K's bookshelf: all en-US Sat, 26 Apr 2025 13:39:55 -0700 60 K's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Before the Sunset (Cottonwood Cove, #4)]]> 123018857
Reese Murphy has been my best friend since before we took our first steps.
She’s the yin to my yang.
The peanut butter to my jelly.
It’s all platonic, of course, as we made a pact years ago that we’d never cross the line.
But then she took a job abroad and moved away for a year.
To say I’ve been lost without her would be a massive understatement.
She’s finally coming home, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
And then she presents me with a proposition...
Pretend to be her boyfriend.
I am an actor, after all, so it should be a piece of cake.
It’s all part of her grand plan to show her ex-fiancé that she’s moved on.
My agent wants me to clean up my image, so it would be a win-win for both of us.
But then she moves into my house and prances around in those tiny pajama shorts.
There's also the night she catches me alone in the bathroom in a compromising position.
And she isn’t in any hurry to leave.
We get lost in the moment and now I can’t think of anything else.
We are way past a gray area at this point.
We’ve entered a smoking-hot-I-think-I-might-be-in-love-with-my-best-friend area.
The problem is, she still thinks we’re fake dating.
And I stopped faking it a long time ago.]]> 312 Laura Pavlov K 0 to-read 4.23 2023 Before the Sunset (Cottonwood Cove, #4)
author: Laura Pavlov
name: K
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Under the Stars (Cottonwood Cove, #2)]]> 125791019 My new assistant is all smiles and sunshine—and she’s about to set fire to my cold, grumpy heart.

I've moved to this god-forsaken small town to run the family business.
I need to hire a new PA and the pickings are slim.
Some say my irrational expectations are the reason I've gone through assistants quicker than most people refill their coffee.
Incompetence is my pet peeve.
If that makes me irrational, so be it.
Then Georgia Reynolds walks into my office.
Blonde hair.
Sapphire eyes.
And a smart mouth that irritates me as much as it turns me on.
On top of being a rockstar at her job, she is a ray of freaking sunshine on steroids.
I have no patience for it.
Nor for the way she flutters around the office like a modern-day Tinkerbell.
She has ridiculous taste in music.
Drives an unreasonable form of transportation.
And did I mention that I caught her dancing in my closet when I sent her on a simple errand?
My new assistant has somehow become my kryptonite.
But I am her boss, and I am not going to be a pathetic cliché.
It doesn’t matter that my cold, jaded heart has started beating again.
In my world, a beating heart makes you weak.
And I do not tolerate weaknesses.

**This is book 2 in the Cottonwood Cove Series. Each one can be read as a complete standalone. A HEA is guaranteed!**]]> 340 Laura Pavlov K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.15 2023 Under the Stars (Cottonwood Cove, #2)
author: Laura Pavlov
name: K
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/25
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Temptation Trails (The Haven Brothers, #3)]]> 218187220 He’s hunting a killer so she won’t be next.

Single dad Garrett Haven doesn’t have time for dating. With a teenage son and a high-stakes job in law enforcement, he has enough on his plate.

Besides, he risked his heart once. He has no intention of doing it again.

Until he meets her.

Harper Tilburn brought her passion for baking to the small town of Tilikum to take over her aunt’s bakery. Anything else will have to wait, at least until her bad luck curse runs out.

Her dating hiatus is essential, and she’s sticking to it.

Until she meets him.

The sparks that fly between Garrett and Harper are instantaneous—their attraction undeniable. And suddenly, the practical, responsible sheriff’s deputy is throwing caution to the wind, boldly pursuing Harper, determined to make her his.
But when the cold case Garrett is investigating takes a chilling turn, he fears the perpetrator will strike again—and Harper will be his target.

With his career—and his life—on the line, he’ll sacrifice everything to protect the people he loves, and catch a killer before it’s too late.

´ˇłÜłŮłó´Ç°ů’s a buttoned-up sheriff’s deputy gets thoroughly unbuttoned by a sweet as sugar baker. A hero who falls hard and fast, a heroine you’ll root for, a teenage son who will steal your heart, page turning suspense with a shocking twist, and heartwarming found family vibes with a big HEA.

Temptation Trails can be read as a stand-alone.]]> 434 Claire Kingsley K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.16 2024 Temptation Trails (The Haven Brothers, #3)
author: Claire Kingsley
name: K
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/22
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> The Nanny is Off Limits 223437615 a single dad/nanny age gap romance!

Rowan Kincaid hasn’t dated in over a year.
Not since the mother of his children unexpectedly passed away leaving him to parent their three children alone.
Exhausted, overworked and feeling like he’s failing at every turn he’s desperate for help.
The help that shows up?
A gorgeous woman almost twenty years younger than him.
She’s compassionate and charming and the kids fall for her instantly.
And despite the fact that she should be off limits,
he falls for her too.]]> Q.B. Tyler K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.07 The Nanny is Off Limits
author: Q.B. Tyler
name: K
average rating: 4.07
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Memoirs of Hadrian and Reflections on the Composition of Memoirs of Hadrian]]> 6678990 Memoirs of Hadrian has received international acclaim since 1st publication in France in 1951. In it, Marguerite Yourcenar reimagines the Emperor Hadrian's arduous boyhood, his triumphs & reversals, & finally, as emperor, his gradual reordering of a war-torn world, writing with the imaginative insight of a great writer of the 20th century while crafting a prose style as elegant & precise as those of the Latin stylists of Hadrian's own era.]]> 347 Marguerite Yourcenar 112589122X K 0 to-read 4.17 1951 Memoirs of Hadrian and Reflections on the Composition of Memoirs of Hadrian
author: Marguerite Yourcenar
name: K
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1951
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> We All Want Impossible Things 60410002 Who knows you better than your best friend? Who knows your secrets, your fears, your desires, your strange imperfect self? Edi and Ash have been best friends for over forty years. Since childhood they have seen each other through life's milestones: stealing vodka from their parents, the Madonna phase, REM concerts, unexpected wakes, marriages, infertility, children. As Ash notes, 'Edi's memory is like the back-up hard drive for mine.'

So when Edi is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Ash's world reshapes around the rhythms of Edi's care, from chipped ice and watermelon cubes to music therapy; from snack smuggling to impromptu excursions into the frozen winter night. Because life is about squeezing the joy out of every moment, about building a powerhouse of memories, about learning when to hold on, and when to let go.
]]> 224 Catherine Newman 0063230895 K 0 to-read 3.95 2022 We All Want Impossible Things
author: Catherine Newman
name: K
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Alone with You 214190642
Death had been chasing me my entire life. I survived the horrors of war, but it was the aftermath that truly destroyed me.

People called me a recluse, but the only time I didn’t feel like I was suffocating was inside that house.

For my daughter, I kept some semblance of normalcy by implementing a rigid routine. Once a week, I forced myself to walk to the diner at the end of the block—a ritual I despised but relied on as my last anchor to the real world.

Until the day a “Closed� sign on the door shattered my fragile existence. Worse, the new owner was the most haunting ghost from my past.

It had been years since I’d laid eyes on Gwendolyn Pierce. She hated me—and rightly so. But when a film crew arrived in town to dig into my past, she became my only ally.

With my secrets threatened, I leaned on Gwen, forging a connection neither of us could deny. But with a past as dark as ours, I feared it would eclipse any hope for a future.

I always said that when Death finally came for me, I would be ready, eager, and alone.
Always alone.

But for Gwen, maybe I could face the world again as long as it meant I could be alone—with her.]]> 379 Aly Martinez K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.31 Alone with You
author: Aly Martinez
name: K
average rating: 4.31
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/20
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> The Origin of Species 22463
Yet The Origin of Species (1859) is also a humane and inspirational vision of ecological interrelatedness, revealing the complex mutual interdependencies between animal and plant life, climate and physical environment, and—by implication—within the human world.

Written for the general reader, in a style which combines the rigour of science with the subtlety of literature, The Origin of Species remains one of the founding documents of the modern age.]]> 703 Charles Darwin K 0 4.01 1859 The Origin of Species
author: Charles Darwin
name: K
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1859
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: translated, 1-non-fiction, to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Chasing Shelter (Sparrow Falls #5)]]> 218133388 I came here seeking sanctuary, I never meant to fall for the broody single dad next door.

I've spent my life hiding in plain sight, burying my past beneath layers of carefully constructed lies. Moving to Sparrow Falls was supposed to be a fresh start. A place to lay low. But when I end up living next door to the single dad who just happens to be one of my brother’s best friends, everything changes.

Trace Colson sees too much, asks too many questions, and his protectiveness is as infuriating as it is alluring.

And when danger comes calling, it’s Trace who stands between me and the darkness.

But being close to him is its own kind of risk. Because with every heated glance and every stolen touch, Trace tempts me to open my heart, to dream of a life I’d long since given up on. The only problem? Trace has his own demons, and when they collide with mine, the fallout could destroy us both.

Forever.]]> Catherine Cowles K 0 to-read 4.46 2025 Chasing Shelter (Sparrow Falls #5)
author: Catherine Cowles
name: K
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Beautiful Exile (Sparrow Falls #4)]]> 212469939
I’ve been running for most of my life, hiding away in a small town and hoping no one discovers who I truly am. The only problem is that I can never let anyone know the real me. Or at least that was true until my brother moved his best friend onto our shared property.

Now, I’m stuck trying to avoid the nosy billionaire’s probing questions and piercing stares. And it doesn’t help that I almost killed him the first time we met.

Oops.

But when all my carefully crafted lies come crashing down around me, it’s Linc stepping in to shield me. And when it looks like the person hunting me for all those years is back, Linc will do anything to keep me safe.

Only it’s not just my safety at risk. It’s my heart. Because when Linc touches me, I lose all sense. And when I truly get to know the broken billionaire, he’s so much more than a ruthless business tycoon. He’s the man showing me that it’s time to really live.

But I’m not the only one with secrets. Linc has them, too. And when the forces from our pasts emerge from the shadows, it’s with only one goal: to end the new life we’re building together. For good.]]> 402 Catherine Cowles 1951936655 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.39 2025 Beautiful Exile (Sparrow Falls #4)
author: Catherine Cowles
name: K
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/13
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> 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 K 0 0-ol, 1-romance 4.11 2025 The Fall Risk
author: Abby Jimenez
name: K
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> Catch-22 168668
Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy—it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he’s assigned, he’ll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes a formal request to be removed from duty, he is proven sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved.

This fiftieth-anniversary edition commemorates Joseph Heller’s masterpiece with a new introduction by Christopher Buckley; a wealth of critical essays and reviews by Norman Mailer, Alfred Kazin, Anthony Burgess, and others; rare papers and photos from Joseph Heller’s personal archive; and much more. Here, at last, is the definitive edition of a classic of world literature.]]> 453 Joseph Heller 0684833395 K 0 to-read 3.99 1961 Catch-22
author: Joseph Heller
name: K
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1961
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Beloved (Beloved Trilogy, #1) 6149 Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby.

