L.J.'s bookshelf: all en-US Sat, 07 Jun 2025 23:27:28 -0700 60 L.J.'s bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Padawan (Star Wars) 59235877 Obi-Wan Kenobi struggles with his place in the Force as a young Padawan in this coming-of-age adventure!

Obi-Wan Kenobi really wants to be a good Padawan. The best Padawan, even. But that’s feeling more and more impossible with his new master, Qui-Gon Jinn. All of Obi-Wan’s friends are off training to be real Jedi, getting mission experience, while he’s still on Coruscant, practicing his forms and sitting in silent contemplation. Ever since Qui-Gon’s former master, Dooku, left the Order, it feels like Qui-Gon has been too busy trying to connect with the Force or arguing with the Jedi Council to properly train his Padawan.

When Obi-Wan finally convinces Qui-Gon to take him on a mission to a remote planet once explored by an ancient Jedi, his master doesn’t show up the morning they are to leave—so Obi-Wan impulsively takes off by himself. Upon arriving on the mysterious, lush planet, he encounters a group of teenagers with no adult supervision—and who all seem to have some connection to the Force. Free from the constraints of the Order, Obi-Wan joins them in their daring adventures, but the Padawan side of him keeps questioning the teens� strange relationship to the Force, and to the verdant planet around them, and what all of it might mean to his future. Obi-Wan will test the limits of his relationship to the Jedi and to the Force in this exciting, yet soulful exploration of one of Star Wars� most enduring heroes.]]>
410 Kiersten White L.J. 3 3.92 2022 Padawan (Star Wars)
author: Kiersten White
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2022
rating: 3
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date added: 2025/06/07
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<![CDATA[The New Age of Sexism: How AI and Emerging Technologies Are Reinventing Misogyny]]> 220481360 Misogyny is being hardwired into our future. Can we stop it?

We like to believe we’re moving closer to equality, riding the wave of technological progress into a brighter, fairer future. But beneath the glossy surface of innovation lies a chilling truth: new technologies are not just failing to solve age-old inequalities—they’re deepening them.

In The New Age of Sexism, acclaimed author and activist Laura Bates exposes how misogyny is being coded into the very fabric of our future. From the biases embedded in artificial intelligence to the alarming rise of sex robots and the toxic dynamics of the metaverse, Bates takes readers on a shocking journey into a world where technology is weaponized against women.

This isn’t a dystopian warning about what might happen. It’s a harrowing account of what’s happening now and the dangers we face if we don’t act. With clarity and urgency, Bates reveals how these advancements are dragging society backward, reinforcing harmful stereotypes, and jeopardizing decades of progress in the fight for gender equality.

Eye-opening and empowering, The New Age of Sexism is a rallying cry for awareness and action in a world where the battle for equality has entered a dangerous new frontier.]]>
352 Laura Bates 1464234361 L.J. 4 4.61 2025 The New Age of Sexism: How AI and Emerging Technologies Are Reinventing Misogyny
author: Laura Bates
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2025
rating: 4
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date added: 2025/06/07
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<![CDATA[One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1)]]> 58340706
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.

But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. And the highwayman? He just so happens to be the King’s nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder…and guilty of high treason.

Together they must gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.]]>
399 Rachel Gillig 0316312487 L.J. 4 4.25 2022 One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1)
author: Rachel Gillig
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2022
rating: 4
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date added: 2025/06/07
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<![CDATA[Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)]]> 214331246 When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]>
387 Suzanne Collins 1546171460 L.J. 4 4.56 2025 Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2025
rating: 4
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date added: 2025/06/07
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Day Boy 25350122
The Masters, dreadful and severe, rule the Red City and the lands far beyond it. By night, they politic and feast, drinking from townsfolk resigned to their fates. By day, the Masters must rely on their human servants, their Day Boys, to fulfill their every need and carry out their will.Ěý

Mark is a Day Boy, practically raised by his Master, Dain. It’s grueling, often dangerous work, but Mark neither knows nor wants any other life. And, if a Day Boy proves himself worthy, the nightmarish, all-seeing Council of Teeth may choose to offer him a rare gift: the opportunity to forsake his humanity for monstrous power and near-immortality, like the Masters transformed before him.Ěý

But in the crackling heat of the Red City, widespread discontent among his fellow humans threatens to fracture Mark's allegiances. As manhood draws near, so too does the end of Mark's tenure as a Day Boy, and he cannot stay suspended between the worlds of man and Master for much longer.]]>
309 Trent Jamieson 1922182834 L.J. 5 3.89 2015 Day Boy
author: Trent Jamieson
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2015/10/20
date added: 2023/07/27
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<![CDATA[The Separation (The Tarot Sequence, #0.1)]]> 60850838
Available to download in the extra content page on the author's website.]]>
4 K.D. Edwards L.J. 5 4.38 The Separation (The Tarot Sequence, #0.1)
author: K.D. Edwards
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.38
book published:
rating: 5
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date added: 2023/05/21
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<![CDATA[The Hanged Man (The Tarot Sequence, #2)]]> 38224713 383 K.D. Edwards 1633884929 L.J. 5 4.52 2019 The Hanged Man (The Tarot Sequence, #2)
author: K.D. Edwards
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2019
rating: 5
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date added: 2023/05/20
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<![CDATA[Wonderstruck (Magic in Manhattan, #3)]]> 55475835 Don’t miss the stunning conclusion to Allie Therin’s Magic in Manhattan series!

New York, 1925

Arthur Kenzie is on a mission: to destroy the powerful supernatural relic that threatens Manhattan—and all the nonmagical minds in the world. So far his search has been fruitless. All it has done is keep him from the man he loves. But he’ll do anything to keep Rory safe and free, even if that means leaving him behind.

Psychometric Rory Brodigan knows his uncontrolled magic is a liability, but he’s determined to gain power over it. He can take care of himself—and maybe even Arthur, too, if Arthur will let him. An auction at the Paris world’s fair offers the perfect opportunity to destroy the relic, if a group of power-hungry supernaturals don’t destroy Rory and Arthur first.

As the magical world converges on Paris, Arthur and Rory have to decide who they can trust. Guessing wrong could spell destruction for their bond—and for the world as they know it.]]>
295 Allie Therin 1488055238 L.J. 5 4.22 2021 Wonderstruck (Magic in Manhattan, #3)
author: Allie Therin
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2021
rating: 5
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date added: 2023/05/17
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<![CDATA[Starcrossed (Magic in Manhattan, #2)]]> 48998310 When everything they’ve built is threatened, only their bond remains�

New York, 1925

Psychometric Rory Brodigan’s life hasn’t been the same since the day he met Arthur Kenzie. Arthur’s continued quest to contain supernatural relics that pose a threat to the world has captured Rory’s imagination—and his heart. But Arthur’s upper-class upbringing still leaves Rory worried that he’ll never measure up, especially when Arthur’s aristocratic ex arrives in New York.

For Arthur, there’s only Rory. But keeping the man he’s fallen for safe is another matter altogether. When a group of ruthless paranormals throw the city into chaos, the two men’s strained relationship leaves Rory vulnerable to a monster from Arthur’s past.

With dark forces determined to tear them apart, Rory and Arthur will have to draw on every last bit of magic up their sleeves. And in the end, it’s the connection they’ve formed without magic that will be tested like never before.]]>
307 Allie Therin 148805519X L.J. 5 4.15 2020 Starcrossed (Magic in Manhattan, #2)
author: Allie Therin
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2020
rating: 5
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date added: 2023/05/17
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<![CDATA[Spellbound (Magic in Manhattan, #1)]]> 43620442 To save Manhattan, they’ll have to save each other first�

New York, 1925

Arthur Kenzie’s life’s work is protecting the world from the supernatural relics that could destroy it. When an amulet with the power to control the tides is shipped to New York, he must intercept it before it can be used to devastating effects. This time, in order to succeed, he needs a powerful psychometric…and the only one available has sworn off his abilities altogether.

