day June doesn't even want to be in the same room as Mikey, let alone become besties. And Mikey isn’t exactly...talkie. Yet he’s spending hours a day with future June on the phone, and even more time trying to befriend present-day June. Volunteering with June at school, check. Facing his fear of roller coasters to make June smile, check. Adopting a puppy and letting her name it. Check.

But what does succeeding in the present mean for future June, and for the serious feelings she and Mikey are starting to catch for one another? Stopping time travel is one thing—but can they stop themselves from falling in love?

Full list of narrators: Zoë Chao, Noah Reid, Josh Hurley, Beata Pozniak, Jim Seybert, Emily Lawrence, Tina Wolstencroft, Petrea Burchard, Joel Simler, Aaron Shedlock, Christian Barillas, Eric Yves Garcia, Alex Picard, Lorrie Grant, Andy Garcia-Ruse, Dominic Russo, Ian Hackney.

Available in Dolby Atmos on Audible.]]> 6 Cara Bastone Dani 4 3.84 2024 Maybe This Time
author: Cara Bastone
name: Dani
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/23
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[King of Greed (Kings of Sin, #3)]]> 124943221 He had her, he lost her…and he’ll do anything to win her back.

Powerful, brilliant, and ambitious, Dominic Davenport clawed his way up from nothing to become the King of Wall Street.

He has everything—a beautiful home, a beautiful wife, and more money than he could spend in a lifetime. But no matter how much he accumulates, he’s never satisfied.

In his endless quest for more, he drives away the only person who saw him as enough.

It isn’t until she’s gone that he realizes there may be more to life than riches and glory…but by then, it may be too late.

***

Kind, intelligent, and thoughtful, Alessandra Davenport has played the role of trophy wife for years.

She stood by her husband while he built an empire, but now that they’ve reached the top, she realizes he’s no longer the man she fell for.

When it becomes clear that she’ll always come second to his work, she finally takes charge of her life and puts herself first—even if it means leaving the only man she’s ever loved.

But what she didn’t count on was his refusal to let her go…or for him to fight for their marriage, no matter what it takes.

King of Greed is a steamy marriage in trouble/second chance romance. It's book three in the Kings of Sin series but can be read as a standalone.]]> 352 Ana Huang Dani 2 3.92 2023 King of Greed (Kings of Sin, #3)
author: Ana Huang
name: Dani
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/19
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sweet Prison (Perfectly Imperfect, #10)]]> 209685893 ZAHARA

Is it possible to fall for a man you don't know?

Before I saw his face,
Or heard his voice,
Or felt the warmth of his touch,
I fell in love with his mind.
Devious. Cunning. Deceptive .

The master of deadly and dangerous plans.
The silent threat no one saw coming.
Manipulating people's lives like pawns on a chessboard.

When he steps out of the shadows,
The king reclaiming his throne,
He sets the world aflame,
And burns my heart to ash.

MASSIMO

After eighteen years,
I finally got my freedom back.
My dark empire was waiting.
Primed for me to take the reins.

I'll punish the traitors who stole my life.
And make them feel true pain.
The era of peace is over.
I’m ready to unleash mayhem.

But I left one prison,
Only to be trapped again,
In a battle between my conscience and my desire.

The one thing I desire above all else,
I can never have.

My sweet angel.
My magnificent queen.
My Zahara.


The Perfectly Imperfect is a series of interconnected standalones, where books can be read in any order. However, Sweet Prison (Book 10, Massimo & Zahara’s story) was written as a companion to Darkest Sins (Book 9, Kai & Nera’s story), and I strongly recommend reading the duet in tandem and proper order. ]]> 378 Neva Altaj Dani 0 to-read 3.85 2024 Sweet Prison (Perfectly Imperfect, #10)
author: Neva Altaj
name: Dani
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Bridgertons, #4)]]> 25573838 Librarian note: See alternate cover edition here.

Everyone knows that Colin Bridgerton is the most charming man in London. Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend's brother for...well, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secret...and fears she doesn't know him at all.

Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of everyone's preoccupation with the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can't seem to publish an edition without mentioning him in the first paragraph. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same - especially Penelope Featherington! The girl haunting his dreams. But when he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, this elusive bachelor must decide...is she his biggest threat - or his promise of a happy ending?]]> 418 Julia Quinn Dani 0 4.16 2002 Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Bridgertons, #4)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Dani
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/12
shelves: fat-plus-size-rep, historical-tbr, to-read
review:

]]> Two Can Play 217108838
An enemies-to-lovers spicy romance set in the world of video gaming from the bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis—available only in audio!

Viola Bowen has the chance of a lifetime: to design a video game based on her all-time favorite book series. The only problem? Her co-lead is Jesse F-ing Andrews, a.k.a. her arch-nemesis. Jesse has made it abundantly clear over the years that he wants nothing to do with her–and Viola has no idea why.

When their bosses insist a wintery retreat is the perfect team-building exercise, Viola ’t think of anything worse. Being freezing cold in a remote mountain lodge knowing Jesse is right next door? No, thank you.

But as the snow piles on, Viola discovers there’s more to Jesse than she knew, and heat builds in more ways than one.]]> 5 Ali Hazelwood Dani 0 to-read 3.55 2024 Two Can Play
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Dani
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Hans (Alliance, #4) 199901720
How to make the handsome, brooding man across the street notice me.

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

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

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

Step four: Still figuring out step four.

HANS

I'm a dangerous man.

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

I'm a man who belongs in the shadows.

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

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

The only option left for me is violence.]]> 432 S.J. Tilly Dani 3 mafia-or-mafia-esque 4.28 Hans (Alliance, #4)
author: S.J. Tilly
name: Dani
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/28
date added: 2024/10/10
shelves: mafia-or-mafia-esque
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bull Moon Rising (Royal Artifactual Guild, #1)]]> 205435116 In a world of magical artifacts and fantastical beings, a woman determined to save her family joins forces with an unlikely partner in this captivating special hardcover edition of USA Today bestselling Ruby Dixon’s new steamy romantasy. As a Holder’s daughter, Aspeth Honori knows the importance of magical artifacts . . . which is why it’s a disaster that her father has gambled all of theirs away. Now in danger of losing their hold—and their heads—if anyone finds out the truth, Aspeth decides to do something about it. She’ll join the Royal Artifactual Guild and the adventurers who explore ancient underground ruins to retrieve the coveted arcane items. It’s a great plan—with one big problem. The guild won’t let her train because she’s a woman. Aspeth needs a chaperone of some kind. The best way to get around this problem? Marry someone who will let her become an apprentice. Who better than a surly guild member who needs a favor of his own? He’s a minotaur (it’s fine) who is her teacher (also fine) . . . and he’s about to go into rut (which is where it gets tricky).He also has no idea she's a noble (oops) and will want nothing to do with her if he finds out the truth. Now Aspeth just needs to pass the guild tests, thwart a fortune hunter, and save her hold. Oh, and survive a rut with her monstrous, horned husband, who she might be falling in love with.It's time to dig deep. Literally.]]> 427 Ruby Dixon 0593817036 Dani 0 to-read 4.02 2024 Bull Moon Rising (Royal Artifactual Guild, #1)
author: Ruby Dixon
name: Dani
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Marquess Makes His Move (Clandestine Affairs, #3)]]> 58464293 Diana Quincy returns with the newest novel in the Clandestine Affairs series with a steamy romance about a half-Arab marquess seeking revenge on—and falling for—London's most famous mapmaker.

The new footman doesn't seem to know his place...

London's most renowned mapmaker is a woman...but nobody knows it. If anyone discovers that Rose Fleming is the power and talent behind the family business, the scandal could ruin them. Rose's secret is tested by the arrival of a handsome new footman who shows far too much interest in his new mistress. Rose battles an intense attraction to the enigmatic servant, but maintaining a proper distance isn't easy when you and temptation live under the same roof.

She makes him forget he has a score to settle...