Sethe, its protagonist, was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. She has too many memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. And Sethe's new home is haunted by the ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved. Filled with bitter poetry and suspense as taut as a rope, Beloved is a towering achievement by Nobel Prize laureate Toni Morrison.]]> 325 Toni Morrison K 0 to-read 3.96 1987 Beloved (Beloved Trilogy, #1)
author: Toni Morrison
name: K
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1987
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[After the Storm (Cottonwood Cove, #5)]]> 122948351
I’ve loved her from the first moment I saw her.
And I’ve loved her every day since.
Whether we’re together or we’re apart—that hasn’t changed.
Which is saying a lot considering I don’t like most people.
But life has thrown us a slew of curveballs and we went our separate ways.
Life, family, jealousy—we let it all get in the way.
I’m a dad now, and my little girl is my world.
And after years apart, Presley is back in Cottonwood Cove.
I don’t believe in fairytales or second chances.
My heart belongs to my daughter now, and there is no room for complications.
Presley Duncan is a giant complication.
A wise man would keep his distance.
But I never claimed to be a wise man.
So maybe we end up in a car together in the middle of a snowstorm.
Which leads to a hotel room with only one bed.
Maybe I should reconsider my stance on fairytales and second chances.
And seeing Presley with my little girl does something to me.
Stirs something inside of me that I thought was long gone.
But I know this is temporary.
She’ll be leaving soon, and I’m prepared to let her go.
Until she’s gone.
And I realize that I’m not prepared at all for life after the storm.

**This is book 5 in the Cottonwood Cove Series. Each one can be read as a complete standalone. A HEA is guaranteed!**]]> 354 Laura Pavlov K 0 to-read 4.31 2023 After the Storm (Cottonwood Cove, #5)
author: Laura Pavlov
name: K
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wild Card (Rose Hill, #4) 227948548 Sebastian Rousseau is a grumpy, hot as hell fire pilot who is too damn good with his hands.

It’s the perfect combination. But unfortunately for me, he’s also my ex-boyfriend’s dad.

A chance meeting brought us together and a missed connection has kept us apart.

One year later, a stroke of fate has us living under the same roof—which makes everything between us downright messy.

Because even after all this time, he’s still the man I think about when I fall asleep. The one I can’t get over no matter how hard I try.

He’s working on mending a fragile relationship with his son and we both know acting on these urges would be the ultimate betrayal.

But I see the heat in his eyes. That look of need that never fails to send a shiver down my spine.

The mutual longing is borderline unbearable and the simmering heat between us is downright palpable.

We both know there are rules when it comes to situations like this.

But then again…following the rules never has been my strong suit.]]> Elsie Silver 1464247862 K 0 to-read 4.23 2025 Wild Card (Rose Hill, #4)
author: Elsie Silver
name: K
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Merit (Treasure State Wildcats, #4)]]> 216002501
It’s not exactly easy to escape your childhood nemesis when your parents are best friends who live on the same block. Through countless vacations, parties and holidays, Maverick and I have spent the past decade trading insults.

Until that family dinner when his mother tells us she’s dying. When she asks us to forget the past and start fresh. That’s how I found myself on a date with the Treasure State Wildcats football star. The campus playboy. The boy I kissed when I was three. The man who is the bane of my existence.

He’s arrogant. He’s blunt. He’s too handsome for his own good. But if he has a single, redeeming merit, the guy sure does love his mom. And that’s why I started fake dating Maverick Houston. That’s why I made him a proposition of my own. That’s how this sham of a relationship ruined my life.

The world loves Maverick Houston. Me? I hate that he made me love him too.]]> 354 Devney Perry K 4 0-ol, 1-romance, r-liked-it 4.29 2025 Merit (Treasure State Wildcats, #4)
author: Devney Perry
name: K
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance, r-liked-it
review:

]]> <![CDATA[On Loverose Lane (Return to Dublin Street, #1)]]> 220262236 The #1 International bestselling author of On Dublin Street is back with this witty, emotional and steamy fake-dating sports romance in which ambitious entrepreneur, Beth Carmichael, meets her match in the grumpy football captain who moves into the apartment above hers.

Imagine my surprise when my new neighbor turns out to be one of Scotland’s most famous (and hottest) professional footballers, Callan Keen. I’m even more shocked to discover that the brooding player is still holding a grudge for something that happened (or didn’t happen) between us years ago.

Too busy trying to take my social media management company to the next level, I don’t have time for this gorgeous blast from the past. Or at least I shouldn’t. Yet whenever I see him, I can’t help but engage in a battle of wits with the grump upstairs.

When a huge client opportunity arises, circumstances force me to enlist Callan’s help. I require a fake date and Callan needs me to facilitate a meeting with my dad to further his own business interests.

The deal between us should be simple. Except, of course, the blazing chemistry we’ve shared since the moment we met. We can’t deny it, we can’t control it, and soon we’re agreeing to six weeks of no-strings-attached, mind-blowing, steamy shenanigans.

I told myself I was too smart to catch feelings. But when Callan finally finds out the truth about our past, he becomes the guy I used to know. And that man is way too easy to fall for.

The problem is that Callan has vowed to never let another person close enough to break his heart again.

It just might prove impossible to show my stubborn Scotsman I’m worth the risk, especially when old wounds are re-opened and threaten to wreck any chance of a future together…]]> 440 Samantha Young 1915243270 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 3.96 2025 On Loverose Lane (Return to Dublin Street, #1)
author: Samantha Young
name: K
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> Wild Side (Rose Hill, #3) 217465190
But when my nephew’s guardianship is contested, I decide I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him in Rose Hill. Even if it means marrying the enemy.

Rhys Dupris.

A man who is secretive, broody, and completely infuriating. A man whose work takes him away for weeks on end and brings him back covered in mysterious bruises—ones he won’t talk about. In fact, we barely talk at all.

Which would be fine, except when he’s not talking, he’s staring. And the way he looks at me is borderline indecent.

The tension between us has always been palpable. But living under the same roof is a dangerous temptation.

I swore I would never forgive him. But that was before I knew the man behind the mask. The one who’s fierce and protective. The one who’s gentle and patient. The one who shows up for us when we need him most.

He’s not at all who I thought he was.

And that makes hating my husband so much harder� and loving him just a little too easy.]]> 466 Elsie Silver K 3 0-ol, 1-romance 4.27 2025 Wild Side (Rose Hill, #3)
author: Elsie Silver
name: K
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/11
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> Wild Highway (Runaway, #2) 53915890 266 Devney Perry 1950692221 K 5 0-ol, 1-romance, r-liked-it 4.06 2020 Wild Highway (Runaway, #2)
author: Devney Perry
name: K
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/26
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance, r-liked-it
review:

]]> Mine for a Moment 210441762 A brand new spicy, high-angst romance from Catharina Maura—the highly anticipated, standalone spin-off of the Windsors series.

When the man she's always been in love with starts dating one of her friends, artist Serenity Adesina creates a to-do list that will help her get over him once and for all.

The first item on that list?

Losing her virginity to Archer Harrison, her older brother's billionaire best friend…and her boss.

He's the perfect choice—alluring, caring, and entirely emotionally unavailable.

Their deal was supposed to be simple: Serenity will paint Archer anything he wants in return for a secret, no-strings-attached relationship.

Except each kiss leaves them both wanting more, tempting them to risk it all for what's growing between them. That is, until a cruel twist of fate shows them that giving in to their feelings comes at a far higher cost than they could've imagined.]]> 320 Catharina Maura 1464233373 K 5 0-ol, 1-romance, r-liked-it 3.87 Mine for a Moment
author: Catharina Maura
name: K
average rating: 3.87
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/04
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance, r-liked-it
review:

]]> Confess 22609310
For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is hiding a huge secret. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything Auburn loves most, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it—but can she do it?]]> 306 Colleen Hoover 1476791457 K 4 1-romance 4.14 2015 Confess
author: Colleen Hoover
name: K
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2015/06/09
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Forever the Highlands (The Highlands #6)]]> 208552078
Fyfe Moray raised himself. His only real family is his best friend, Lewis Adair. For that reason, Lewis’s sister Eilidh is totally off-limits. Fyfe is in deep denial about their intense attraction. Thankfully, Eilidh is a famous actor living in London while he runs his cyber security company from the Highlands. They’re worlds apart. Until one day, Eilidh reaches out asking for a lifeline and Fyfe can’t bring himself to turn her away.

Acting isn’t what Eilidh Adair expected. As a kid, she wanted to be just like her famous uncles. But the double-edged sword of fame cuts deeper than expected. Afraid to admit she’s made a mistake, Eilidh is spiraling. The only person who knows the truth is Fyfe, but her childhood crush has developed into a love he won’t return. Yet when she comes home intent on starting over, Fyfe can’t seem to stay away. His confused feelings might just be the end of them. Until a woman from Fyfe’s past abandons the baby daughter he never knew he had.

Now a single father, Fyfe needs support. He just never expected Eilidh to be the one he needed most. Fyfe can’t believe how quickly he falls for his child and how rapidly his world view changes. He’s ready to admit the truth: he’s madly in love with his best friend’s sister. And Fyfe’s done wasting time.

But someone else believes Eilidh belongs to them. Someone who has been watching her far longer than she realizes. Just when she thinks she might have everything she wants, Eilidh finds herself caught in the crosshairs of a person intent on destroying everything she holds dear.]]> 382 Samantha Young K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.28 2024 Forever the Highlands (The Highlands #6)
author: Samantha Young
name: K
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/01
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> Here and Now (Ember Falls #2) 218274986
But when my son’s incredibly hot hockey coach Miles Anderson walks in, things get very, very complicated.

With his charming smile and our accidental dates, he’s the exact opposite of any man I’ve ever dated. That should make saying yes to being with him simple, but nothing in my life is easy.

In fact, it’s a mess.

Miles makes me smile and treats my son like his own. When we’re together, I forget about my troubles and dream of a life that I will never be able to have with him.

It’s only a matter of time until the past comes knocking and I’ll have to leave, breaking us both in the process.]]> 384 Corinne Michaels 1957309261 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.21 2025 Here and Now (Ember Falls #2)
author: Corinne Michaels
name: K
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/27
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Asking for Trouble (The Fallen Men, #8)]]> 214629217 An MC romance about a girl hiding from her past and the biker who becomes her unlikely saviour�

When four thugs show up at Evergreen Gas Station with cocked shotguns and masked faces, it could have ended in the worst night of my life.

Instead, a gorgeous mystery man in leather, silver, and too many tattoos strolls into the middle of the robbery and becomes my unlikely saviour with a tarnished halo.

Only, what seemed like a random hold-up at first turns into something far more complicated and Aaron Clare isn’t the type of man to leave a woman in distress. Despite my vow not get into trouble again, I find myself following the man dubbed â€Bonerâ€� into a night of danger and delicious debauchery with long-reaching consequences.

*A standalone in The Fallen Men Series.*]]> 319 Giana Darling K 3 0-ol, 1-romance 4.10 Asking for Trouble (The Fallen Men, #8)
author: Giana Darling
name: K
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/23
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher]]> 5553 138 Richard P. Feynman 0465023924 K 0 to-read 4.22 1994 Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher
author: Richard P. Feynman
name: K
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1994
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[This Wild Heart (Wilder Family, 5)]]> 208662594
Forgetting the wedding was the easy part. Being married to him is a whole different story. Parker is too � everything. Chiseled by the gods good-looking. A heartbreaking kind of broody. The kind of man you know will wreck you for all others. Good thing this is all pretend. And oh, how we pretend. We pretend ourselves right into me ripping the clothes off his body.

It’s all fun and fake marriage until the day he gets a knock on the door with the surprise of a lifetime. Until the bomb goes off and we’re left to pick up the pieces. Until the pretending stops and we’re left with only one question: was any of it real?]]> 397 Karla Sorensen K 5 0-ol, 1-romance, r-liked-it 4.44 2025 This Wild Heart (Wilder Family, 5)
author: Karla Sorensen
name: K
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance, r-liked-it
review:

]]> Deep End 212806619 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...]]> 446 Ali Hazelwood 0593641051 K 3 0-ol, 1-romance 3.89 2025 Deep End
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: K
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/13
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> The Fountains of Silence 43220998 A portrait of love, silence, and secrets under a Spanish dictatorship.