Rory Brodigan’s gift comes with great risk. To protect himself, he’s become a recluse, redirecting his magic to find counterfeit antiques. But with the city’s fate hanging in the balance, he can’t force himself to say no.

Being with Arthur is dangerous, but Rory’s ever-growing attraction to him begins to make him brave. And as Arthur coaxes him out of seclusion, a magical and emotional bond begins to form. One that proves impossible to break—even when Arthur sacrifices himself to keep Rory safe and Rory must risk everything to save him.]]>
275 Allie Therin 1488055084 L.J. 5 3.96 2019 Spellbound (Magic in Manhattan, #1)
author: Allie Therin
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/02/20
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<![CDATA[Boyfriend Material (London Calling, #1)]]> 50225678 425 Alexis Hall 1728206146 L.J. 4 3.98 2020 Boyfriend Material (London Calling, #1)
author: Alexis Hall
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/02/15
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<![CDATA[The Last Sun (The Tarot Sequence, #1)]]> 36466732
With his companion and bodyguard, Brand, he questions Addam's relatives and business contacts through the highest ranks of the nobles of New Atlantis. But as they investigate, they uncover more than a missing man: a legendary creature connected to the secret of the massacre of Rune's Court.

In looking for Addam, can Rune find the truth behind his family's death and the torments of his past?]]>
371 K.D. Edwards L.J. 5 4.18 2018 The Last Sun (The Tarot Sequence, #1)
author: K.D. Edwards
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2018
rating: 5
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date added: 2023/02/15
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<![CDATA[Bitter Legacy (Bitter Legacy, #1)]]> 30777300 350 Dal Maclean 1935560425 L.J. 5 4.22 2016 Bitter Legacy (Bitter Legacy, #1)
author: Dal Maclean
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/07/15
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Tallowwood (Tallowwood, #1) 49616952 Cold cases, murder, lies, and an unimaginable truth.

Sydney Detective August Shaw has spent the last decade of work solving cold cases. Since the death of his boyfriend eight years ago, August works alone, lives alone, is alone--and that's exactly how he likes it. His work is his entire life, and he's convinced a string of unsolved cold-case suicides are linked to what could be Australia's worst ever serial killer. Problem is, no one believes him.

Senior Constable Jacob Porter loves his life in the small town of Tallowwood in the middle of the rainforests in northern New South Wales. He runs summer camps for the local Indigenous kids, plays rugby with his mates, has a close family, and he's the local LGBTQIA+ Liaison and the Indigenous Liaison Officer.

When human remains are found in the camping grounds at Tallowwood Reserve, Jake's new case turns out to be linked to August's cold cases, and Jake agrees they're not suicides at all. With Jacob now firmly in August's corner, they face one hurdle after another. Even when more remains are found, they can't seem to gain ground.

But when the body of a fellow police officer turns up under the same MO, it can't be ignored anymore. August and Jake must trace the untraceable before the killer takes his next victim or before he stops one of them, permanently.]]>
287 N.R. Walker L.J. 4 4.44 2019 Tallowwood (Tallowwood, #1)
author: N.R. Walker
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2019
rating: 4
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date added: 2022/05/07
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Anhaga 45299217

When the formidable Sabadine family curses Harry, Min must accept a suicide mission to save his retrieve Kazimir Stone, a low-level Sabadine hedgewitch who refuses to come home after completing his apprenticeship� and who is in Anhaga, a seaside village under the control of the terrifying Hidden Lord of the fae. If that wasn’t enough, Kaz is far from the simple hedgewitch he seems.

With the Sabadines on one side and the fae on the other, Min doesn’t have time to deal with a crisis of conscience—or the growing attraction between him and Kaz. He needs to get Kaz back to Amberwich and get Harry’s curse lifted before it kills him. Saving Harry means handing Kaz over to his ruthless family. Saving Kaz means letting Harry die. Min might pride himself on his cleverness, but he can’t see his way out of this one.

The Hidden Lord might see that he never gets the choice.]]>
272 Lisa Henry L.J. 4 3.77 2019 Anhaga
author: Lisa Henry
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2019
rating: 4
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date added: 2021/10/30
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Greenlights 52838315 From the Academy Award®–winning actor, an unconventional memoir filled with raucous stories, outlaw wisdom, and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction.

I’ve been in this life for fifty years, been trying to work out its riddle for forty-two, and been keeping diaries of clues to that riddle for the last thirty-five. Notes about successes and failures, joys and sorrows, things that made me marvel, and things that made me laugh out loud. How to be fair. How to have less stress. How to have fun. How to hurt people less. How to get hurt less. How to be a good man. How to have meaning in life. How to be more me.

Recently, I worked up the courage to sit down with those diaries. I found stories I experienced, lessons I learned and forgot, poems, prayers, prescriptions, beliefs about what matters, some great photographs, and a whole bunch of bumper stickers. I found a reliable theme, an approach to living that gave me more satisfaction, at the time, and still: If you know how, and when, to deal with life’s challenges - how to get relative with the inevitable - you can enjoy a state of success I call “catching greenlights.�

So I took a one-way ticket to the desert and wrote this book: an album, a record, a story of my life so far. This is fifty years of my sights and seens, felts and figured-outs, cools and shamefuls. Graces, truths, and beauties of brutality. Getting away withs, getting caughts, and getting wets while trying to dance between the raindrops.

Hopefully, it’s medicine that tastes good, a couple of aspirin instead of the infirmary, a spaceship to Mars without needing your pilot’s license, going to church without having to be born again, and laughing through the tears.

It’s a love letter. To life.

It’s also a guide to catching more greenlights - and to realizing that the yellows and reds eventually turn green too.

Good luck.]]>
289 Matthew McConaughey 0593139135 L.J. 4 4.21 2020 Greenlights
author: Matthew McConaughey
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2020
rating: 4
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date added: 2021/09/06
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<![CDATA[Center Court (Order of Play #1)]]> 58404720 no longer available 245 Brooke Edwards L.J. 5
If you're looking for a sports romance with a difference, I highly recommend this one. ]]>
3.78 Center Court (Order of Play #1)
author: Brooke Edwards
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.78
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/07/03
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I loved this story and these characters, and trust me, I'm not a big sports fan. Sure, I played tennis in the dim dark ages, but A, I wasn't that good at it and B, I was more into the short skirts and wearing fluorescent socks (as was the trend at the time). Didn't stop me from enjoying the hell out of the matches in this book, though. They're thoughtfully written and, to me, didn't feel repetitive. Soren and Elias, however, were what I loved the most. Sporty, sure. Sweet, definitely. Sexy, indubitably.

If you're looking for a sports romance with a difference, I highly recommend this one.
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Cinnamon Roll (Bold Brew #9) 56784054 This cinnamon roll has plenty of bite!

Maxime Demers has had an eye on Tom Cedric for a while, watching him flit from one awful man to another. So when Tom pins an ad to the community cork board at Bold Brew, Max can’t resist reading it. Tom’s looking for a play partner—someone who’s not a jerk—and Max knows he could give Tom what he needs. But first he’ll have to get the man to talk to him.

Tom Cedric thinks Max is way out of his league. He’s handsome, intelligent, speaks a billion languages, and can make a person kneel with a single look—too damn good for someone like Tom. But he can’t resist the temptation to talk to the man he’s had a crush on since the moment he laid eyes on him.

The connection between them is immediate, hot, and tempting, and when Max needs a replacement helper for an impact demo he’s giving, Tom jumps at the chance. A demo should be safe, right? A few hours. Clothing on. No stakes. Neither man is prepared when that spark ignites, and Tom is absolutely unprepared to discover the sweet man behind those dominating looks.