Few have met the reclusive half-Arab Marquess of Brandon, who is rumored to live with a harem of beauties among his mother's people near Jerusalem. Brandon couldn't care less what society thinks of him, or that his fellow peers are disdainful of his common blood, but he won't stand for being robbed. That's why he's disguised himself as a footman in the home of a respected mapmaker who cheated Brandon out of his land. But the nobleman's plans for retribution are complicated by his growing attraction for the secretive lady of the house.

When Brandon uncovers the shocking truth about Rose's role in his stolen birthright, can a love born of deception really conquer all?

]]> 384 Diana Quincy 0062986821 Dani 3 *Thank you to Avon & Harper Voyager for an e-ARC copy, in exchange for an honest review!*
3.75⭐️
Wow, this was a ride. This had plot twist after plot twist and had me on the edge of my seat.

Main premise: Alexander, the Marquess of Brandon had been cheated out of some area of his land due to an inaccurate commissioned map. So, he goes to the mapmaker's house, Mr Roger Fleming, and pretends to be his footman in order to find out who was behind the offense. Unbeknownst to him, the real mapmaker was Mrs Rose Fleming, the wife, and they begin to fall in love once truths start unraveling.

This has a great and engaging plot, and I couldn't believe some things that happened in here. Rest assured, I got a bit scared of the romance when we see that Rose is already a married woman, but don't worry. No cheating was involved.

The main representation was of course Alex/Brandon the hero himself, who is half-Arab from his mother's side, hailing from a family of Arab cotton merchants in Manchester. He and his family (his sister was the heroine of book 1, his cousin the heroine of book 2) faced a lot of prejudice and racism, him even more by members of the ton as he inherited the marquess title from his white British father, and I thought those subjects were explored well.

This was my first book by this author, and I found that the writing style was quite plain and had little nuance so that took a bit of getting used to.

Tropes: titled hero in disguise as a footman, heroine with an occupation as mapmaker/cartographer, marriage of convenience, [spoilers removed]]]> 3.98 2022 The Marquess Makes His Move (Clandestine Affairs, #3)
author: Diana Quincy
name: Dani
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/04/05
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: kindle-books, arc-read, historical-romance, trope-marriage-of-convenience, 3-5-stars, poc-rep
review:
*Thank you to Avon & Harper Voyager for an e-ARC copy, in exchange for an honest review!*

3.75⭐️
Wow, this was a ride. This had plot twist after plot twist and had me on the edge of my seat.

Main premise: Alexander, the Marquess of Brandon had been cheated out of some area of his land due to an inaccurate commissioned map. So, he goes to the mapmaker's house, Mr Roger Fleming, and pretends to be his footman in order to find out who was behind the offense. Unbeknownst to him, the real mapmaker was Mrs Rose Fleming, the wife, and they begin to fall in love once truths start unraveling.

This has a great and engaging plot, and I couldn't believe some things that happened in here. Rest assured, I got a bit scared of the romance when we see that Rose is already a married woman, but don't worry. No cheating was involved.

The main representation was of course Alex/Brandon the hero himself, who is half-Arab from his mother's side, hailing from a family of Arab cotton merchants in Manchester. He and his family (his sister was the heroine of book 1, his cousin the heroine of book 2) faced a lot of prejudice and racism, him even more by members of the ton as he inherited the marquess title from his white British father, and I thought those subjects were explored well.

This was my first book by this author, and I found that the writing style was quite plain and had little nuance so that took a bit of getting used to.

Tropes: titled hero in disguise as a footman, heroine with an occupation as mapmaker/cartographer, marriage of convenience, [spoilers removed]
]]> Skyhunter (Skyhunter, #1) 48689182 #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marie Lu is back with an adrenaline-laced novel about the lengths one warrior will go to fight for freedom and those she loves.

A broken world.
An overwhelming evil.
A team of warriors ready to strike back.

Talin is a Striker, a member of an elite fighting force that stands as the last defense for the only free nation in the world: Mara.

A refugee, Talin knows firsthand the horrors of the Federation, a world-dominating war machine responsible for destroying nation after nation with its terrifying army of mutant beasts known only as Ghosts.