� Madrid, 1957 �

Under the oppressive dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into Spain under the welcoming promise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother's birth through the lens of his camera. Photography—and fate—introduce him to Ana, whose family's interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War, as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel's photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of difficult decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city.

Master storyteller Ruta Sepetys once again shines light into one of history's darkest corners in this epic, heart-wrenching novel about identity, unforgettable love, repercussions of war, and the hidden violence of silence—inspired by the true postwar struggles of Spain.

Includes vintage media reports, oral history commentary, photos, and more.]]> 495 Ruta Sepetys 0399160310 K 0 to-read 4.30 2019 The Fountains of Silence
author: Ruta Sepetys
name: K
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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

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

Soon, Salama must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are—not a war, but a revolution—and decide how she, too, will cry for Syria’s freedom.]]> 417 Zoulfa Katouh 0316351377 K 0 to-read 4.48 2022 As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
author: Zoulfa Katouh
name: K
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Island of Sea Women 40538657 9781501154850

Set on the Korean island of Jeju, The Island of Sea Women follows Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls from very different backgrounds, as they begin working in the sea with their village’s all-female diving collective. Over many decades—through the Japanese colonialism of the 1930s and 1940s, World War II, the Korean War, and the era of cellphones and wet suits for the women divers—Mi-ja and Young-sook develop the closest of bonds. Nevertheless, their differences are impossible to ignore: Mi-ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator, forever marking her, and Young-sook was born into a long line of haenyeo and will inherit her mother’s position leading the divers. After hundreds of dives and years of friendship, forces outside their control will push their relationship to the breaking point.

This beautiful, thoughtful novel illuminates a unique and unforgettable culture, one where the women are in charge, engaging in dangerous physical work, and the men take care of the children. A classic Lisa See story—one of women’s friendships and the larger forces that shape them�The Island of Sea Women introduces readers to the fierce female divers of Jeju Island and the dramatic history that shaped their lives.]]> 374 Lisa See K 0 to-read 4.29 2019 The Island of Sea Women
author: Lisa See
name: K
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom]]> 214151420 From eldest daughter Shari Franke, the shocking true story behind the viral 8 Passengers family vlog and the hidden abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother, and how, in the face of unimaginable pain, she found freedom and healing.

Shari Franke’s childhood was a constant battle for survival. Her mother, Ruby Franke, enforced a severe moral code while maintaining a façade of a picture-perfect family for their wildly popular YouTube channel 8 Passengers, which documented the day-to-day life of raising six children for a staggering 2.5 million subscribers. But a darker truth lurked beneath the surface—Ruby’s wholesome online persona masked a more tyrannical parenting style than anyone could have imagined.

As the family’s YouTube notoriety grew, so too did Ruby’s delusions of righteousness. Fueled by the sadistic influence of relationship coach Jodi Hildebrandt, together they implemented an inhumane and merciless disciplinary regime.

Ruby and Jodi were arrested in Utah in 2023 on multiple charges of aggravated child abuse. On that fateful day, Shari shared a photo online of a police car outside their home. Her caption had one word: “Finally.�

For the first time, Shari will reveal the disturbing truth behind 8 Passengers and her family’s devastating involvement with Jodi Hildebrandt’s cultish life coaching program, “ConneXions.� No stone is left unturned as Shari exposes the perils of influencer culture and shares for the first time her battle for truth and survival in the face of her mother’s cruelty.]]> 320 Shari Franke 1668065398 K 5 1-biography-memoir 4.43 2025 The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom
author: Shari Franke
name: K
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/24
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves: 1-biography-memoir
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Forever Wild (Wildcat Hockey, #5)]]> 212624008 He won't admit that, of course. But with his teammate's gone for the summer and him fresh off a season-ending injury, someone has to keep him in check and it's not the nurses he keeps running off.
I'm having one last summer of fun before I move away to start my first grown-up job, and I seem to be the only woman on the planet immune to his charm. Sure, l've noticed his chiseled jaw and sculpted muscles (Did I mention he's annoyingly handsome?), but I have too much self-preservation to fall for a grumpy hockey star who can have any woman he wants and doesn't do serious relationships.
Except once he lets me help him, I see past his broody exterior and jerk comments and I realize something terrible. I want him.
Now I just need to convince him to throw out all his rules for a fling with his teammate's little sister.]]> 456 Rebecca Jenshak 1951815750 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.28 Forever Wild (Wildcat Hockey, #5)
author: Rebecca Jenshak
name: K
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/18
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> All the Missing Pieces 216284514 *This limited deluxe edition comes with gorgeous stained edges and spot gloss*

Sometimes the last thing you expect is exactly what you need, the final missing piece. And sometimes it comes in the form of a towering, broody sheriff, determined to get in your way at every step.

Ridley Sawyer knows what it’s like to miss someone, to feel like a piece of her vanished—because it happened to her the night her twin sister disappeared.

Now, Ridley channels that loss into hope, traveling the country covering cold cases for her true crime podcast. She might not have found justice for her sister but that doesn’t stop her from finding it for others.

Until Sheriff Colter Brooks gets in her way.

Colt knows what it’s like to have reporters descend on his town in the wake of a tragedy, and he’s not about to let a fiery podcaster stir up trouble. It doesn’t matter that her haunting blue eyes tell him there’s more to Ridley’s story or that he can’t stop imagining what it would be like to touch her.

But when Ridley’s cold case turns hot and she’s thrust into the crosshairs, Colt has no choice but to step in. Suddenly, Ridley’s living at his house, drinking his whiskey, and stealing his dog’s affections. But she’s also proving that she’s so much more than his first impression.

And as they get closer to the truth, the game they’ve been playing might just turn deadly…]]> 384 Catherine Cowles 1464224293 K 3 0-ol, 1-romance 4.18 2025 All the Missing Pieces
author: Catherine Cowles
name: K
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> Sure Shot (Brooklyn, #4) 49986677
A big, tall, ripped hunk of hockey player who’s just been traded to the Brooklyn Bruisers is not a part of that plan. Mark “Tank� Tankiewicz has a lot of baggage. He’s a ride-or-die loner with a bad reputation. He’s on the rebound. He’s also the sexiest thing on two legs, and for some crazy reason it’s Bess that he wants.

She knows better. But then she falls stupid in love with him anyway. And for a while it seems like maybe he’ll do the same.

Until she asks him for the one thing he can never give her…]]> 300 Sarina Bowen 1950155013 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.05 2020 Sure Shot (Brooklyn, #4)
author: Sarina Bowen
name: K
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/06
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Will of the Many (Hierarchy, #1)]]> 58416952 At the elite Catenan Academy, a young fugitive uncovers layered mysteries and world-changing secrets in this new fantasy series by internationally bestselling author of The Licanius Trilogy, James Islington.

AUDI. VIDE. TACE.

The Catenan Republic � the Hierarchy � may rule the world now, but they do not know everything.

I tell them my name is Vis Telimus. I tell them I was orphaned after a tragic accident three years ago, and that good fortune alone has led to my acceptance into their most prestigious school. I tell them that once I graduate, I will gladly join the rest of civilised society in allowing my strength, my drive and my focus � what they call Will � to be leeched away and added to the power of those above me, as millions already do. As all must eventually do.

I tell them that I belong, and they believe me.

But the truth is that I have been sent to the Academy to find answers. To solve a murder. To search for an ancient weapon. To uncover secrets that may tear the Republic apart.

And that I will never, ever cede my Will to the empire that executed my family.

To survive, though, I will still have to rise through the Academy’s ranks. I will have to smile, and make friends, and pretend to be one of them and win. Because if I cannot, then those who want to control me, who know my real name, will no longer have any use for me.

And if the Hierarchy finds out who I truly am, they will kill me.]]> 639 James Islington 1982141190 K 0 to-read 4.60 2023 The Will of the Many (Hierarchy, #1)
author: James Islington
name: K
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Studly Period (The Ivy Years, #5.5)]]> 39077038
There are 1016 people in the freshman class at Harkness College. I can’t be the only socially awkward nerd girl virgin among them. Right?
It’s time I learn to talk to guys without blushing and stammering. So I take a confidence-building job at the student tutoring center. Twelve bucks an hour, plus human interaction. What could go wrong?
A fun-loving French Canadian hockey hunk, that’s what.
When Pepe Gerault sits down at my tutoring table, my brain shuts off and my mouth goes right into hyperdrive. Even the sound of my name on his lips—Josephine—gives me a mini orgasm.
I want to hand him my V-card. But all I manage to hand him is…my thesaurus. And my dignity. All seems lost, until I hatch a plan to get him alone�
Get it only in Sarina's newsletter!
NOTE: If you sign up after the serialization has already begun, your first email will contain links to all the existing chapters. You won't miss a thing!]]> 50 Sarina Bowen K 0 4.03 2018 Studly Period (The Ivy Years, #5.5)
author: Sarina Bowen
name: K
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves:
review:

]]> Great Big Beautiful Life 218559595 Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years--or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.

When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.

One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.

Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication

Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.

But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.]]> 432 Emily Henry K 0 to-read 4.22 2025 Great Big Beautiful Life
author: Emily Henry
name: K
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Say You'll Remember Me (Say You'll Remember Me, #1)]]> 216437557 disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes—all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong�

. . . unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake. But after one incredible and seemingly endless date—possibly the best in living history—Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be.

Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life—and even a love—worth remembering.]]> 416 Abby Jimenez 0349442827 K 0 to-read 4.13 2025 Say You'll Remember Me (Say You'll Remember Me, #1)
author: Abby Jimenez
name: K
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blindside Beauty (Varsity Dads #6)]]> 209452481 My football player ex cheated on me, so the last thing I need is to fall for another quarterback. Especially when he’s still mourning his baby mama who tragically passed away.

After I accidentally plow my car into Nick Silva’s bumper, I can’t blame him for not hiring me to be his daughter’s nanny, but I’m still salty about it. I need the money to go on a trip of a lifetime, one my ex didn’t want me to take.

The worst part is Nick just moved in next door.

I’m sure he associates me with my dirtbag ex—his former teammate—so I try to avoid my neighbor whenever possible.

But when his new babysitter gets locked out of the house, leaving Nick’s four-year-old alone inside, I attempt to rescue her by breaking in through a window.

Unfortunately, I have a wardrobe malfunction and end up flashing my goodies to the whole neighborhood, Nick included.

Because of my embarrassing heroics, Nick’s now convinced I’d be a great nanny.
The trouble with football players is they’re very persuasive, so I agree to take the job but immediately regret it.

Who needs to see a gorgeous, shirtless man jumping rope and doing push-ups in gray sweatpants? Who wants to watch a sexy, single dad snuggle his little girl and read her bedtime stories? Who enjoys working closely with a walking, talking thirst trap every single day?

Fine. I do. I want all of that, but I already swore I’d never date another jock after the last one stomped all over my heart, so this bookworm needs to play it safe.

But rumor has it Nick has a new girlfriend, which helps me maintain appropriate boundaries.

Because I won’t be blindsided by another quarterback again.