Cinnamon Roll is a stand-alone novel in the Bold Brew shared universe, centered around an inclusive coffee shop in a fictional small city. Each steaming hot coffee shop romance can be enjoyed alone, but collect all ten for the most fun!

This twist on a second-chance romance is 90,000-word cup of steaming hot scenes, a dusting of angst, plenty of fluff, and a guaranteed happy ending!
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350 Anna Zabo L.J. 5 4.17 2021 Cinnamon Roll (Bold Brew #9)
author: Anna Zabo
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/04/09
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Perfect Matcha (Bold Brew #3) 56783972
There’s only one problem: Camden has been in love with Theo for half their lives but doesn’t have the guts to come clean. Camden will do anything to make Theo happy, even if it hurts, and he already has a match for Theo in mind—his boss, the handsome owner of the local adult novelty shop.

Now there’s another problem: Theo has zero experience with toys. Luckily, Camden is only a phone call away and more than happy to walk Theo through naughty gadget lessons. Spicy phone calls, a dash of role play, and a load of pesky emotions brew between them. It’s not the match either of them intended but could be the perfect solution to all their problems, if their friendship can survive the infusion of feelings.

Perfect Matcha is 35k words of friends-to-lovers, matchmaking fun with plenty of steam. It’s part of the multi-author Bold Brew series.]]>
147 Erin McLellan L.J. 5 3.97 2021 Perfect Matcha (Bold Brew #3)
author: Erin McLellan
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2021
rating: 5
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date added: 2021/03/15
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<![CDATA[Party Favors (So Over the Holidays #4)]]> 55825250 °Őłó°ů±đ±đâ€�

Amanda Ellis knows three things: she’s tired of doing what’s expected of her, she hates her job at her family’s business, and the last thing she wants to do is attend her parents� boring New Year’s Eve ball with a date her mother picked. A few days of fun with her online best friend is exactly what she needs to ring in the New Year on her own terms.

°Ő·É´Çâ€�

Wren Rebello is impulsive and always ready for fun. A last-minute girls� getaway sounds like the perfect way to spend New Year’s. But even Wren isn’t prepared for the spark of attraction she feels when she meets Amanda in person for the first time. Good thing Wren loves popping Amanda’s cork.

°ż˛Ô±đâ€�

After days spent sharing end-of-year resolutions and the one bed in their cottage, the clock strikes midnight and the ball drops on their time together. As Amanda and Wren go their separate ways, they leave new resolutions unfulfilled. Is there enough New Year’s magic left to turn their online friendship into real-life love?]]>
168 Erin McLellan 1735004928 L.J. 5 3.70 2020 Party Favors (So Over the Holidays #4)
author: Erin McLellan
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/11/29
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Another lush, sexy entry in the lushest, sexiest series I've ever read.
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<![CDATA[American Sweethearts (Dreamers, #4)]]> 51838029 “A fresh and vital new voice in romance.� � Entertainment Weekly

“Adriana Herrera is writing some of my favorite Afro-Latinx characters and giving us beautiful love stories along the way.� —Elizabeth Acevedo, National Book Award Winner for
The Poet X

Juan Pablo Campos doesn’t do regrets. He’s living the dream as a physical therapist with his beloved New York Yankees. He has the best friends and family in the world and simply no time to dwell on what could’ve been.

Except when it comes to Priscilla, the childhood friend he’s loved for what seems like forever.

New York City police detective Priscilla Gutierrez has never been afraid to go after what she wants. Second guessing herself isn’t a thing she does. But lately, the once-clear vision she had for herself—her career, her relationships, her life—is no longer what she wants.

What she especially doesn’t want is to be stuck on a private jet to the Dominican Republic with JuanPa, the one person who knows her better than anyone else.

By the end of a single week in paradise, the love/hate thing JuanPa and Pris have been doing for sixteen years has risen to epic proportions. No one can argue their connection is still there. And they can both finally admit—if only to themselves—they’ve always been a perfect match. The future they dreamed of together is still within reach...if they can just accept each other as they are.

This book is approximately 90,000 words

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise : all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!]]>
288 Adriana Herrera 1488053987 L.J. 4 3.81 2020 American Sweethearts (Dreamers, #4)
author: Adriana Herrera
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2020
rating: 4
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date added: 2020/09/01
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<![CDATA[Red Heir (Adventures in Aguillon, #1)]]> 54236581
Now they’re fleeing across the country and Loth’s stuck sharing a horse and a bedroll with Grub while imitating royalty, eating eel porridge, and dodging swamp monsters and bandits.

Along the way, Loth discovers that there’s more to Grub than meets the eye. Under the dirt and bad attitude, Grub’s not completely awful. He might even be attractive. In fact, Loth has a terrible suspicion that he’s developing feelings, and he’s not sure what to do about that. He’d probably have more luck figuring it out if people would just stop trying to kill them.

Still, at least they’ve got a dragon, right?]]>
230 Lisa Henry L.J. 5 3.83 2020 Red Heir (Adventures in Aguillon, #1)
author: Lisa Henry
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2020
rating: 5
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date added: 2020/08/02
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Adulting 101 30244714 The struggle is real.

Nick Stahlnecker is eighteen and not ready to grow up yet. He has a summer job, a case of existential panic, and a hopeless crush on the unattainable Jai Hazenbrook. Except how do you know that your coworker’s unattainable unless you ask to blow him in the porta-potty?

That’s probably not what Dad meant when he said Nick should act more like an adult.

Twenty-five-year-old Jai is back in his hometown of Franklin, Ohio, just long enough to earn the money to get the hell out again. His long-term goal of seeing more of the world is worth the short-term pain of living in his mother’s basement, but only barely.

Meeting Nick doesn’t fit in with Jai’s plans at all, but, as Jai soon learns, you don’t have to travel halfway around the world to have the adventure of a lifetime.

This is not a summer romance. This is a summer friendship-with-benefits. It’s got pizza with disgusting toppings, Netflix and chill, and accidental exhibitionism. That’s all. There are no feelings here. None. Shut up.]]>
231 Lisa Henry 1626494495 L.J. 5 3.97 2016 Adulting 101
author: Lisa Henry
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 5
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date added: 2020/07/02
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<![CDATA[Bottle Rocket (So Over the Holidays, #3)]]> 53415380
When a business trip sends Leo back to his hometown, the last thing he expects is for his first love to hand him a list of scorching-hot escapades and a deadline. He’s happy to help Rosie discover her bossy side in the bedroom. Or in a fireworks stand. Or at a Fourth of July barbecue.

Their chemistry burns bright and fast, but what tore them apart years ago is still between them. They are polar opposites. A reserved kindergarten teacher and an irreverent artist. A nester and a wanderer. It will take a spark of imagination and a lot of love to keep their second-chance romance from flaming out.]]>
236 Erin McLellan 1735004901 L.J. 5 4.00 2020 Bottle Rocket (So Over the Holidays, #3)
author: Erin McLellan
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/06/18
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<![CDATA[Two Man Station (Emergency Services, #1)]]> 36296311
Except Gio isn’t counting on Jason Quinn.

Jason Quinn, officer in charge of Richmond Station, is a single dad struggling with balancing the demands of shift work with the challenges of raising his son. The last thing he needs is a new senior constable with a history of destroying other people’s careers. But like it or not, Jason has to work with Gio.

In a remote two man station hours away from the next town, Gio and Jason have to learn to trust and rely on each another. Close quarters and a growing attraction mean that the lines between professional and personal are blurring. And even in Richmond, being a copper can be dangerous enough without risking their hearts as well.