But when a mysterious prisoner is brought from the front to Mara's capital, Talin senses there’s more to him than meets the eye. Is he a spy from the Federation? What secrets is he hiding?

Only one thing is clear: Talin is ready to fight to the death alongside her fellow Strikers for the only homeland she has left . . . with or without the boy who might just be the weapon to save—or destroy—them all.]]> 388 Marie Lu 1250221692 Dani 4 arc-read *ARC kindly provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
A promising start (to a new series?) by Marie Lu! This beginning is quick and action-packed, reminding me of those dystopian, apocalyptic, sci-fi movies and video games, and Marie Lu captures the atmosphere and fights perfectly.

The first chapter is fast-paced and does not spare any moment to bring in stakes and consequences. I was pleasantly surprised to find that our main character, Talin, is mute since the Strikers' main job is to kill off Ghosts (I imagine like the titans from Attack on Titan) from the enemy land called the Federation.

I felt that this beginning glossed over a lot of important and traumatic events happening to Talin. However, this only is a preview and not the whole book, so there must be more to this story than I can imagine, and I can't wait to get my hands on a full, finished copy!]]> 4.08 2020 Skyhunter (Skyhunter, #1)
author: Marie Lu
name: Dani
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves: arc-read
review:
*ARC kindly provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

A promising start (to a new series?) by Marie Lu! This beginning is quick and action-packed, reminding me of those dystopian, apocalyptic, sci-fi movies and video games, and Marie Lu captures the atmosphere and fights perfectly.

The first chapter is fast-paced and does not spare any moment to bring in stakes and consequences. I was pleasantly surprised to find that our main character, Talin, is mute since the Strikers' main job is to kill off Ghosts (I imagine like the titans from Attack on Titan) from the enemy land called the Federation.

I felt that this beginning glossed over a lot of important and traumatic events happening to Talin. However, this only is a preview and not the whole book, so there must be more to this story than I can imagine, and I can't wait to get my hands on a full, finished copy!
]]> Love and War 57034134
Cocktail singer Victoire Duplanchier knows Nazi-occupied Paris is not safe for a black woman. But that's exactly why she's trying to get her family out. When she's caught in a roundup, a man with ocean-blue eyes saves her from being sent to the camps. But can she really trust him? He might seem kind and handsome, but he's also a Nazi.

Surgeon, Emil von Konig, was duped into serving the Reich by his deceitful father. When he encounters Victoire, he knows he needs to keep her safe. He offers refuge at his estate in the Parisian countryside, but in order to stay undetected, she must pose as his maid.

Their new roles as maid and master find them in close confines. As their connection grows their passion is impossible to ignore.

While war rages on around them, Emil and Victoire believe they are safe. But danger is closer than ever. When the true nature of their relationship is discovered, everything will be at risk.

Is their love strong enough to conquer the forces that conspire against them?]]> 224 Shirrá Lynn 1736224905 Dani 0 to-read 4.44 2021 Love and War
author: Shirrá Lynn
name: Dani
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> I Was Born for This 60402516 For Angel Rahimi life is about one thing: The Ark -- a boy band that's taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark's fandom has given her everything she loves -- her friend Juliet, her dreams, her place in the world. Her Muslim family doesn't understand the band's allure -- but Angel feels there are things about her they'll never understand.

Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark. He's their frontman -- and playing in a band with his mates is all he ever dreamed of doing, even it only amplifies his anxiety. The fans are very accepting that he's trans -- but they also keep shipping with him with his longtime friend and bandmate, Rowan. But Jimmy and Rowan are just friends -- and Rowan has a secret girlfriend the fans can never know about. Dreams don't always turn out the way you think and when Jimmy and Angel are unexpectedly thrust together, they find out how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.

A funny, wise, and heartbreakingly true coming of age novel. I Was Born for This is a stunning reflection of modern teenage life, and the power of believing in something -- especially yourself.]]> 400 Alice Oseman 1338830953 Dani 0 to-read 3.98 2018 I Was Born for This
author: Alice Oseman
name: Dani
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-read
review:
This new cover with the hijabi heroine
]]> <![CDATA[The Wrong Marquess (The Mating Habits of Scoundrels, #3)]]> 55655173 USA Today bestselling author Vivienne Lorret continues the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series with a debutante who believes she is destined to marry the lord next door until a fateful encounter with a rogue makes her wonder... if she might be falling for the wrong marquess!