Blindside Beauty is an angsty nanny romance featuring an adorkable, accident-prone bookworm and a struggling, grumpy single dad. If you enjoy close proximity, enemies-to-lovers vibes, opposites attract, small towns, and college football, you’ll love this steamy final addition to the USA Today bestselling series Varsity Dads.]]> 376 Lex Martin 195055418X K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.28 2024 Blindside Beauty (Varsity Dads #6)
author: Lex Martin
name: K
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> Josh and Gemma Make a Baby 59796297 New Year’s Resolution:
Have a baby
Preferably with Josh Lewenthal

Meet Gemma Jacobs. She’s driven, energetic, and a positive thinker. She has a great career working for famed self-help guru Ian Fortune, she lives in a cute studio apartment in Manhattan, and her family is supportive and loving (albeit a little kooky). Her life is perfect. Absolutely wonderful.

Except for one tiny little thing.

After a decade of disastrous relationships and an infertility diagnosis, Gemma doesn’t want a Mr. Right (or even a Mr. Right Now), she just wants a baby.
And all she needs is an egg, some sperm, and IVF.

So Gemma makes a New Year’s resolution: have a baby.

Josh Lewenthal is a laid back, relaxed, find-the-humor-in-life kind of guy. The polar opposite of Gemma. He’s also her brother’s best friend. For the past twenty years Josh has attended every Jacobs� family birthday, holiday, and event � he’s always around.

Gemma knows him. He’s nice (enough), he’s funny (-ish), he’s healthy (she thinks) and he didn’t burn any ants with a magnifying glass as a kid. Which, in Gemma’s mind, makes him the perfect option for a sperm donor.

So Gemma wants to make a deal. An unemotional, businesslike arrangement. No commitments, just a baby.

To Gemma’s surprise, Josh agrees.

They have nothing in common, except their agreement to make a baby and their desire to keep things businesslike.

But the thing about baby-making…it’s hard to keep it businesslike, it’s nearly impossible to keep it unemotional, and it’s definitely impossible to keep your heart out of the mix. Because when you’re making a baby together, things have a way of starting to feel like you’re making other things too � like a life, and a family, and love. And when the baby-making ends, you wish that everything else didn’t have to end too.]]> 366 Sarah Ready 1954007183 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance, r-liked-it 3.82 2022 Josh and Gemma Make a Baby
author: Sarah Ready
name: K
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/02
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance, r-liked-it
review:

]]> Variation 210482187 New York Times bestselling author of Fourth Wing comes a new contemporary romance about the summer a celebrated dancer returns home and unearths years of family secrets with the Coast Guard rescue swimmer she never forgot.

Elite ballerina Allie Rousseau is no stranger to pressure. With her mother’s eyes always watching, perfection was expected, no matter the cost. But when an injury jeopardizes all she’s sacrificed for, Allie returns to her summer home to heal and recover. But the memories she’s tried to forget rush in and threaten to take her under.

As a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Hudson Ellis knows that hesitation can mean the difference between life and death. He’s always prided himself on being in the right place at the right time, especially when it came to Allie Rousseau…until the night he left for basic. After the biggest regret of his life, the secrets he keeps mean he can never be with the one woman he wants more than his next breath.

When Hudson’s niece shows up on Allie’s doorstep, desperate to find her birth mother, Allie finds herself in an unimaginable position. Allie and Hudson’s past and present might be endlessly complicated. The thread that tied them to each other all those years ago may have unraveled, but the truth could pull them back together, or drive them apart forever.]]> 459 Rebecca Yarros 1662514697 K 3 0-ol, 1-romance 4.19 2024 Variation
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: K
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/01
date added: 2024/12/01
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> Older 209745049 Before he discovered my age, he uncovered my heart.

Bruised and abused, and victim to a loveless household, I shimmered with new life the moment he found me drowning my sorrows in a lake beneath the stars.

A chance encounter. An unspoken connection.

I was smitten; he was curious.

But, as everyone knew, fate could be decidedly cruel.

He called me Halley, like the comet.

I called him Reed.

And my best friend?

Well…she called him Dad.

Older is a forbidden, slow-burn, age-gap romance standalone, ending in an HEA.]]> 436 Jennifer Hartmann K 3 0-ol, 1-romance 4.07 2024 Older
author: Jennifer Hartmann
name: K
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/28
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> Bride (Bride, #1) 181344829 A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.

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

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

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.]]> 410 Ali Hazelwood K 5 0-ol, 1-romance, r-liked-it 3.98 2024 Bride (Bride, #1)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: K
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/27
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance, r-liked-it
review:

]]> Demon Copperhead 60194162 "Anyone will tell you the born of this world are marked from the get-out, win or lose."

Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens' anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can't imagine leaving behind.]]> 560 Barbara Kingsolver 0063251922 K 0 to-read 4.46 2022 Demon Copperhead
author: Barbara Kingsolver
name: K
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Broken Harbor (Sparrow Falls #3)]]> 212469861
But Cope Colson is so much more.

The gentle way he makes sure we’re okay. The playful care he shows my son. The way he truly sees me.

When my life comes apart yet again, it’s Cope picking up the pieces. Now, we’re living in his house, eating his incredible, chef-worthy meals, and it’s not just my son who’s falling.

It’s me.

Because when Cope touches me, I lose all sense. I’m no longer thinking about staying safe, I’m thinking about how my skin ignites with every glance, how I come undone with the barest brush of his fingertips, and when we give into temptation…I’m lost.

But Cope has secrets and so do I. And when the forces from our pasts emerge from the shadows, there’s nothing they won’t do to end our happiness once and for all…]]> 403 Catherine Cowles K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.30 2024 Broken Harbor (Sparrow Falls #3)
author: Catherine Cowles
name: K
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/26
date added: 2024/11/26
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Devious Husband (The Windsors, #6)]]> 207110848 From the author of The Wrong Brides comes a steamy and angsty enemies-to-lovers arranged marriage romance.


He's the business rival she can't stand. She's the woman he's secretly loved for years.

Xavier Kingston’s life is turned upside down when his nemesis and business rival, Sierra Windsor, suddenly begins to show interest in a man that isn’t him.

Certain he’s at risk of losing his chance with her forever, Xavier offers the Windsors a deal they cannot refuse: a merger between his company and Windsor Real Estate.

On one condition: Sierra must marry him.]]> 356 Catharina Maura K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.19 2024 The Devious Husband (The Windsors, #6)
author: Catharina Maura
name: K
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/23
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Bang-Bang Club: Snapshots from a Hidden War]]> 271543 The Bang-Bang Club is a memoir of a time of rivalry, comradeship, machismo, and exhilaration experienced by a band of young South African photographers as they documented their country's transition to democracy. We forget too easily the political and ethnic violence that wracked South Africa as apartheid died a slow, spasmodic death. Supporters of the ANC and Inkatha fought bloody battles every day. The white security forces were complicit in fomenting and enabling some of the worst violence. All the while, the Bang-Bang Club took pictures. And while they did, they were faced with the moral dilemma of how far they should go in pursuit of an image, and whether there was a point at which they should stop their shooting and try to intervene.

This is a riveting and appalling book. It is simply written--these guys are photographers, not writers--but extremely engaging. They were adrenaline junkies who partied hard and prized the shot above all else. None of them was a hero; these men come across as overweeningly ambitious, egotistical, reckless, and selfish, though also brave and even principled. As South Africans, they were all invested in their country's future, even though, as whites, they were strangers in their own land as they covered the Hostel wars in the black townships. The mixture of the romantic appeal of the war correspondent with honest assessments of their personal failings is part of what makes this account so compelling and so singular among books of its ilk. � J. Riches

]]> 254 Greg Marinovich 0465044131 K 0 to-read 4.24 2000 The Bang-Bang Club: Snapshots from a Hidden War
author: Greg Marinovich
name: K
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2000
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![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 K 5 0-ol, 1-romance 3.68 2024 Cruel Winter with You (Under the Mistletoe Collection, #1)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: K
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/15
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A False Start (Gold Rush Ranch, #4)]]> 59582214 I kissed my best friend’s little sister, and the world stood still.

That night we were two perfect strangers, the town’s grumpy recluse and a gorgeous girl in the back of a bar. Until we weren’t.

Because Nadia Dalca isn’t just some girl. She’s the girl I can’t have. Fourteen years younger than me and completely off-limits.

My plan is to stay away, but the universe keeps pushing us together. It’s like some sort of cosmic joke, to give me a taste of something so electric—so real—something that breathed life back into me.

Because I can look, but I can’t touch.

Her sinful curves, her light-hearted laughter, her wild side . . . I’m addicted to every last bit of her.

And when she turns those sultry eyes on me––the ones so full of longing and so free of judgement? I’ve always considered myself a strong man. But when she looks at me I’m weak.

To give in to our connection would be a betrayal. My life is beyond complicated, and she has the world at her fingertips. Her brother is the only family she has left, and sad as it sounds, he’s also my only friend.

But I kissed her again anyway.

And now I can’t stop.
]]> 404 Elsie Silver K 5 0-ol, 1-romance, r-liked-it 4.16 2022 A False Start (Gold Rush Ranch, #4)
author: Elsie Silver
name: K
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/15
date added: 2024/11/14
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance, r-liked-it
review:

]]> <![CDATA[An Earl to Remember (Unforgettable Love, #2)]]> 62039341
Daniel Rutherford, the Earl of Stannis, has absolutely no memory of who he is. They tell him he must have fallen overboard, and the only person he seems to recognize is the lovely Georgianna—who strikes a chord of familiarity…and the faintest memory of heating his blood. Only now this inelegant, poorly dressed woman claims to be his wife!

But the truth is, Georgianna is finally getting her revenge. The dashing earl will work off the money he owes her and no one will be the wiser. Except the longer he stays with her and her younger sisters, the more it feels like he belongs there. And that perhaps he’d find a forever place in Georgianna’s heart…at least, until his memory returns...]]> 400 Stacy Reid 1649372728 K 4 0-ol, 1-historical-romance 4.01 2023 An Earl to Remember (Unforgettable Love, #2)
author: Stacy Reid
name: K
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/31
date added: 2024/10/31
shelves: 0-ol, 1-historical-romance
review:

]]> Forever After All 60137854
She didn’t expect Alexander Kennedy to be there, and she certainly didn’t expect him to propose a marriage of convenience instead.

Marrying Alexander means knowingly becoming a tool in his revenge plan.

But what choice does she have?

Better the devil you know than the one you don’t.



Author's Note: This book contains a billionaire possessive alpha-hole and steamy scenes.]]> 486 Catharina Maura K 5 0-ol, 1-romance, r-liked-it 3.90 2021 Forever After All
author: Catharina Maura
name: K
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/30
date added: 2024/10/30
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance, r-liked-it
review:

]]> Brooklynaire (Brooklyn, #1) 35053870
For seven years Rebecca has brightened my office with her wit and her smile. She manages both my hockey team and my sanity. I don’t know when I started waking in the night, craving her. All I know is that one whiff of her perfume ruins my concentration. And her laugh makes me hard.

When Rebecca gets hurt, I step in to help. It’s what friends do. But what friends don’t do is rip off each others� clothes for a single, wild night together.

Now she’s avoiding me. She says we’re too different, and it can never happen again. So why can’t we keep our hands off each other?]]> 298 Sarina Bowen K 5 4.06 2018 Brooklynaire (Brooklyn, #1)
author: Sarina Bowen
name: K
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/27
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance, r-loved-it, r-read-so-many-times
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Rifts & Refrains (Hush Note, #2)]]> 52697221
Quinn is content to live in a world away from her family and the cage of her youth. Her only regret is leaving Graham Hayes behind without a goodbye. No matter how many sold-out stadiums she plays, no matter how many crowds sing her songs, his voice haunts her when the music stops.