Word 74,900; page 290]]>
273 Lisa Henry 1626497109 L.J. 5 3.92 2018 Two Man Station (Emergency Services, #1)
author: Lisa Henry
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2018/01/25
date added: 2020/05/09
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<![CDATA[Enemy of My Enemy (Executive Office #2)]]> 36184623 Fifteen years from now, an affair rocks the world.
Two men commit to their impossible love.
One general is determined to destroy them both.


President Jack Spiers and former Secret Service Agent Ethan Reichenbach throw caution to the wind, committing themselves publicly as the first out male lovers and partners to occupy the White House. Jack moves Ethan into the Residence, but as Ethan settles into his new role as first gentleman of the United States, not everyone is thrilled with their choices. When it seems like the world turns against them, Jack and Ethan must turn to each other, finding the strength together to press on.

In the chaos, Jack’s relationship with the Russian president, Sergey Puchkov, grows closer, and the two nations find themselves working almost as allies. But President Puchkov has secrets of his own, secrets that could rip everything apart. And Ethan steps back into the action with Lieutenant Adam Cooper, taking charge of a covert kill team tasked with hunting down General Madigan once and for all.

But Madigan is elusive, and his dangerous reach is long. He strikes at Jack and Ethan from the shadowy corners of the globe, unraveling their entire world. As the mad general draws new allies together, he is single-minded in his quest to destroy the only two men who ever beat him.

He will stop at nothing until Jack and Ethan are shattered men, worlds apart, and struggling to get back to one another.

And after that, Madigan’s true revenge begins …]]>
477 Tal Bauer L.J. 5 4.47 2016 Enemy of My Enemy (Executive Office #2)
author: Tal Bauer
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/04/09
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review:

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<![CDATA[Stocking Stuffers (So Over the Holidays, #1)]]> 52593900
Perry’s a romantic with an unerring belief in the magic of the season, and he recognizes a Christmas miracle when he sees it. Brave, smart, and confident—Sasha Holiday is a gift. And the gifts keep coming when she suggests they pass the time with some no-strings fun. After all, she has a big bag of toys that would make even Santa want to stay in bed on Christmas Eve.

But the frisky festivities turn complicated as feelings spark between Sasha and Perry. Perry wants to see Sasha once the snow clears, but Sasha is reluctant to take the relationship sleigh ride again. Perry will have to show her that love is more than just a holiday feeling.]]>
124 Erin McLellan 1732173443 L.J. 5 3.64 2019 Stocking Stuffers (So Over the Holidays, #1)
author: Erin McLellan
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/03/22
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review:
I beta read this book a while ago and loved it then.
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<![CDATA[Natural Disaster (Storm Chasers, #1)]]> 52198729
Human-interest reporter—and son of a famous storm chaser—Guthrie Gale wants nothing to do with severe weather. But his station’s director insists he join the storm chasing team, or else, and worse yet, she pairs him with hotshot rookie chaser Luke Masters.

All Luke wants is to be a part of the KTTY family, and he won’t let prickly Guthrie Gale spoil his chance. Little does he realize Guthrie’s anxiety around storms is more than justified.

As Oklahoma’s unpredictable tornado season picks up, Guthrie and Luke strike up a turbulent working relationship that shifts between lust and bickering. But when they are forced to outrun a dangerous twister, their trust is tested and the desire between them flashes quick as lightning, threatening to burn more than just their careers.]]>
201 Erin McLellan 1732173451 L.J. 5 3.87 2019 Natural Disaster (Storm Chasers, #1)
author: Erin McLellan
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/03/07
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review:
This book is so far up my alley it's not funny. A pair of sweet, troubled characters each seeking something different and finding it in the other one, check!
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<![CDATA[Candy Hearts (So Over the Holidays, #2)]]> 50170971
William has spent years focused on his career, and it has cost him friendships and love. Inexperienced in the business of romance, he’s on the hunt for the perfect partner, and he’s armed with specific criteria to guide him. But William didn’t expect a hunky mechanic wrapped in satin and lace to show up on his doorstep.

Unable to resist their attraction, Benji and William agree to be secret fake valentines for the weekend, but secrets have a way of getting out. William gets struck by Cupid’s arrow, and as the weekend winds down, he doesn’t want fake or secret. He wants Benji to be his valentine for real and for keeps.

Candy Hearts is a male/male Valentine’s Day novella featuring a house party power outage, meddling friends and siblings, naughty lingerie and naughtier toys, homemade Valentine's Day cards, and a happily ever after.
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209 Erin McLellan 1732173486 L.J. 5 4.04 2020 Candy Hearts (So Over the Holidays, #2)
author: Erin McLellan
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/02/23
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<![CDATA[Interlude: First Noel (The Executive Office #1.5)]]> 36352033 Before Ethan returns to DC�
Before he becomes Jack’s first gentleman�
Jack and Ethan share their first Christmas together.


Step back to Jack and Ethan’s first Christmas season and the tentative early months of their relationship under the world’s spotlight.

Three months into Ethan’s transfer-in-exile in Des Moines, Iowa, the pressures of dating Jack, the president of the United States, start to wear Ethan down. His weeks are measured by the days he works in Iowa, chasing counterfeiters and financial crimes, and the weekends he manages to steal with Jack back in DC. The media stalks his every move, he’s isolated by his coworkers, and loneliness hammers at his heart.

In DC, Jack tries to piece together a global alliance to take down the Caliphate, while the world seems focused on tearing apart his personal life. Hostility surrounds him from all corners of the globe, but a surprise offer from President Sergey Puchkov may pave the way for a tentative alliance…and perhaps the beginning of a friendship.

As Ethan finds himself in the middle of an investigation that rubs too deeply against his soul and Jack tries to balance leading the free world and keeping his and Ethan’s relationship going, the two men must face what their love has become…and where they are heading together.]]>
201 Tal Bauer L.J. 5 4.39 2016 Interlude: First Noel (The Executive Office #1.5)
author: Tal Bauer
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/02/19
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<![CDATA[Enemies of the State (The Executive Office #1)]]> 34664699 A rogue Black Ops unit with the president in their crosshairs.
A Secret Service agent who will break every rule.
A president falling for the one person he shouldn’t—a man.


Newly elected President Jack Spiers’s presidency is rocked from the very beginning, and he’s working furiously to keep the world from falling apart. Between terrorism attacks ripping apart Europe, Russia’s constant posturing and aggression, and the quagmire of the Middle East, Jack is struggling to keep his campaign promise—to work toward a better, safer world.

For Special Agent Ethan Reichenbach, Jack is just another president, the third in twelve years. With Jack’s election, he’s been promoted, and now he’s running the presidential detail, which puts him side by side with Jack daily. He’s expecting another stuffed suit and an arrogant DC politician, but Jack shocks him with his humor and humanity.

There are rules against a Secret Service agent and one of their protectees developing a friendship—big rules. Besides, Jack is a widower, and Ethan has always avoided falling for straight men. Ethan keeps his distance, but Jack draws him in, like gas to a naked flame, and it’s a lure he isn’t strong enough to turn away from.

As the two men collide, rules are shattered and the world teeters on the verge of war, and a rogue Black Ops unit bent on destruction sets Jack in their deadly crosshairs. Ethan must put everything on the line in order to save the man he’s come to love, Jack’s presidency, and the world.


*** Expanded second special edition, with 15,000+ additional words, expanded scenes, and character artwork.]]>
444 Tal Bauer L.J. 5 4.20 2016 Enemies of the State (The Executive Office #1)
author: Tal Bauer
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/01/03
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<![CDATA[Lord of the Last Heartbeat (The Sacred Dark, #1)]]> 45711591 Stop me. Please.

Three words scrawled in bloodred wine. A note furtively passed into the hand of a handsome stranger. Only death can free Mio from his mother’s political schemes. He’s put his trust in the enigmatic Rhodry—an immortal moon soul with the power of the bear spirit—to put an end to it all.