The wrong place...

Elodie Parrish can feel spinsterhood breathing down her neck. That’s the trouble with waiting for the marquess next door her entire life. But Ellie knows if she gives him one last Season, he’ll finally propose. The only problem is, her path keeps crossing with the arrogant Lord Hullworth, who is convinced she has designs on him.

The wrong time...

Brandon, Marquess of Hullworth, never wanted to be “London’s Most Elusive Bachelor,� or have a horde of hopeful debutantes and their scheming mamas follow him around. His past has left him too jaded to consider marrying any of them. At least, that’s what he thinks... until he meets Ellie. She’s quirky, opinionated, blushes easily, and drives him absolutely wild. The only problem is, she believes she’s in love with someone else.

Ellie never imagined that one sultry summer could change everything. But the more time she spends with Brandon researching her book on the mating habits of scoundrels, the more she wonders if she might be falling for�

The Wrong Marquess

]]> 384 Vivienne Lorret 006297663X Dani 0 to-read 4.18 2021 The Wrong Marquess (The Mating Habits of Scoundrels, #3)
author: Vivienne Lorret
name: Dani
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heart of My Monster (Monster Trilogy, #3)]]> 63287436 From USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a new dark mafia romance.

I’m a man with no morals or feelings.
The only reason I made it this far is to reign.
Nothing and no one will stop me.
Or that should’ve been the plan.
Now, my only goal is to get back the woman who belongs to me.
Sasha thinks it’s all over, but we’re only getting started.
She’s my woman. My partner. My wife.
Mine.


This book is the last part of a trilogy and is not a standalone.]]> 322 Rina Kent Dani 0 to-read 4.25 2023 Heart of My Monster (Monster Trilogy, #3)
author: Rina Kent
name: Dani
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[First Comes Like (Modern Love, #3)]]> 54997585 The author of The Right Swipe and Girl Gone Viral returns with a story about finding love in all the wrong inboxes...

Beauty expert and influencer Jia Ahmed has her eye on the conquering the internet today, the entire makeup industry tomorrow, and finally, finally proving herself to her big opinionated family. She has little time for love, and even less time for the men in her private messages—until the day a certain international superstar slides into her DMs, and she falls hard and fast.

There’s just one he has no idea who she is.

The son of a powerful Bollywood family, soap opera star Dev Dixit is used to drama, but a strange woman who accuses him of wooing her online, well, that’s a new one. As much as he’d like to focus on his Hollywood fresh start, he ’t get Jia out of his head. Especially once he starts to suspect who might have used his famous name to catfish her�

When paparazzi blast their private business into the public eye, Dev is happy to engage in some friendly fake dating to calm the gossips and to dazzle her family. But as the whole world swoons over their relationship, Jia ’t help but Can an online romance-turned-offline-fauxmance ever become love in real life?]]> 432 Alisha Rai 0062877909 Dani 3 *ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Before reading:
That hijabi heroine on the cover ]]> 3.73 2021 First Comes Like (Modern Love, #3)
author: Alisha Rai
name: Dani
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/03/01
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves: muslim-mc-author-rep, arc-read, audiobook, poc-rep
review:
*ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Before reading:
That hijabi heroine on the cover
]]> A Sign of Affection, Vol. 1 50514218 198 Suu Morishita 1646593383 Dani 4 arc-read, manga-non-shounen ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
*4 stars*

Aww, this was precious

Merged review:

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
*4 stars*

Aww, this was precious]]> 4.42 2019 A Sign of Affection, Vol. 1
author: Suu Morishita
name: Dani
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/02/13
date added: 2024/09/12
shelves: arc-read, manga-non-shounen
review:
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
*4 stars*

Aww, this was precious

Merged review:

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
*4 stars*

Aww, this was precious
]]> <![CDATA[King of Wrath (Kings of Sin, #1)]]> 217206738
Ruthless. Meticulous. Arrogant.