When a family tragedy forces her to return home to Montana, she plans to leave the second she’s paid her respects. But seeing Graham again turns her life upside down. As a boy, he wasn’t able to make her stay. As a man, he might be her future.

If they can mend their rifts and find solace in the refrains.]]> 250 Devney Perry 195069206X K 5 0-ol, 1-romance, r-loved-it 4.24 2020 Rifts & Refrains (Hush Note, #2)
author: Devney Perry
name: K
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/25
date added: 2024/10/25
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance, r-loved-it
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sunlight (Haven River Ranch, #2)]]> 205963763 From USA Today bestselling author Devney Perry comes a sweeping Western romance about undeniable attraction, unforeseen circumstances, and seemingly unbeatable odds.

My first day in Montana, I got into a tug-of-war over a grocery store shopping cart. The most handsome man I’d ever seen broke up the scuffle before he asked me on a date. I was seconds away from accepting but then he told me his name.

As an owner of the Haven River Ranch, Jax Haven wasn’t my boss. But he wasn’t not my boss either.

Obviously, my only option was to turn him down, scurry away, then pretend like he was a stranger on my first day of work. And obviously, I could never, ever admit that he was my secret crush.

For as hard as I work at my job, I work twice as hard to pretend Jax doesn’t exist. I don’t let myself think about his dazzling eyes or charming smile. I refuse to acknowledge how good he looks in a pair of faded Wrangler jeans. And as tempting as he is in a cowboy hat, Jax is a distraction I cannot afford.

Everything was going according to plan until the annual holiday party. Until I drank one too many flutes of champagne and let him sweep me off my feet. After a night in his bed, there was no more ignoring Jax Haven. Not when I’m pregnant with his baby.]]> 300 Devney Perry K 3 0-ol, 1-romance 4.13 2024 Sunlight (Haven River Ranch, #2)
author: Devney Perry
name: K
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/24
date added: 2024/10/24
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> Be With Me (Adair Family, #4) 61434408 It was the friends-with-benefits proposition he never saw coming�

While Arran Adair might have followed the call of wanderlust in his younger years, it isn’t the reason he stayed away from Ardnoch. Home now, desperate to put the sins of his past behind him, and rebuild his life in the Scottish Highlands, Arran could never have predicted Eredine Willows. The Ardnoch Estate Pilates instructor is a complicated mystery and one Arran can’t help but want to solve.

Eredine has spent the last eight years hiding in Scotland and building walls between her and the people she cares about. Arran is the first Adair who doesn’t treat her as if she’s fragile and demands a genuine friendship. Yet, the attraction sizzling between them is undeniable. So when she realizes she trusts him, Eredine surprises them both by offering Arran one night of no-strings passion.

Arran knows one night will inevitably lead to a desire for more and he’s willing to stay by Eredine’s side for as long as it takes to convince her there’s something real between them. However, just when Arran thinks they might build a future together, Eredine’s past returns to stalk her. And Arran won’t just have to battle her demons to keep them together. He’ll need to battle his own.]]> 338 Samantha Young 1915243068 K 2 0-ol, 0-dnf, 1-romance 3.81 2022 Be With Me (Adair Family, #4)
author: Samantha Young
name: K
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/16
date added: 2024/10/16
shelves: 0-ol, 0-dnf, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Lost City of the Monkey God]]> 40873920 A five-hundred-year-old legend. An ancient curse. A stunning medical mystery. And a pioneering journey into the unknown heart of the world's densest jungle.

Since the days of conquistador Hernán Cortés, rumors have circulated about a lost city of immense wealth hidden somewhere in the Honduran interior, called the White City or the Lost City of the Monkey God. Indigenous tribes speak of ancestors who fled there to escape the Spanish invaders, and they warn that anyone who enters this sacred city will fall ill and die. In 1940, swashbuckling journalist Theodore Morde returned from the rainforest with hundreds of artifacts and an electrifying story of having found the Lost City of the Monkey God-but then committed suicide without revealing its location.

Three quarters of a century later, author Doug Preston joined a team of scientists on a groundbreaking new quest. In 2012 he climbed aboard a rickety, single-engine plane carrying the machine that would change everything: lidar, a highly advanced, classified technology that could map the terrain under the densest rainforest canopy. In an unexplored valley ringed by steep mountains, that flight revealed the unmistakable image of a sprawling metropolis, tantalizing evidence of not just an undiscovered city but an enigmatic, lost civilization.

Venturing into this raw, treacherous, but breathtakingly beautiful wilderness to confirm the discovery, Preston and the team battled torrential rains, quickmud, disease-carrying insects, jaguars, and deadly snakes. But it wasn't until they returned that tragedy struck: Preston and others found they had contracted in the ruins a horrifying, sometimes lethal-and incurable-disease.]]> 326 Douglas Preston K 0 to-read 3.95 2017 The Lost City of the Monkey God
author: Douglas Preston
name: K
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Funny Story 194802722 A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

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

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

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

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex... right?]]> 400 Emily Henry K 5 0-ol, 1-romance, r-loved-it 4.21 2024 Funny Story
author: Emily Henry
name: K
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/14
date added: 2024/10/14
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance, r-loved-it
review:

]]> Always You (Adair Family, #3) 60692648
Mac Galbraith remembers clearly the night Arro became everything to him, no longer just his best friend and boss’s younger sister. However, having made many mistakes over the years, there is one mistake Mac is determined not to make: to believe that he is worthy of Arrochar Adair. Allowing them to grow closer during his daughter, Robyn’s, return has proven his undoing. And when Arro forces the subject of their relationship, his response pushes her away. He just never meant for it to destroy them completely.

Devastated by Mac’s final rejection, Arro is determined to move on without him in her life, though he seems intent on staying put. And when the Adair family face a new threat, one that may have ties to Mac’s past, Arro can’t seem to be rid of the man. In fact, Mac will do anything to protect her.

But with so much hurt between them, will Arro let Mac close enough to guard her from their enemy� before it’s too late?]]> 370 Samantha Young 1915243041 K 3 0-ol, 1-romance 3.75 2022 Always You (Adair Family, #3)
author: Samantha Young
name: K
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/13
date added: 2024/10/13
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[There with You (Adair Family, #2)]]> 57691449
Determined to make amends for her mistakes, Regan plans to repair her relationship with Robyn by staying close. And when an offer of help comes from Thane Adair, Regan gratefully accepts.

Widower, Thane, needs a new nanny housekeeper for his two young children and when they bond with Regan Penhaligon, he offers her the job. But as the weeks pass and the complex American reveals who she really is, Thane struggles with his growing attraction to her.

Regan never expected to feel so intensely for Thane, but she can’t deny her passion for him or her love for his children. When someone from Thane’s past threatens his family, Regan wants to be his pillar of support. However, his continued inability to trust her might just destroy their chance at future happiness� and the person who drove Regan to Ardnoch might snuff out her chance for any future at all.]]> 462 Samantha Young K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.24 2021 There with You (Adair Family, #2)
author: Samantha Young
name: K
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/12
date added: 2024/10/12
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Devil Gets His Due (The Grumpy Devils, #4)]]> 219368823 An accidental pregnancy, grumpy-sunshine romance
Last January, I drunk-married my nemesis—hot, oversized geek Graham Tate. With no memory of how it came about, there was only one run off before he woke up and pretend it didn’t happen. It would have worked perfectly if I hadn’t wound up pregnant.

Graham is the opposite of everything I want in a man—practical, disciplined, frugal—but living with him until the baby arrives has me wondering if, perhaps, I’ve been wanting the wrong things all along. And if that drunk version of me last January might have been onto something.


I never planned to have kids, and I certainly wouldn’t have planned on one with Keeley Connolly—a woman who does not believe in savings accounts or personal safety and thinks Lucky Charms is a health food because of the non-marshmallow bits.

A woman who also didn’t think twice about marrying me in Vegas and ditching me hours later.

I can’t wait to put this behind me and return to my careful, chaos-free life in New York. But the more time I spend with Keeley, the more I’m remembering the things that led me to marry her in the first place…and wondering if I can live without them when this ends.]]> 338 Elizabeth O'Roark K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 3.89 2022 The Devil Gets His Due (The Grumpy Devils, #4)
author: Elizabeth O'Roark
name: K
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/11
date added: 2024/10/11
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Devil You Know (The Grumpy Devils, #3)]]> 219368803
Ben—Stealer of Clients, Evicter of Homeless Women, Nemesis. Sitting across from me every damn Monday with his lovely, smug smile and his too-perfect teeth, the living symbol of everything I hate.

It’s been my policy to avoid him, but when a case comes into the firm—one that could change his career and mine—I make an exception. It means weekends and evenings by his side. It means enduring his smirk and his smart mouth and never taking the bait.

Until the night Ben says, “Beg.�
And that devil on my shoulder decides to make a few demands of her own.]]> 298 Elizabeth O'Roark K 5 0-ol, 1-romance 3.98 2022 The Devil You Know (The Grumpy Devils, #3)
author: Elizabeth O'Roark
name: K
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/10
date added: 2024/10/09
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> The Stars are on Our Side 194941077
Now, two years later, she's ready to tell her story.

Through a series of interviews with a local writer, single mother Tabitha relives every harrowing detail of her trauma, haunted by the memory of the man she was held captive with and ultimately lost. As she confronts her demons, she finds solace in Gabe—the new man in her life who will do whatever it takes to prevent her from slipping back into the shadows.

But Gabe has his own troubled past that threatens to unravel their fragile connection. And just when Tabitha begins to believe in the possibility of new love and a fresh start, her world is turned upside down once again.

Gabe always tells her not to look down, to keep flying. But even stars fall�

And no one ever talks about the crash.

The Stars Are on Our Side is a FOLLOW-UP novel to Still Beating and Lotus, featuring fan-favorite characters Tabitha and Gabe. It is HIGHLY recommended that you read both Still Beating and Lotus prior to reading this book for the most effective reading experience.

***

REVIEWS â†â†â†â†â�

If you have room in your heart for a wrenching, exhilarating tale that will send tears of joy and sadness streaming down your cheeks in equal measure, sometimes simultaneously; this one is for you. ~ Author, Chelley St Clair

Stars is masterfully written. I was left in awe at how Hartmann was able to take the same horrific circumstances as in Still Beating, change them in fundamental, surprising ways, and leave me shattered, glassy-eyed, and slow-clapping every brilliant word. Bravo. ~ Author, E. R. Whyte

Infinite stars. This book is The Mona Lisa, The Starry Night, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, The Kiss, and Paris Street; Rainy Day all rolled into one, simply put, a remarkable work of art. a masterpiece. ~ nessreads

So adeptly written, emotionally rich with all colors of love, and electrifying at times. The story of a woman crippled by the tentacles of her own fears of rejection and abandonment, and of a man who is willing to fight the world for the right to love her—I loved every moment of it. ~ Book BistroBlog

I'm not ok. I'm a mess. I'm not sure what I just read. This was a fcking masterpiece. Mindblowing, devastating and one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read in my entire life. ~ Deea, GR reviewer

Incredible, unputdownable, thought-provoking, emotional, heartbreaking and heartwarming � these are a few of many adjectives I could use to describe this breathtaking and consuming story. Once again, Jennifer Hartmann has penned a narrative that will stay with me forever. ~ Literary Lust

When this lands on your kindle, you kiss adulthood away for the day! Her ability to effortlessly pull me into every book she writes cements yet again why she fast became one of my unicorn authors. Her books tick every box I seek within my books, from the dark, to the grit, to the angst, to the emotional upheaval, to the coming away from each book with a heart full to bursting. ~ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books

Gabe and Tabitha are a couple that will stay with me, indefinitely. This novel would never have seen the light of day without Still Beating and Lotus so it's hard to attest to that but... I think it's my favorite of the author's. And one of my favorite books, ever.]]> 480 Jennifer Hartmann K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.26 2024 The Stars are on Our Side
author: Jennifer Hartmann
name: K
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/08
date added: 2024/10/08
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> Happy Place 61718053
They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends� hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week� in front of those who know you best?