But Rhodry cannot bring himself to kill Mio, whose spellbinding voice has the power to expose secrets from the darkest recesses of the heart and mind. Nor can he deny his attraction to the fair young sorcerer. So he spirits Mio away to his home, the only place he can keep him safe—if the curse that besieges the estate doesn’t destroy them both first.

In a world teeming with mages, ghosts and dark secrets, love blooms between the unlikely pair. But if they are to be strong enough to overcome the evil that draws ever nearer, Mio and Rhodry must first accept a happiness neither ever expected to find.

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise : all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!]]>
249 May Peterson 1488055106 L.J. 5 3.70 2019 Lord of the Last Heartbeat (The Sacred Dark, #1)
author: May Peterson
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/12/21
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<![CDATA[American Love Story (Dreamers, #3)]]> 46038658 WINNER OF A 2019 RIPPED BODICE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ROMANCE

“Herrera serves up high heat, serious social commentary, and laughs in perfect measure.� �Book Riot

No one should have to choose between love and justice

Haitian-born professor and activist Patrice Denis is not here for anything that will veer him off the path he’s worked so hard for. One particularly dangerous distraction: Easton Archer. The Assistant District Attorney who last summer gave Patrice some of the most intense nights of his life, and still makes him all but forget they’re from two completely different worlds.

All-around golden boy Easton forged his own path to success, choosing public service over the comforts of his family’s wealth. With local law enforcement unfairly targeting young men of color, and his career—and conscience—on the line, now is hardly the time to be thirsting after Patrice again. Even if those nights have turned into so much more.

For the first time, Patrice is tempted to open up and embrace the happiness he’s always denied himself. But as tensions between the community and the sheriff’s office grow by the day, Easton’s personal and professional lives collide. And when the issue at hand hits closer to home than either could imagine, they’ll have to work to forge a path forward...together.


Dreamers
Book 1: American Dreamer
Book 2: American Fairytale
Book 3: American Love Story
Book 4: American Sweethearts
Book 5:
American Christmas

Dating in Dallas
Book 1:
Here to Stay
Book 2: On the Hustle

Sambrano Studios
Book 1:
One Week to Claim It All
Book 2: Just for the Holidays

Las Leonas
Book 1: A Caribbean Heiress in Paris
]]>
352 Adriana Herrera 1488053936 L.J. 5 4.13 2019 American Love Story (Dreamers, #3)
author: Adriana Herrera
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/10/10
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review:

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<![CDATA[How to Belong with a Billionaire (Arden St. Ives, #3)]]> 31933327 If you love someone, set them free...

I thought I'd be okay when Caspian Hart left. He was a brilliant, beautiful billionaire with a past he couldn't escape. And I was ... just me: an ordinary man lost in his own life. It would never have lasted. It should never have happened. Not outside a fairytale.

And I am okay. I've got my job, my family, my friends, and everything Caspian taught me. Except it turns out he's going to marry his ex-boyfriend. A man who doesn't understand him. A man who almost broke him. And I've finally realized it's not enough for me to be happy. I need Caspian to be happy too.

Problem is, I've already done all I can to help him. I've followed his rules and broken his rules and learned his secrets. And he still won't believe I can love him. So now it's his turn. His turn to fight, and trust, and hope. It's time for Caspian Hart to choose me.]]>
352 Alexis Hall 1455571407 L.J. 5 3.88 2019 How to Belong with a Billionaire (Arden St. Ives, #3)
author: Alexis Hall
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/09/17
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<![CDATA[Mr. Big Empty (Hollow Folk, #1)]]> 33898763 454 Gregory Ashe L.J. 4 4.28 2017 Mr. Big Empty (Hollow Folk, #1)
author: Gregory Ashe
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/05/31
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Down 23622323
For Mo Rees, the discovery calls to his inner explorer and adds color to his dull miner’s life. Even better than the promise of new knowledge is the unexpected connection he forges with Dr. Armin Savage-Hall, leader of the team brought down to study the thing.

For Armin, the object is the find of a lifetime. It could prove his controversial theories and secure his scientific reputation. And Mo is a fascinating bonus.

Then crew members start behaving strangely. Worse, they start to their eyes glow purple, their teeth sharpen. Then the violence begins, the brutal deaths. As BathyTech descends deeper into chaos, the surviving crew works desperately to find the cause of the horrors around them. What they uncover could annihilate the human race. And they can’t stop it.]]>
380 Ally Blue 1626492581 L.J. 4 3.48 2015 Down
author: Ally Blue
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/05/30
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<![CDATA[Sightlines (Nook Island, #1.5)]]> 43823230 An exacting photographer and a spunky gallery assistant spit fire at each other when they first meet, but soon find themselves creating sparks between the sheets.

Renowned photographer Brooks Kincaid returns to Nook Island with a single goal: sell out his show so he can hang onto his Brooklyn apartment. He doesn't anticipate the mouthy gallery assistant who picks him up at the airport, or that he'll make a total ass of himself in front of him. And he definitely doesn't anticipate the force of his attraction to the red-headed spark plug.

But Liam Wells won't be won over so easily. As New Year's Eve draws to a close, Brooks is running out of time to convince Liam they're meant to be. Maybe something more drastic is in order?

NOTE: This is a 27K SHORT STORY that was first available as part of a promotional giveaway. No new content has been added.]]>
89 Neve Wilder L.J. 4 3.84 2018 Sightlines (Nook Island, #1.5)
author: Neve Wilder
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/05/30
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<![CDATA[American Fairytale (Dreamers, #2)]]> 43198519 Fairy-tale endings don’t just happen; they have to be fought for.

New York City social worker Camilo Santiago Briggs grew up surrounded by survivors who taught him to never rely on anything you didn’t earn yourself. He’s always dreamed of his own happily-ever-after, but he lives in the real world. Men who seem too good to be true…usually are. And Milo never ever mixes business with pleasure…until the mysterious man he had an unforgettable hookup with turns out to be the wealthy donor behind his agency’s new, next-level funding.

Thomas Hughes built a billion-dollar business from nothing: he knows what he wants and isn’t shy about going after it. When the enthralling stranger who blew his mind at a black-tie gala reappears, Tom’s more than ready to be his Prince Charming. Showering Milo with the very best of everything is how Tom shows his affection.

Trouble is, Milo’s not interested in any of it. The only thing Milo wants is Tom.

Fairy-tale endings take work as well as love. For Milo, that means learning to let someone take care of him, for a change. And for Tom, it’s figuring out that real love is the one thing you can’t buy.

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise : all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!



This book is approximately 93,000 words]]>
352 Adriana Herrera 1488054061 L.J. 4
But yes, I took a star off for [spoilers removed]
]]>
3.98 2019 American Fairytale (Dreamers, #2)
author: Adriana Herrera
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/05/30
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review:
I absolutely adored this! đźŤđźŤ It was so sweet and adorable and highly recommended. đź’śđź’śđź’ś

But yes, I took a star off for [spoilers removed]

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<![CDATA[Outside the Lines (Bluewater Bay, #22)]]> 35528567 The Bluewater Bay stories can be enjoyed in any order � jump in wherever you'd like!

Miniature artist Ian Meyers has one week to rebuild his damaged set. Needing help, he goes to End o� Earth, the local comic and gaming shop. Owner Simon Derry pushes all of Ian’s buttons, and he also has steady hands and the skills Ian needs.

Before they can even grab a beer, Ian meets Lydia Derry, Simon’s wife. If Ian had any interest in women, he’d suggest a threesome, but then Simon explains that he and Lydia are polyamorous, and if Ian wants Simon, neither of them will complain. If anything, Lydia encourages the relationship.