Dante Russo thrives on control, both personally and professionally.

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

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

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

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

***

Elegant. Ambitious. Well-mannered.

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

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

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

Craving his touch was never part of the plan.

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

King of Wrath is a steamy arranged-marriage billionaire romance. It includes explicit content and profanity. Recommended for mature listeners only.]]> 398 Ana Huang Dani 2
This was one of the most bland romances I've ever read (and I can't believe this is the same author who gave us Bridget/Rhys & Josh/Jules). Everything that came out of Dante's mouth was so unoriginal for the grump trope and I felt no ~romancey-tingly-feelings~ at all. Vivian was slightly better as a main character, but not by much. There was more chemsitry between her and her ex than with Dante HAHAHA (i'm hiding my pain behind my laugh).

I'm really upset though with this first instalment in Ana Huang’s new series. Now I'm not that excited about Isabella/Kai but if their book is marginally better than this, then thank fuck.

Merged review:

I started this book in November (Oct 31st, to be exact) and finished it in February so... it did not go well, to say the least.

This was one of the most bland romances I've ever read (and I can't believe this is the same author who gave us Bridget/Rhys & Josh/Jules). Everything that came out of Dante's mouth was so unoriginal for the grump trope and I felt no ~romancey-tingly-feelings~ at all. Vivian was slightly better as a main character, but not by much. There was more chemsitry between her and her ex than with Dante HAHAHA (i'm hiding my pain behind my laugh).

I'm really upset though with this first instalment in Ana Huang’s new series. Now I'm not that excited about Isabella/Kai but if their book is marginally better than this, then thank fuck.

Merged review:

I started this book in November (Oct 31st, to be exact) and finished it in February so... it did not go well, to say the least.

This was one of the most bland romances I've ever read (and I can't believe this is the same author who gave us Bridget/Rhys & Josh/Jules). Everything that came out of Dante's mouth was so unoriginal for the grump trope and I felt no ~romancey-tingly-feelings~ at all. Vivian was slightly better as a main character, but not by much. There was more chemsitry between her and her ex than with Dante HAHAHA (i'm hiding my pain behind my laugh).

I'm really upset though with this first instalment in Ana Huang’s new series. Now I'm not that excited about Isabella/Kai but if their book is marginally better than this, then thank fuck.

Merged review:

I started this book in November (Oct 31st, to be exact) and finished it in February so... it did not go well, to say the least.

This was one of the most bland romances I've ever read (and I can't believe this is the same author who gave us Bridget/Rhys & Josh/Jules). Everything that came out of Dante's mouth was so unoriginal for the grump trope and I felt no ~romancey-tingly-feelings~ at all. Vivian was slightly better as a main character, but not by much. There was more chemsitry between her and her ex than with Dante HAHAHA (i'm hiding my pain behind my laugh).

I'm really upset though with this first instalment in Ana Huang’s new series. Now I'm not that excited about Isabella/Kai but if their book is marginally better than this, then thank fuck.

Merged review:

I started this book in November (Oct 31st, to be exact) and finished it in February so... it did not go well, to say the least.

This was one of the most bland romances I've ever read (and I can't believe this is the same author who gave us Bridget/Rhys & Josh/Jules). Everything that came out of Dante's mouth was so unoriginal for the grump trope and I felt no ~romancey-tingly-feelings~ at all. Vivian was slightly better as a main character, but not by much. There was more chemsitry between her and her ex than with Dante HAHAHA (i'm hiding my pain behind my laugh).

I'm really upset though with this first instalment in Ana Huang’s new series. Now I'm not that excited about Isabella/Kai but if their book is marginally better than this, then thank fuck.]]> 4.05 2022 King of Wrath (Kings of Sin, #1)
author: Ana Huang
name: Dani
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:
I started this book in November (Oct 31st, to be exact) and finished it in February so... it did not go well, to say the least.