A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.]]> 400 Emily Henry 0593441273 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 3.95 2023 Happy Place
author: Emily Henry
name: K
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/06
date added: 2024/10/06
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![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 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.05 2022 King of Wrath (Kings of Sin, #1)
author: Ana Huang
name: K
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/26
date added: 2024/10/05
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
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 can’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 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 3.55 2024 Two Can Play
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: K
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/05
date added: 2024/10/05
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Slap Shot Surprise (Cherry Tree Harbor, #5)]]> 213444576
Otherwise, I never would have blurted out those embarrassing things to a perfect stranger.

Did I mention he turned out to be a scorching hot superstar of professional hockey?

But wait, there’s more.

When the plane lands safely, I rush off, praying I’ll never have to face him again. My luck holds out for less than twenty-four hours, when I realize he’s a groomsman at the wedding I’m attending.

We end up having a drink and a good laugh about my panicked confessions, and when he invites me up to his room for some no-strings-attached fun, I say yes. After all, a headboard rattling one-night stand with a guy who knows how to put the puck in deep isn’t something a bookworm like me ever thought she’d experience.

Neither are those two little pink lines.

Now what’s crashing are all the plans Joe Lupo and I had for our lives–separately.

After all, we’re totally wrong for each other. He’s commitment-phobic and completely focused on his career. And I want to plant roots in my small town–with someone who chooses me.

Love? It’s out of the question.

Until Joe Lupo lines up his shot and aims straight for my heart.]]> 380 Melanie Harlow K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.34 2024 Slap Shot Surprise (Cherry Tree Harbor, #5)
author: Melanie Harlow
name: K
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/03
date added: 2024/10/04
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Forever Starts Tonight (Wilder Family, #4)]]> 208662056
Thanks to an overprotective family, he’s ignored me for years, but still, I can’t get his grumpy a** out of my head. And in a wine-fueled, post-bad date funk, I make another terrible decision: show up at his cabin to ask why he’s never given me a chance.

The storm that got me stuck there overnight was a total fluke, but I’m no fool. While Jax is perfectly clear about not wanting a family or love or any of the happily-ever-afters I’ve dreamed of, what’s the harm in asking for just one night? The worst thing he can say is no.

He doesn’t though, and I was saying yes, yes, yes a whole lot after that.

Best. Decision. Ever.

One night is enough to feel like I can move on, and we agree to let it be a secret kept safe between us.
But you know what makes it hard to keep a one-night secret about my not-so-secret crush?

A positive pregnancy test.

Oh baby, things are about to get interesting.]]> 404 Karla Sorensen K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.37 2024 Forever Starts Tonight (Wilder Family, #4)
author: Karla Sorensen
name: K
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/04
date added: 2024/10/04
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Dixon Rule (Campus Diaries, #2)]]> 200338241
Shane just moved into her apartment building and seems dedicated to sleeping his way through her entire cheerleading squad. Sure, he’s a tall, gorgeous hockey player, but he’s messing with her turf. This calls for some ground rules: no parties in her apartment, leave her teammates alone, and—most importantly—leave her alone.

What Diana doesn’t realize is that Shane’s sick of hookups and tired of being on the rebound after his long-term girlfriend called it quits. He wants a relationship. And when his ex comes back into the picture, he pretends he has one to make her jealous…and who better to play the girlfriend role than his sassy new neighbor?

Despite Diana’s reluctance to break her rule, a fake relationship is the perfect solution for her own ex issues, and soon she can’t deny something is sizzling between her and Shane. Something hot and completely unexpected.

And it might just be getting a little too real.]]> 498 Elle Kennedy K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.16 2024 The Dixon Rule (Campus Diaries, #2)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: K
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/02
date added: 2024/10/02
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Graham Effect (Campus Diaries, #1)]]> 123255391
Ryder is six-foot five, built, opinionated, rude…and sexy as hell. But he's still the enemy.

Briar's new hockey co-captain has his reasons, though. The men's team just merged with a rival program, leaving Ryder with an angry roster where everyone hates one another's guts. To make matters worse, the summer coaching spot he's angling for with the legendary Garrett Graham is out of reach after he makes the worst possible first impression on his hero. So, really, this compromise with Gigi is win-win. He helps her make the national team, she puts in a good word with her dad.

The only potential snag? This bone-deep, body-numbing, mind-spinning chemistry they're trying to ignore. It's a dangerous game they're playing, but the risks just might be worth it.

Et pourtant, il y a un gros hic ! L'alchimie profonde, qui Ă©touffe le corps et fait tourner l'esprit, qu'ils essaient d'ignorer. C'est un jeu dangereux auquel ils jouent, mais les risques pourraient bien en valoir la peine.]]> 498 Elle Kennedy 1990101186 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.18 2023 The Graham Effect (Campus Diaries, #1)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: K
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/01
date added: 2024/10/01
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Menuet Za Kitaro: Na Petindvajset Strelov]]> 1500478
Once rumoured that it was used by the CIA as a manual for guerrilla warfare, Minuet for Guitar is a powerful examination of war on par with Céline’s Journey to the End of the Night, a modern Slovenian classic filled with philosophical ruminations and told in Zupan’s casual, ironic and even seductive voice.

War is also a dance. The war dance had begun, they say. A minuet. Accompanied by a twenty-five-shot guitar.]]> 426 Vitomil Zupan 863412469X K 3 1-historical-fiction, slo 4.13 1975 Menuet Za Kitaro: Na Petindvajset Strelov
author: Vitomil Zupan
name: K
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1975
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/24
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves: 1-historical-fiction, slo
review:

]]> <![CDATA[All Too Well (Ember Falls, #1)]]> 213939158
I was doing great pretending he doesn’t exist until I was assigned to write an article about former college athletes, and I learn that the sexy single dad is my first interview.

Determined to wow my editor with an amazing sportsball piece�(have I mentioned I know nothing about sports?)—I head to Ember Falls, ready to face my fears—and the man I love.

The grumpy quarterback turned fireman wants nothing to do with me or my article. Yet, somehow I persuade him to let me follow him around for a few weeks, and even if he said yes just to get rid of me, I’ll take it.

But the longer I stay in his small town, the more complicated our story gets. The boundaries we set fall to the ground—along with our clothes.

He holds me like I matter, touches me like I’m cherished and kisses me like he loves me.

We both know I have to leave Ember Falls, and he’ll never follow—I only wish I could write a different ending to our story.]]> 370 Corinne Michaels 1957309253 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.03 2024 All Too Well (Ember Falls, #1)
author: Corinne Michaels
name: K
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/23
date added: 2024/09/22
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Five People You Meet in Heaven]]> 3431
Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination. It's a place where your life is explained to you by five people, some of whom you knew, others who may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?"]]> 196 Mitch Albom 0786868716 K 0 to-read 4.01 2003 The Five People You Meet in Heaven
author: Mitch Albom
name: K
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Master and Margarita 117833 The first complete, annotated English Translation of Mikhail Bulgakov's comic masterpiece.

An audacious revision of the stories of Faust and Pontius Pilate, The Master and Margarita is recognized as one of the essential classics of modern Russian literature. The novel's vision of Soviet life in the 1930s is so ferociously accurate that it could not be published during its author's lifetime and appeared only in a censored edition in the 1960s. Its truths are so enduring that its language has become part of the common Russian speech.

One hot spring, the devil arrives in Moscow, accompanied by a retinue that includes a beautiful naked witch and an immense talking black cat with a fondness for chess and vodka. The visitors quickly wreak havoc in a city that refuses to believe in either God or Satan. But they also bring peace to two unhappy Muscovites: one is the Master, a writer pilloried for daring to write a novel about Christ and Pontius Pilate; the other is Margarita, who loves the Master so deeply that she is willing literally to go to hell for him. What ensues is a novel of inexhaustible energy, humor, and philosophical depth, a work whose nuances emerge for the first time in Diana Burgin's and Katherine Tiernan O'Connor's splendid English version.]]> 372 Mikhail Bulgakov 0679760806 K 0 to-read 4.31 1967 The Master and Margarita
author: Mikhail Bulgakov
name: K
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1967
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wild Eyes (Rose Hill, #2) 209568782
As a chart-topping country singer with a recent streak of bad press it’s hard to find any peace. But I find it in Rose Hill. With a little boy and a little girl who steal my heart just as thoroughly as their dad.

Weston Belmont.

The man is a shameless flirt. He oozes confidence and masculinity in a way that’s downright distracting. And in bed? He’s addictive.

Everything with him is wild and impulsive and I’m desperate to regain some control.

But no one has supported me like West does. And no one has ever made me feel as loved as he does either.

So, while my brain says settling down with a small-town horse trainer is impossible� my heart says I’m right where I belong.

Still, my life as a celebrity haunts me. It has the power to pull us apart.

I can see in his eyes that wants me to stay. And I want that too.

But I know better than anyone that we don’t always get what we want.]]> 464 Elsie Silver 1464220824 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.24 2024 Wild Eyes (Rose Hill, #2)
author: Elsie Silver
name: K
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/06
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> We Were the Lucky Ones 30267929
As one sibling is forced into exile, another attempts to flee the continent, while others struggle to escape certain death, either by working grueling hours on empty stomachs in the factories of the ghetto or by hiding as gentiles in plain sight. Driven by an unwavering will to survive and by the fear that they may never see one another again, the Kurcs must rely on hope, ingenuity, and inner strength to persevere.

An extraordinary, propulsive novel, We Were the Lucky Ones demonstrates how in the face of the twentieth century’s darkest moment, the human spirit can endure and even thrive.]]> 403 Georgia Hunter 0399563083 K 0 to-read 4.39 2017 We Were the Lucky Ones
author: Georgia Hunter
name: K
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Coraline 17061
In Coraline's family's new flat are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Thirteen of the doors open and close.

The fourteenth is locked, and on the other side is only a brick wall, until the day Coraline unlocks the door to find a passage to another flat in another house just like her own.

Only it's different.

At first, things seem marvelous in the other flat. The food is better. The toy box is filled with wind-up angels that flutter around the bedroom, books whose pictures writhe and crawl and shimmer, little dinosaur skulls that chatter their teeth. But there's another mother, and another father, and they want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.

Other children are trapped there as well, lost souls behind the mirrors. Coraline is their only hope of rescue. She will have to fight with all her wits and all the tools she can find if she is to save the lost children, her ordinary life, and herself.

Critically acclaimed and award-winning author Neil Gaiman will delight readers with his first novel for all ages.]]> 176 Neil Gaiman 0061139378 K 0 to-read 4.13 2002 Coraline
author: Neil Gaiman
name: K
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wallflower Wager (Girl Meets Duke, #3)]]> 40972652 They call him the Duke of Ruin.

To an undaunted wallflower, he's just the beast next door.