Ian’s all in, and it’s fantastic working with Simon to piece together his set and then take each other apart at night. His friendship with Lydia grows too. The only problem is, the more time he spends with Simon, the more he wants everything Simon already has with A house. A cat. A commitment. So Ian runs, and shatters the trust he has with them both � right when they need him the most. Piecing their relationships back together might prove harder than a smashed set.
]]>
260 Anna Zabo 1626496528 L.J. 5 3.94 2017 Outside the Lines (Bluewater Bay, #22)
author: Anna Zabo
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/05/21
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review:

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<![CDATA[American Dreamer (Dreamers #1)]]> 42983586
For Nesto Vasquez, moving his Afro-Caribbean food truck from New York City to the wilds of Upstate New York is a huge gamble. If it works? He’ll be a big fish in a little pond. If it doesn’t? He’ll have to give up the hustle and return to the day job he hates. He’s got six months to make it happen—the last thing he needs is a distraction.

Jude Fuller is proud of the life he’s built on the banks of Cayuga Lake. He has a job he loves and good friends. It’s safe. It’s quiet. And it’s damn lonely. Until he tries Ithaca’s most-talked-about new lunch spot and works up the courage to flirt with the handsome owner. Soon he can’t get enough—of Nesto’s food or of Nesto. For the first time in his life, Jude can finally taste the kind of happiness that’s always been just out of reach.

An opportunity too good to pass up could mean a way to stay together and an incredible future for them both…if Nesto can remember happiness isn’t always measured by business success. And if Jude can overcome his past and trust his man will never let him down.

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise : all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

This book is approximately 94,000 words]]>
290 Adriana Herrera 1488051232 L.J. 5 4.02 2019 American Dreamer (Dreamers #1)
author: Adriana Herrera
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/05/21
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review:

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<![CDATA[The Angel's Game (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #2)]]> 5196764 The stunning new novel from the internationally bestselling author of The Shadow of the Wind.

In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man - David Martin - makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he has taken refuge in the world of books, and spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city's underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house letters hinting at the mysterious death of the previous owner. Like a slow poison, the history of the place seeps into his bones as he struggles with an impossible love.

Then David receives the offer of a lifetime: he is to write a book with the power to change hearts and minds. In return, he will receive a fortune, perhaps more. But as David begins the work, he realises that there is a connection between this haunting book and the shadows that surround his home...]]>
544 Carlos Ruiz ZafĂłn 0753826496 L.J. 5 3.97 2008 The Angel's Game (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #2)
author: Carlos Ruiz ZafĂłn
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/04/03
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<![CDATA[Clean Break (Farm College, #2)]]> 43698578 � Learn to accept my future on the family farm
� Be social, to a degree
� Make a secret bucket list
� Have a real conversation with Travis Bradford

Travis’s To-Do
� Get into my top law school
� Get the hell out of Elkville, Oklahoma
� Stay focused on my dreams and goals—no crushes, no distractions
� Get spanked by hot and perfectly fussy farm boy, Connor Blume

Travis and Connor do not like each other, but after being paired together in Entomology 101, their mutual hostility explodes into secret after-class hookups and unexpected feelings. With graduation looming near and their careers taking them in different directions, they’ll have to decide if a future together is worth adjusting their to-do lists and letting go of their carefully laid plans.]]>
309 Erin McLellan 1732173435 L.J. 5
ARC given by the wonderful author. đź’śđź’śđź’ś]]>
4.15 2019 Clean Break (Farm College, #2)
author: Erin McLellan
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/03/14
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đźŤđźŤđźŤđźŤđź­đź­đźŤ

ARC given by the wonderful author. đź’śđź’śđź’ś
]]>
Reverb (Twisted Wishes, #3) 43185688 The tougher they are, the harder they fall.

Twisted Wishes bass player Mish Sullivan is a rock goddess—gorgeous, sexy and comfortable in the spotlight. With fame comes unwanted attention, though: a stalker is desperate to get close. Mish can fend for herself, just as she always has. But after an attack lands her in the hospital, the band reacts, sticking her with a bodyguard she doesn’t need or want.

David Altet has an instant connection with Mish. A certified badass, this ex-army martial arts expert can take down a man twice his size. But nothing—not living as a trans man, not his intensive military training—prepared him for the challenge of Mish. Sex with her is a distraction neither of them can afford, yet the hot, kink-filled nights keep coming.

When Mish’s stalker ups his game, David must make a choice—lover or bodyguard. He’d rather have Mish alive than in his bed. But Mish wants David, and no one, especially not a stalker, will force her to give him up.

This book is approximately 105,000 words



One-click with confidence. This title is part of the
Carina Press Romance Promise : all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!]]>
317 Anna Zabo 1488051267 L.J. 5 3.83 2019 Reverb (Twisted Wishes, #3)
author: Anna Zabo
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/03/10
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ARC very generously provided by the author. đź’śđź’śđź’ś
]]>
Lovers and Other Strangers 13000782
What happened to him? Did Fitch run away, as everyone believes? Or did he meet a more sinister fate? To put the past to rest - and see if there's any chance of a future with Con - Finn must discover the truth. But the deeper he digs, the more reason he has to fear Con is the only one who knows what truly happened to Fitch...

Note: Originally appread in the Partners in Crime: The Art of Dying anthology.]]>
110 Josh Lanyon 0984766995 L.J. 4 3.94 2011 Lovers and Other Strangers
author: Josh Lanyon
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/03/06
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<![CDATA[Grindhelm's Key (The Brackenford Cycle #4)]]> 43718091 Turning up to work tired, battered and bruised isn’t conducive to good performance, and Trev is on his final warning at SmoothMove estate agents. He’s been given a short time in which to convince the management he’s worth keeping on, and he can’t afford any distractions or slip-ups. Such as his ex-girlfriend Sarah calling him out of the blue to tell him that she’s being held hostage and needs his help, or a psychotic zombie with a soul-sucking lantern ambushing him in an alley. Sadly both those things happen within the space of twenty-four hours, and neither can be ignored.
Trev needs to figure out a way to find Sarah, who’s been caught while trying to steal a dangerous item from its owner. But there are a number of other parties who also want the item, and they’re looking for Sarah too. To get to her first, Trev’s going to need the help of all his allies: his Granddad, a veteran Custodian; Oscar, the sardonic possessed cat; and Agatha, the prudish Victorian ghost. Against his better judgement, he’s also going to need the help and resources of the Custodians themselves, which presents a problem. There’s a traitor in the organisation who wants Trev dead. And this might just be the opportunity they’ve been waiting for.]]>
346 Nick Moseley L.J. 5 4.41 2019 Grindhelm's Key (The Brackenford Cycle #4)
author: Nick Moseley
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/02/17
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<![CDATA[The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)]]> 25786523
Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.]]>
404 Becky Chambers 1473619807 L.J. 3 4.18 2014 The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)
author: Becky Chambers
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2015/08/30
date added: 2018/12/22
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Counterpoint (Twisted Wishes #2)]]> 39675785
When computer programmer Adrian Doran meets Dominic, he’s drawn to the other man’s quiet voice and shy smile. But after a few dirty, demanding nights exploring Dominic’s need to be dominated, Adrian wants more than a casual distraction. He has no idea he’s fallen for Domino Grinder—the outlandish, larger-than-life rock god.

Dominic is reluctant to trust Adrian with his true identity. But when the truth is revealed prematurely, Dominic is forced to reevaluate both his need for Adrian and everything he believes about himself.

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

This book is approximately 93,000 words

Carina Press acknowledges the editorial services of Mackenzie Walton]]>
292 Anna Zabo 148808937X L.J. 5 4.00 2018 Counterpoint (Twisted Wishes #2)
author: Anna Zabo
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/09/29
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<![CDATA[The Wolf at Bay (Big Bad Wolf #2)]]> 39675787 Going home digs up bad memories, so it’s something Bureau of Special Investigations agent Cooper Dayton tries to avoid. When he’s guilted into a visit, Cooper brings along Oliver Park, his hot new werewolf partner, in the hopes the trip will help clarify their status as a couple…or not.