This was one of the most bland romances I've ever read (and I can't believe this is the same author who gave us Bridget/Rhys & Josh/Jules). Everything that came out of Dante's mouth was so unoriginal for the grump trope and I felt no ~romancey-tingly-feelings~ at all. Vivian was slightly better as a main character, but not by much. There was more chemsitry between her and her ex than with Dante HAHAHA (i'm hiding my pain behind my laugh).

I'm really upset though with this first instalment in Ana Huang’s new series. Now I'm not that excited about Isabella/Kai but if their book is marginally better than this, then thank fuck.

Merged review:

I started this book in November (Oct 31st, to be exact) and finished it in February so... it did not go well, to say the least.

This was one of the most bland romances I've ever read (and I can't believe this is the same author who gave us Bridget/Rhys & Josh/Jules). Everything that came out of Dante's mouth was so unoriginal for the grump trope and I felt no ~romancey-tingly-feelings~ at all. Vivian was slightly better as a main character, but not by much. There was more chemsitry between her and her ex than with Dante HAHAHA (i'm hiding my pain behind my laugh).

I'm really upset though with this first instalment in Ana Huang’s new series. Now I'm not that excited about Isabella/Kai but if their book is marginally better than this, then thank fuck.

Merged review:

I started this book in November (Oct 31st, to be exact) and finished it in February so... it did not go well, to say the least.

This was one of the most bland romances I've ever read (and I can't believe this is the same author who gave us Bridget/Rhys & Josh/Jules). Everything that came out of Dante's mouth was so unoriginal for the grump trope and I felt no ~romancey-tingly-feelings~ at all. Vivian was slightly better as a main character, but not by much. There was more chemsitry between her and her ex than with Dante HAHAHA (i'm hiding my pain behind my laugh).

I'm really upset though with this first instalment in Ana Huang’s new series. Now I'm not that excited about Isabella/Kai but if their book is marginally better than this, then thank fuck.

Merged review:

I started this book in November (Oct 31st, to be exact) and finished it in February so... it did not go well, to say the least.

This was one of the most bland romances I've ever read (and I can't believe this is the same author who gave us Bridget/Rhys & Josh/Jules). Everything that came out of Dante's mouth was so unoriginal for the grump trope and I felt no ~romancey-tingly-feelings~ at all. Vivian was slightly better as a main character, but not by much. There was more chemsitry between her and her ex than with Dante HAHAHA (i'm hiding my pain behind my laugh).

I'm really upset though with this first instalment in Ana Huang’s new series. Now I'm not that excited about Isabella/Kai but if their book is marginally better than this, then thank fuck.

Merged review:

I started this book in November (Oct 31st, to be exact) and finished it in February so... it did not go well, to say the least.

This was one of the most bland romances I've ever read (and I can't believe this is the same author who gave us Bridget/Rhys & Josh/Jules). Everything that came out of Dante's mouth was so unoriginal for the grump trope and I felt no ~romancey-tingly-feelings~ at all. Vivian was slightly better as a main character, but not by much. There was more chemsitry between her and her ex than with Dante HAHAHA (i'm hiding my pain behind my laugh).

I'm really upset though with this first instalment in Ana Huang’s new series. Now I'm not that excited about Isabella/Kai but if their book is marginally better than this, then thank fuck.
]]> <![CDATA[How the World Became Rich: The Historical Origins of Economic Growth]]> 59201469 240 Mark Koyama 1509540237 Dani 0 to-read 4.13 2022 How the World Became Rich: The Historical Origins of Economic Growth
author: Mark Koyama
name: Dani
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.5)]]> 31076583 229 Sarah J. Maas 168119631X Dani 2 fantasy
Ugh, I didn’t like some parts in this, but I really do love Az and Elain, and Nesta and Cassian, even though Nesta can be a bitch sometimes. Can’t they just communicate better and just talk more?]]> 3.77 2019 A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.5)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Dani
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2018/06/14
date added: 2024/07/02
shelves: fantasy
review:
*3.5 stars*

Ugh, I didn’t like some parts in this, but I really do love Az and Elain, and Nesta and Cassian, even though Nesta can be a bitch sometimes. Can’t they just communicate better and just talk more?
]]> <![CDATA[Crossroads (Haven River Ranch, #1)]]> 203420369 A sweeping small-town romance about love, loss, and a Montana legacy from USA Today bestselling author Devney Perry.