Wealthy and ruthless, Gabriel Duke clawed his way from the lowliest slums to the pinnacle of high society—and now he wants to get even.

Loyal and passionate, Lady Penelope Campion never met a lost or wounded creature she wouldn’t take into her home and her heart.

When her imposing—and attractive—new neighbor demands she clear out the rescued animals, Penny sets him a challenge. She will part with her precious charges, if he can find them loving homes.

Done, Gabriel says. How hard can it be to find homes for a few kittens?

And a two-legged dog.

And a foul-mouthed parrot.

And a goat, an otter, a hedgehog . . .

Easier said than done, for a cold-blooded bastard who wouldn’t know a loving home from a workhouse. Soon he’s covered in cat hair, knee-deep in adorable, and bewitched by a shyly pretty spinster who defies his every attempt to resist. Now she’s set her mind and heart on saving him.

Not if he ruins her first.]]> 369 Tessa Dare 0062672150 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 3.92 2019 The Wallflower Wager (Girl Meets Duke, #3)
author: Tessa Dare
name: K
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/02
date added: 2024/09/01
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> The Island of Missing Trees 56587382 A rich, magical new book on belonging and identity, love and trauma, nature and renewal, from the Booker shortlisted author of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World.

Two teenagers, a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot, meet at a taverna on the island they both call home. In the taverna, hidden beneath garlands of garlic, chili peppers and creeping honeysuckle, Kostas and Defne grow in their forbidden love for each other. A fig tree stretches through a cavity in the roof, and this tree bears witness to their hushed, happy meetings and eventually, to their silent, surreptitious departures. The tree is there when war breaks out, when the capital is reduced to ashes and rubble, and when the teenagers vanish. Decades later, Kostas returns. He is a botanist looking for native species, but really, he’s searching for lost love.

Years later a Ficus carica grows in the back garden of a house in London where Ada Kazantzakis lives. This tree is her only connection to an island she has never visited -- her only connection to her family’s troubled history and her complex identity as she seeks to untangle years of secrets to find her place in the world.

A moving, beautifully written and delicately constructed story of love, division, transcendence, history and eco-consciousness, The Island of Missing Trees is Elif Shafak’s best work yet.]]> 354 Elif Shafak 0241434998 K 0 to-read 4.13 2021 The Island of Missing Trees
author: Elif Shafak
name: K
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Small Things Like These 58662236
Already an international bestseller, Small Things Like These is a deeply affecting story of hope, quiet heroism, and empathy from one of our most critically lauded and iconic writers.]]> 128 Claire Keegan 0802158749 K 0 to-read 4.13 2021 Small Things Like These
author: Claire Keegan
name: K
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Beating Heart (Magnolia Falls #4)]]> 204872622
From the moment my son came into the world—my life changed in the best way.
I’d found my purpose.
My reason.
My heart beats for this kid every damn day.
My company is thriving, and life is good.
But then Emerson Chadwick happened.
It must be the universe’s way of messing with me when I least expect it.
Our town’s new pediatrician is gorgeous and brilliant and—complicated.
I’m not looking for complications.
To make matters worse, my little boy is crazy about her, and now she’s moved in next door.
She’s everywhere I turn.
I can’t stay away no matter how hard I try.
But Emerson isn’t here to stay.
This is just a temporary stop for her.
And now my heart beats for her in a way I never expected.
Falling for the girl next door is a bad idea.
Loving her� well, that’s as easy as breathing.

**This is book 4 in the Magnolia Falls series. Each one can be read as a complete standalone. A HEA is guaranteed!**
Magnolia Falls Series:
Loving Romeo
Wild River
Forbidden King
Beating Heart
Finding Hayes]]> 354 Laura Pavlov K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.40 2024 Beating Heart (Magnolia Falls #4)
author: Laura Pavlov
name: K
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/30
date added: 2024/08/30
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Delicate Escape (Sparrow Falls, #2)]]> 212469885
Shepard Colson is all golden-boy charm and devastating good looks. But I know what it’s like to be taken in by easy smiles and the promise of forever—I have the scars to prove it.

Only the handsome contractor won’t stop coming by the bakery and prying little truths from my lips. Those amber eyes of his seeing far too much. And when all the secrets come crashing down, he’s determined to keep me safe. Even if it means moving into my rundown cabin to do it.

Now, Shep isn’t just rebuilding the walls of my home, he’s working his way into my heart. Suddenly, he’s everywhere: shirtless in my garden or in a towel coming out of my bathroom. And my resolve is no match.

Only it’s more than his golden looks. It’s him. The way he watches for my wounds but tells me I’m stronger than anyone he’s ever known. And I can’t help but fall.

But I should’ve known better than to think I could be happy. Not when a ghost from my past still has me in his sights. And when he finds me, he’ll do anything to tear my life apart, even if it means ending it for good…]]> 380 Catherine Cowles 1951936604 K 3 0-ol, 1-romance 4.25 2024 Delicate Escape (Sparrow Falls, #2)
author: Catherine Cowles
name: K
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/28
date added: 2024/08/28
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Northern Twilight (The Highlands #5)]]> 215082472 She’s the girl he left behind. He’s the boy she tried to forget. But after seven years apart, one passionately reckless night will tie them together forever �

As teenagers, Callie Ironside and Lewis Adair were inseparable. So much so, Lewis still can’t work out where it all went horribly wrong, or why he’s spent the last seven years in London away from the love of his life.

Callie knows exactly where it all went wrong and while she tried to move on—learning pastry techniques in Paris and dating French men—returning home to Ardnoch to work in her mother’s bakery only reminds her of the future she lost with Lewis.

But when a visit to London brings them unexpectedly together, the passion, pain and animosity between them leads to a one-night stand. For Lewis, it’s the beginning of winning Callie and his life in Ardnoch back. For Callie, it’s a mistake that’s shaken up the devastating heartbreak she fought hard to forget. However, Lewis is determined to fight for her, and proves it when their night together results in more than just unresolved feelings.

As they come to grips with impending parenthood and the mistakes they’ve both made, Callie and Lewis will not only have to decide to fight for a love that has endured so many years apart, but a mysterious adversary who seems intent on destroying the future they’re building together.]]> 354 Samantha Young 1915243254 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.01 2024 Northern Twilight (The Highlands #5)
author: Samantha Young
name: K
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/22
date added: 2024/08/22
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks]]> 6493208
Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.

Now Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the “colored� ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells; from Henrietta’s small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia � a land of wooden quarters for enslaved people, faith healings, and voodoo � to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of her cells.

Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality� until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family � past and present � is inextricably connected to the history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.

Over the decade it took to uncover this story, Rebecca became enmeshed in the lives of the Lacks family—especially Henrietta’s daughter Deborah, who was devastated to learn about her mother’s cells. She was consumed with questions: Had scientists cloned her mother? Did it hurt her when researchers infected her cells with viruses and shot them into space? What happened to her sister, Elsie, who died in a mental institution at the age of fifteen? And if her mother was so important to medicine, why couldn’t her children afford health insurance?

Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences.]]> 370 Rebecca Skloot 1400052173 K 0 4.12 2010 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
author: Rebecca Skloot
name: K
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at: 2024/08/20
date added: 2024/08/20
shelves: 1-biography-memoir, 1-non-fiction, translated
review:

]]> The Fake Mate 123199658
Noah, interventional cardiologist and all-round grump, has spent his entire life hiding what he is - an unmated alpha. But when an anonymous tip brings everything to light, he's left with two choices: come clean to the board and risk his career or find himself a mate. So, when the chatty, overly friendly ER doctor asks him to be her fake boyfriend the same day he's called to meet the board, it must be kismet, right?

Mackenzie gets her grandmother off her back, and Noah gets the chance to prove he can continue to work without a real mate - it's a mutually beneficial business transaction. But when the fake-mate act turns to a very real friends-with-benefits arrangement, lines start to blur, and they quickly realise love is a whole different kind of animal.]]> 372 Lana Ferguson 0593549376 K 3 0-ol, 1-romance 3.62 2023 The Fake Mate
author: Lana Ferguson
name: K
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/20
date added: 2024/08/20
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heartbreaker Handoff (Varsity Dads #5)]]> 193768856 Billy’s not my baby daddy, but he doesn’t mind pretending to be�

I’m a Division 1 cheerleader with hopes of becoming a sports broadcaster. None of my plans for college include getting knocked up by a cheating ex who just got engaged to another girl. 

When my father finds out I’m pregnant, he goes ballistic. That’s when my BFF, bad boy Billy Babcock, comes to my rescue and agrees to “take responsibility.�

Billy and I solidify our contract on a napkin—he’ll pretend to be my baby’s father, and I’ll help him clean up his image. The only problem is my father, the football coach, hates Billy. He warned me off dating players a long time ago, and he thinks Billy’s the biggest player out there.

Now that we’re in a “relationship,� Billy thinks we should spend some quality naked time together, but I’m worried about crossing that line. Because athletic guys with big muscles, intricate tattoos, and sexy smirks are my biggest weakness, and Billy ticks off all those boxes.

Can my football player “boyfriend� walk the straight and narrow for me? Or did I just get handed off from one heartbreaker to another?

* * *

Heartbreaker Handoff is an angsty, friends-to-lovers, forbidden romance featuring a sassy cheerleader, who’s about to be a single mother, and a criminally charming football player determined to prove he’s the man for her, one sizzling kiss at a time. Heartbreaker Handoff is a dual POV standalone in the USA Today-bestselling series Varsity Dads. ]]> 382 Lex Martin 1950554155 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.37 2024 Heartbreaker Handoff (Varsity Dads #5)
author: Lex Martin
name: K
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/18
date added: 2024/08/18
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Reason to Believe (Legacy, #1)]]> 43973311
“I’ll take them!�

That’s what I tell the social worker when my pre-k student and his baby brother need an emergency foster placement. I’ll do anything to keep the brothers from being split up. But my apartment’s flooded and there’s only one house I can take them to on such short notice…his.

Knox Daniels, my older brother’s best friend, offers his new place without hesitation. He’s not moving back to our tiny town until next month—that’s when all our hotshot firefighters are returning for their one and only chance to rebuild our fathers� fallen, iconic crew.

It doesn’t matter that I’ve been silently in love with Knox since we were kids.
It can’t matter that we pretend that reckless prom night kiss never happened.
It won’t matter that my feelings for him could destroy his lifelong friendship with my brother and threaten the certification of their hotshot crew.
Because I’ll be out of his house long before he gets back.

Except Knox just walked in…a month early.
And the icing on this awkward cake?
He’s gorgeous as always and I’m covered in baby puke.
He takes one look at the boys and tells me we can make this work�
We can temporarily fake a relationship to keep them from being separated by the system.

Suddenly, everything matters.]]> 350 Rebecca Yarros 1635765056 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.08 2022 Reason to Believe (Legacy, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: K
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/12
date added: 2024/08/12
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> Sophie’s World 10959 An alternative cover for this ISBN can be found here

One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?" From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning—but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.]]> 403 Jostein Gaarder 1857993284 K 0 to-read 3.94 1991 Sophie’s World
author: Jostein Gaarder
name: K
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1991
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Most of All You 32854499
Then Gabriel Dalton walks into her life. Despite the terrible darkness of his past, there's an undeniable goodness in him. And even though she knows the cost, Crystal finds herself drawn to Gabriel. His quiet strength is wearing down her defenses and his gentle patience is causing her to question everything she thought she knew.