When Park’s keen shifter nose uncovers a body in the yard and Cooper’s father is the prime suspect, Cooper knows they’re on their own. Familial involvement means no sanctioned investigation. They’ll need to go rogue and solve the mystery quietly or risk seeing Cooper’s dad put behind bars.

The case may be cold, but Park and Cooper’s relationship heats up as they work. And yet if Cooper can’t figure out what’s going on between them outside of the bedroom, he’ll lose someone he� Well, he can’t quite put into words how he feels about Park. He knows one thing for he’s not ready to say goodbye, though with the real killer inching ever closer…he may not have a choice.

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328 Charlie Adhara 1488089361 L.J. 5 4.35 2018 The Wolf at Bay (Big Bad Wolf #2)
author: Charlie Adhara
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2018
rating: 5
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date added: 2018/09/29
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<![CDATA[Lights and Sirens (Emergency Services #2)]]> 41459129
Police officer Matt Deakin moved to Townsville to take care of his elderly grandfather. In between keeping an eye on Grandad, renovating his house, and the demands of his job, he somehow finds himself in a tentative relationship with Hayden and very slowly gets to know the damaged guy beneath the happy-go-lucky persona.

But the stressors of shift work, fatigue, and constant exposure to trauma threaten to tear Hayden and Matt apart before they’ve even found their footing together. In the high-pressure lives of emergency services workers, it turns out it’s not the getting together part that’s hard, it’s the staying together.]]>
257 Lisa Henry L.J. 5 3.98 2018 Lights and Sirens (Emergency Services #2)
author: Lisa Henry
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/09/15
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<![CDATA[The Wolf at the Door (Big Bad Wolf, #1)]]> 36480253 An ex-FBI agent is partnered with the enemy in this suspenseful first installment of Charlie Adhara’s Big Bad Wolf series

Hunting for big bad wolves was never part of agent Cooper Dayton’s plan, but a werewolf attack lands him in the carefully guarded Bureau of Special Investigations. A new case comes with a new partner: ruggedly sexy werewolf Oliver Park.

Park is an agent of The Trust, a werewolf oversight organization working to ease escalating tensions with the BSI. But as far as Cooper’s concerned, it’s failing. As they investigate a series of mysterious deaths unlike anything they’ve seen, every bone in Cooper’s body is suspicious of his new partner—even when Park proves himself as competent as he is utterly captivating.

When more people vanish, pressure to solve the case skyrockets. And though he’d resolved to keep things professional, Cooper’s friction with Park soon erupts...into a physical need that can’t be contained or controlled. But with a body count that’s rising by the day, werewolves and humans are in equal danger. If Cooper and Park don’t catch the killer soon, one—or both—of them could be the next to go.]]>
252 Charlie Adhara 1488089329 L.J. 5 4.17 2018 The Wolf at the Door (Big Bad Wolf, #1)
author: Charlie Adhara
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/09/07
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<![CDATA[Controlled Burn (Farm College, #1)]]> 41257415
Since then, he hasn’t let anyone get close—not his classmates, not his roommate, and definitely not his hookups. The strategy has served him well for over three years. Why would he change it now?

But Joel doesn’t plan on the articles about his boyfriend’s death being used as a case study in one of his classes. And he doesn’t plan on Paulie McPherson, who is sweet and giving and fun. In Paulie, he finds a home for the first time in years.

But love isn’t simple, and lies have a tendency to get in the way. Joel must figure out if he’ll allow his grief to rule him, or if his connection with Paulie is worth letting all of his walls come tumbling down.

This is a reprint of a previously published novel.]]>
309 Erin McLellan 1732173427 L.J. 5 4.06 2017 Controlled Burn (Farm College, #1)
author: Erin McLellan
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/09/07
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<![CDATA[The Magician Murders (The Art of Murder, #3)]]> 36546086
Jason West, hot-shot special agent with the FBI’s Art Crime Team, is at the Wyoming home of Behavioral Analysis Unit Chief Sam Kennedy, recuperating from a recent hit-and-run accident, when he’s asked to consult on the theft of a priceless collection of vintage magic posters.

But before Jason can say “presto change-o,� the owner of the art collection turns up murdered in a National Forest.
When the dead man is revealed to be the Kubla Khanjurer, a much-hated part-time magician accused of revealing the highly guarded secrets of professional illusionists, it seems clear this is a simple revenge killing—until Jason realizes an earlier suspicious death at the trendy magic club Top Hat White Rabbit might be part of the same larger and more sinister pattern.

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281 Josh Lanyon 1945802812 L.J. 4 4.01 2018 The Magician Murders (The Art of Murder, #3)
author: Josh Lanyon
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2018
rating: 4
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date added: 2018/09/04
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<![CDATA[Syncopation (Twisted Wishes, #1)]]> 37648566 There’s no resisting the thrum of temptation in this male/male rock-star romance from genre-favorite author Anna Zabo!

Twisted Wishes front man Ray Van Zeller is in one hell of a tight spot. After a heated confrontation with his bandmate goes viral, Ray is hit with a PR nightmare the fledgling band so doesn’t need. But his problems only multiply when they snag a talented new drummer—insufferably sexy Zavier Demos, the high school crush Ray barely survived.

Zavier’s kept a casual eye on Twisted Wishes for years, and lately, he likes what he sees. What he doesn’t like is how out of control Ray seems—something Zavier’s aching to correct after their first pulse-pounding encounter. If Ray’s up for the challenge.

Despite the prospect of a glorious sexual encore, Ray is reluctant to trust Zavier with his band—or his heart. And Zavier has always had big dreams; this gig was supposed to be temporary. But touring together has opened their eyes to new passions and new possibilities, making them rethink their commitments, both to the band and to each other.

This book is approximately 102,000 words

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

Carina Press acknowledges the editorial services of Mackenzie Walton]]>
310 Anna Zabo 1488089353 L.J. 5 3.97 2018 Syncopation (Twisted Wishes, #1)
author: Anna Zabo
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2018
rating: 5
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date added: 2018/09/04
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Life of Bliss (Love Life #2) 39695252
Todd McGower and Victor Consuelos do not like each other. They can’t have a conversation without insults flying, and Victor seems to get off on pushing Todd’s buttons. The fact that their antagonism always leads to explosive sex . . . well, that’s their little secret.

Victor has a secret of his own. His full-blown crush on Todd is ruining his sex life. He hasn’t looked at anyone else in months, and he’s too hung up on Todd to find a date to his cousin’s wedding.

In a moment of weakness after a heart-stopping night together, Todd agrees to be Victor’s fake boyfriend for the wedding. Victor will have his plus-one—which will get his family off his back—and Todd will get a free mini-vacation. It’s a win-win.

But pretending to be fake boyfriends leads to real intimacy, which leads to too much wine, and suddenly, Todd and Victor wake up with wedding bands and a marriage license between them. That was not their plan, but a summer of wedded bliss might just change their minds.]]>
202 Erin McLellan 1732173419 L.J. 5 3.87 2018 Life of Bliss (Love Life #2)
author: Erin McLellan
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2018
rating: 5
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date added: 2018/06/05
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<![CDATA[Lock Nut (The Plumber's Mate Mysteries, #5)]]> 36168282 Still waters run deadly.

Tom Paretski, plumber with a talent for finding hidden things, and his private investigator fiancé Phil Morrison have been hired to locate a runaway husband, Jonathan Parrot. The job seems simple enough—until their quarry turns up dead in a canal, and a photofit of Tom’s face is splashed all over the news, making him chief suspect.