I met West Haven when I was eight years old. He taught me to play poker when I was nine, and we made paper airplanes together when I was eleven. He kissed me when I was sixteen. He was the best part about my family’s summer vacations to Montana. He was the boy who stole my heart. I was twenty-three when life ripped us apart.

Years later, I’m breaking my vow and returning to the ranch, not as a guest but its new owner. West might want me gone, but even he has to admit the only way to save his family’s legacy is with my help.

It’s not easy working side by side and facing those old memories. But this situation is only temporary. We’re at a crossroads. And as long as I don’t let myself fall in love with West Haven again, maybe this is our chance to put those ghosts to rest. Maybe this time we’ll finally be able to say goodbye.]]> 300 Devney Perry 166251879X Dani 0 to-read 4.12 2024 Crossroads (Haven River Ranch, #1)
author: Devney Perry
name: Dani
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[King of Envy (Kings of Sin, #5)]]> 210825471 He had everything he could’ve wanted…except her.

Dangerous. Powerful. Reclusive.

Vuk Markovic is notorious for shunning human interactions. The scarred billionaire rarely talks, and he has no interest in relationships outside his small but trusted circle.

His only exception? Her . The beauty to his beast, the object of his obsession.

He saw her first. He wanted her first. But now, she’s engaged to his oldest friend—and the closer the wedding looms, the more he’s torn between loyalty and desire.

She should be his…and he might just risk it all to have her.

***
Beautiful. Successful. Glamorous.

To the world, supermodel Ayana Kidane leads the perfect life. Her career has skyrocketed, and she’s engaged to one of New York’s most eligible bachelors.

What people don't know is that the engagement is only a business arrangement. He gets his inheritance when they marry; she gets the money she needs to leave her abusive agency.

Pretending to be in love should be easy—until she finds herself increasingly drawn to her fiancé’s enigmatic best man.

Vuk thrills and terrifies her in equal measure. She knows she should stay away, but when her wedding is thrown into chaos, he’s the only person she finds comfort in�

Until his past catches up with them and threatens everything they love.]]> 530 Ana Huang Dani 0 to-read 4.20 2025 King of Envy (Kings of Sin, #5)
author: Ana Huang
name: Dani
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/04/16
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]]> <![CDATA[By Frenzy I Ruin (Sins of the Fathers, #5)]]> 210444471
Nevio Falcone is darkness. It seeps from his pores. It’s where his monster comes out to play to satisfy its cravings. Until he starts to crave something other than the one woman he shouldn’t pursue - Aurora.

What Nevio craves, he ruins. He told her to keep her distance. Now it’s too late to run away. Consequences be damned.]]> 418 Cora Reilly Dani 0 to-read 3.36 2024 By Frenzy I Ruin (Sins of the Fathers, #5)
author: Cora Reilly
name: Dani
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/04/10
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]]> <![CDATA[Come Back for Me (The Arrowood Brothers #1)]]> 49044860 No names.
No promises.
Just two broken people, desperate to quiet their pain and grief.

In the morning, she was gone and had taken my solace with her. I left for the military that day, vowing never to return to Pennsylvania.

When my father dies, I'm forced to go home to bury him. At least I'll finally be rid of his farm, which is grown over and tangled with memories I've fought to forget.

And that's when I find her. She's even more beautiful than I remember and has the most adorable kid I've ever seen.

Years have passed, but my feelings are the same, and this time I refuse to let her go. They say you can't bury the past, and they're right. Because when long-ago secrets are exposed, rocking us both to the core, I have no choice but to watch her walk away again . . .]]> 356 Corinne Michaels 1942834462 Dani 0 to-read 3.98 2020 Come Back for Me (The Arrowood Brothers #1)
author: Corinne Michaels
name: Dani
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/04/03
shelves: to-read
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