Crystal and Gabriel never imagined that the world, which had stolen everything from them, would bring them a deep love like this. Except fate will only take them so far, and now the choice is Harden their hearts once again or find the courage to shed their painful pasts.]]> 352 Mia Sheridan 1538727323 K 5 3.90 2017 Most of All You
author: Mia Sheridan
name: K
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2021/06/02
date added: 2024/08/09
shelves: r-forever-with-me, 1-romance, r-read-so-many-times, r-loved-it
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Rally (Treasure State Wildcats, #3)]]> 208955995
We met the day I went camping and got stranded on the side of a gravel road. I didn’t believe in white knights who freed damsels in distress. Life had taught me that if something bad could happen, it probably would. The only person who would save me was me.

But Rush Ramsey rescued me that day. He was sweet and kind and charming. He made a dark, starry night a little less lonely.

I should have realized it was too good to be true. That an incredible night of passion would come with consequences. That the bad luck rollercoaster I’d been riding for twenty-one years wasn’t ready to stop.

Because Rush Ramsey, Treasure State University’s most eligible bachelor and quarterback extraordinaire, just got me pregnant.]]> 374 Devney Perry 1957376724 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.08 2024 Rally (Treasure State Wildcats, #3)
author: Devney Perry
name: K
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/08
date added: 2024/08/08
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Always Mine (Honey Mountain, #1)]]> 60491585
Niko West is the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Six feet, four inches of broody, chiseled Greek god in a firefighter suit.
He’s also been my best friend since kindergarten.
He always says the only solid thing in his life is our friendship.
He’s Honey Mountain's favorite player and I’m what you’d call a relationship girl.
But when I find myself single for the first time since turning sixteen, I make Niko an offer he can’t refuse.
Who better to show me what I’ve been missing?
But now that we’ve crossed that line, I don’t know if friendship is enough for me.]]> 318 Laura Pavlov K 2 0-ol, 1-romance 3.93 2022 Always Mine (Honey Mountain, #1)
author: Laura Pavlov
name: K
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2024/08/07
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bittersweet Memories (Off-Limits, #4)]]> 60075260
It would have been simple � if he wasn’t also her new boss.

As they work together it soon becomes clear Silas knows more about her than he should.

He knows about the past she's forgotten and the memories that evade her... but some secrets are better left buried.]]> 442 Catharina Maura K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.20 2022 Bittersweet Memories (Off-Limits, #4)
author: Catharina Maura
name: K
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/05
date added: 2024/08/05
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Professor Astor (Off-Limits, #3)]]> 58878436
The last thing she expected was for him to show up two years later as her professor and PhD supervisor.

As if that’s not bad enough� the new VIP client who just hired her as his nanny turns out to be none other than the very same elusive billionaire masquerading as a professor at the college his family owns.

No matter how they resist, life keeps pushing Leia and Adrian together in a cruel twist of fate.

After all, they can never be together.

She’s his student.

His nanny.

His cousin’s best friend.

She’s off-limits.

´ˇłÜłŮłó´Ç°ů’s note: contains steamy scenes, a possessive hero, and a good dose of angst. This can be read as a standalone.]]> 352 Catharina Maura K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.04 2022 Professor Astor (Off-Limits, #3)
author: Catharina Maura
name: K
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/03
date added: 2024/08/03
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> Dr. Grant (Off-Limits, #2) 60872589
1. Don’t sleep with the students
2. Don’t sleep with a patient
3. Stay away from Harold Astor’s granddaughter

Seems easy, right?

It was. Right until Amara Astor walks into his office with one of her own inventions - an adult toy - stuck inside her.

She’s a patient, a PhD student, and she’s Harold Astor’s granddaughter. She’s entirely off-limits.

Getting involved with her puts his promising future at risk, yet he can’t turn her away. Not when doing so means she’ll find someone else to test her crazy inventions with.

´ˇłÜłŮłó´Ç°ů’s Note: This is a standalone romance with a guaranteed HEA. ]]> 296 Catharina Maura K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 3.69 Dr. Grant (Off-Limits, #2)
author: Catharina Maura
name: K
average rating: 3.69
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/03
date added: 2024/08/03
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> Until You (Off-Limits, #1) 60872655
Their lives weren’t meant to collide � but everything changes when Grayson realizes that Aria is the mysterious woman behind a wildly popular vigilante platform.

She’s the woman he’s been falling for online, the one whose coding skills outdo his, the one he’s been trying to track down.

It’s her. And she’s off-limits.]]> 328 Catharina Maura 9887531936 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 3.81 2021 Until You (Off-Limits, #1)
author: Catharina Maura
name: K
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/02
date added: 2024/08/03
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Secret Fiancée (The Windsors, #5)]]> 206181069 From the author of The Wrong Bride and The Temporary Wife comes another steamy and angsty billionaire arranged marriage romance.

When Lex finds Raya Lewis’s name hidden behind countless security measures on his own family’s servers, he knows it can only mean one thing.

Determined to take control of the situation, he sets out to find her � only for Raya to spill her drink all over him within seconds of meeting.

Much to her surprise, the notoriously unattainable tech billionaire asks for only one thing as compensation: six rounds of Truth or Dare.

An evening filled with laughter leads to Raya sneaking out of his bed in the morning, not expecting to ever see him again�

…until he shows up as her professor, offering her class the opportunity of a lifetime: an internship at Windsor Motors.

What Raya doesn’t realize is that their meeting wasn’t coincidental � and she’s the sole reason he took up a teaching position at all.

After all, Lex knows something she doesn’t: the two of them are arranged to be married.]]> 364 Catharina Maura K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.07 2024 The Secret Fiancée (The Windsors, #5)
author: Catharina Maura
name: K
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/01
date added: 2024/08/01
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Broken Vows (The Windsors, #4)]]> 150062296 She was his first love, his first heartbreak, and his only regret.

Zane Windsor always loved the way Celeste Harrison’s eyes light up when he infuriates her. It just took him years to realize that what he felt for his childhood rival wasn’t hatred.

When they begin working for their family businesses, competing on a larger scale than ever before, he decides he wants it all with her � and what Zane Windsor wants, he gets.

Zane and Celeste discover just how thin the line between love and hate truly is, falling harder than either of them thought possible...

…until an unexpected tragedy leaves them wondering if any of it was ever real at all.

Led by a desire for revenge, Zane brings Celeste’s company to the brink of bankruptcy, leaving both of their grandparents no choice but to intervene.

The Windsors and Harrisons agree to a merger � on one condition: Zane and Celeste must marry each other.]]> 557 Catharina Maura K 3 0-ol, 1-romance 4.05 The Broken Vows (The Windsors, #4)
author: Catharina Maura
name: K
average rating: 4.05
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/01
date added: 2024/08/01
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Unwanted Marriage (The Windsors, #3)]]> 104659050 From the author of The Wrong Bride and The Temporary Wife comes an angsty and steamy billionaire arranged marriage romance

�
Faye is the last woman Dion Windsor wants to be near, let alone marry� yet there’s no escaping the alluring pianist he’s been engaged to since they were children.

For years, he made his unwillingness known, but his attempts to keep Faye at a distance fade to dust at the sight of her with another man � mere months before their wedding.

One look at her, and he realises he’s done running. Time is up, and whether she likes it or not, she’s his.

Or she could be, if the secrets he keeps didn’t hold the power to destroy her.


Publisher's Note: Each book in the Windsors series features a different Windsor sibling, and as such, each book can be read as a standalone. The Unwanted Marriage contains a guaranteed happily-ever-after and no cheating.]]> 374 Catharina Maura K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.03 2023 The Unwanted Marriage (The Windsors, #3)
author: Catharina Maura
name: K
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/29
date added: 2024/07/29
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> The Rom-Commers 195790586 She’s rewriting his love story. But can she rewrite her own?

Emma Wheeler desperately longs to be a screenwriter. She’s spent her life studying, obsessing over, and writing romantic comedies―good ones! That win contests! But she’s also been the sole caretaker for her kind-hearted dad, who needs full-time care. Now, when she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates―The Charlie Yates! Her personal writing god!―it’s a break too big to pass up.

Emma’s younger sister steps in for caretaking duties, and Emma moves to L.A. for six weeks for the writing gig of a lifetime. But what is it they say? Don’t meet your heroes? Charlie Yates doesn’t want to write with anyone―much less “a failed, nobody screenwriter.� Worse, the romantic comedy he’s written is so terrible it might actually bring on the apocalypse. Plus! He doesn’t even care about the script―it’s just a means to get a different one green-lit. Oh, and he thinks love is an emotional Ponzi scheme.

But Emma’s not going down without a fight. She will stand up for herself, and for rom-coms, and for love itself. She will convince him that love stories matter―even if she has to kiss him senseless to do it. But . . . what if that kiss is accidentally amazing? What if real life turns out to be so much . . . more real than fiction? What if the love story they’re writing breaks all Emma’s rules―and comes true?]]> 336 Katherine Center 1250283809 K 4 0-ol, 1-romance 4.06 2024 The Rom-Commers
author: Katherine Center
name: K
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/29
date added: 2024/07/28
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Au Pair Affair (Big Shots, #2)]]> 199531938
Tallulah is smart, vivacious, and studying to be a marine biologist. She’s also twenty-six and broke. So when Burgess, a battle-scarred hockey veteran and newly single dad, offers her a job as his live-in nanny, she jumps at the opportunity to get paid while living in a super fancy neighborhood and being around Lissa, his cool but introverted tween.

Her tween charge isn’t the only one who could use some help fitting in, though. According to…well, everyone except Burgess, he needs to get back on the dating scene, and adventurous Tallulah is just the girl to show him how. But as boundaries are slowly crossed and Burgess finds himself pulled between his daughter, who wants her parents back together, and his insane chemistry with Tallulah, a huge rift is formed, and Tallulah does the “right� thing—breaks her own heart and walks away.

Though Burgess knows it’s for the best—he’s too jaded, with too much baggage—a chance meeting, and a new push from his daughter, forces him to put everything on the line and fight to prove he learned his lessons well and is worthy of a happily ever after with Tallulah. ]]> 384 Tessa Bailey 0063308436 K 2 0-ol, 1-romance 3.57 2024 The Au Pair Affair (Big Shots, #2)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: K
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/07/26
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Front Runner (Gold Rush Ranch, #3)]]> 57722167 Stefan Dalca is infuriatingly handsome. And annoyingly persistent. We’re supposed to hate each other. But apparently he didn’t get the memo, because he’s been asking me out for years.

And I always say no. Until today.

Today he has something that I desperately need. Today he’s a savior, and I’m his prize.

Our time together starts out as a simple transaction. Three dates. No touching. No telling anyone. And definitely no falling in love.

But with every intimate conversation, and each stolen glance, the tension between us builds.

The way he looks at me gives me butterflies. And when he finally touches m? We sizzle.

Stefan makes me feel seen in a way no other person has before. He cherishes my words as passionately as my body.

He makes me laugh. He makes me blush. He calls me kitten.

He’s not the villain he’s been made out to be.

And suddenly I find myself longing for him in a way the people closest to me wouldn’t approve of or understand.

Giving in to Stefan Dalca is playing with fire.

But with him I don’t even mind the heat.]]> 356 Elsie Silver K 5 0-ol, 1-romance, r-liked-it 4.26 2021 The Front Runner (Gold Rush Ranch, #3)
author: Elsie Silver
name: K
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/20
date added: 2024/07/20
shelves: 0-ol, 1-romance, r-liked-it
review:

]]>