The widow, petite ex–porn star Lilah Lovett, is convinced her husband was killed by his gay lover, but Tom and Phil aren’t so sure. Worried they may have precipitated Jonathan’s death, they’re determined to find the real killer. But with a web of incestuous ties linking the suspects, it’s hard to know who to trust. Especially when a second victim dies a gruesome death.

Meanwhile, with their wedding looming and them sharing a house now, Tom’s worried it may all be too much, too fast. The last thing he needs are the mixed messages Phil seems to be sending out. They’ll need to get back on the same track if they want to make it to their honeymoon together—and alive.]]>
302 J.L. Merrow 1626497273 L.J. 4 4.14 2018 Lock Nut (The Plumber's Mate Mysteries, #5)
author: J.L. Merrow
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2018
rating: 4
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date added: 2018/05/29
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Life on Pause (Love Life, #1) 39495387
Rusty moved to Bison Hills to help his sister raise her daughter, and nothing is more important to him than that. He’s also fresh off a breakup, and isn’t prepared for anything complicated. But then he meets Niles. Rusty sees Niles as more than a clumsy, insecure guy in a costume. He sees a man who is funny, quirky, and unexpected.

Nothing about their connection is simple, though, especially the lies and insecurities between them. Niles doesn’t know if he can trust Rusty with his heart, and when Rusty’s sister decides to move away, Rusty doesn’t know if he can stay behind.]]>
252 Erin McLellan 1732173400 L.J. 5 3.69 2017 Life on Pause (Love Life, #1)
author: Erin McLellan
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2017
rating: 5
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date added: 2018/05/01
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<![CDATA[Throwing Stones (Glasgow Lads on Ice, #1)]]> 38217823
Oliver Doyle needs to win. After his reign as one of Canada’s top curlers is cut short by scandal, he arrives in Glasgow to coach Scotland’s next big team to a national championship. All that stands in the way of Oliver’s redemption is a band of upstarts led by an infuriatingly cute skip.

Luca Riley needs to chill. Or so he’s always believed, crafting a Zen-like serenity to carry his underdog curlers to the edge of greatness. To reach Nationals, Team Riley just have to keep calm and beat their arch-rivals—and their hot new Canadian coach—in one final bonspiel.

Luca and Oliver form an instant, irresistible bond. For the first time, Oliver shares the secret shame that’s kept him off the ice for years, and Luca finds true acceptance for who he is. As the tournament races toward a nail-biting climax, Oliver must face his past before it consumes him again. And Luca must choose between the dream he can taste and the man he could love.]]>
247 Avery Cockburn L.J. 4 3.89 2018 Throwing Stones (Glasgow Lads on Ice, #1)
author: Avery Cockburn
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2018
rating: 4
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date added: 2018/03/28
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<![CDATA[Pressure Head (The Plumber's Mate #1)]]> 15705835 Some secrets are better left hidden.

To most of the world, Tom Paretski is just a plumber with a cheeky attitude and a dodgy hip, souvenir of a schoolboy accident. The local police keep his number on file for a different reason—his sixth sense for finding hidden things.

When he’s called in to help locate the body of a missing woman up on Nomansland Common, he unexpectedly encounters someone who resurrects a host of complicated emotions. Phil Morrison, Tom’s old school crush, now a private investigator working the same case. And the former bully partly responsible for Tom’s injury.

The shocks keep coming. Phil is now openly gay, and shows unmistakable signs of interest. Tom’s attraction to the big, blond investigator hasn’t changed—in fact, he’s even more desirable all grown up. But is Phil’s interest genuine, or does he only want to use Tom’s talent?

As the pile of complicated evidence surrounding the woman’s murder grows higher, so does the heat between Tom and Phil. But opening himself to this degree exposes Tom’s heart in a way he’s not sure he’s ready for…while the murderer’s trigger finger is getting increasingly twitchy.

Warning: Contains a flirtatious plumber with hidden talents, a cashmere-clad private investigator with hidden depths, and an English village chock full of colourful characters with plenty to hide.]]>
226 J.L. Merrow 1619212587 L.J. 4 3.88 2012 Pressure Head (The Plumber's Mate #1)
author: J.L. Merrow
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2012
rating: 4
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date added: 2018/03/24
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<![CDATA[Relief Valve (The Plumber's Mate #2)]]> 18989149 If you dig up the past, be prepared to get dirty.

The Plumber’s Mate, Book 2

It hasn’t been all smooth sailing since plumber Tom Paretski and P.I. Phil Morrison became connected at the heart, if not always at Tom’s dodgy hip. Neither of their families has been shy about voicing their disapproval, which hasn’t helped Tom’s uneasy relationship with his prickly older sister, Cherry.

But when Cherry is poisoned at her own engagement party, the horror of her near death has Tom’s head spinning with possible culprits. Is it her fiancé Gregory, a cathedral canon with an unfortunate manner and an alarming taste for taxidermy? Someone from her old writers� circle, which she left after a row? Or could the attack be connected to her work as a barrister?

Phil is just as desperate to solve the case before someone ends up dead—and he fears it could be Tom. At least one of their suspects has a dark secret to hide, which makes Tom’s sixth sense for finding things like a target painted on his back...

Contains a strong, silent, macho PI; a cheeky, chirpy, cat-owning plumber; and a gag gift from beyond the grave that’ll put the cat firmly among the pigeons.

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306 J.L. Merrow 1619220598 L.J. 4 3.96 2014 Relief Valve (The Plumber's Mate #2)
author: J.L. Merrow
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2014
rating: 4
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date added: 2018/03/24
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<![CDATA[Heat Trap (The Plumber’s Mate, #3)]]> 22450028 The wrong secret could flush their love down the drain.

It’s been six months since plumber Tom Paretski was hit with a shocking revelation about his family. His lover, P.I. Phil Morrison, is pushing this as an ideal opportunity for Tom to try to develop his psychic talent for finding things. Tom would prefer to avoid the subject altogether, but just as he decides to bite the bullet, worse problems come crawling out of the woodwork.

Marianne, a young barmaid at the Devil’s Dyke pub, has an ex who won’t accept things are over between them. Grant Carey is ruthless in dealing with anyone who gets between him and Marianne, including an old friend of Tom and Phil. Their eagerness to step in and help only makes them targets of Grant’s wrath themselves.

With Tom’s uncertainty about Phil’s motives, Tom’s family doing their best to drive a wedge between them, and the revelation of an ugly incident in Phil’s past, suddenly Tom’s not sure whom he can trust.

The body in the Dyke’s cellar isn’t the only thing that stinks.


Warning: Contains British slang, a very un-British heat wave, and a plumber with a psychic gift who may not be as British as he thinks he is.]]>
270 J.L. Merrow 1619222299 L.J. 4 4.04 2015 Heat Trap (The Plumber’s Mate, #3)
author: J.L. Merrow
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2015
rating: 4
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date added: 2018/03/24
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<![CDATA[Winter (The Haunted Heart, #1)]]> 18002457
But not all the items are that easy to catalog. Or get rid of...

The Haunted Heart series. Four seasons. Four ghosts. Two hearts.

Winter.

Since Alan died, Flynn isn't eating, isn't sleeping, and isn't spending a lot of time looking in mirrors. But maybe he should pay a little more attention. Because something in that 18th Century mirror is looking at him.]]>
147 Josh Lanyon 1937909484 L.J. 4 4.08 2013 Winter (The Haunted Heart, #1)
author: Josh Lanyon
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2013
rating: 4
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date added: 2018/03/24
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<![CDATA[The Mermaid Murders (The Art of Murder, #1)]]> 26157385
For The Huntsman is still out there� and the killing has begun again.]]>
243 Josh Lanyon 1937909824 L.J. 4 4.14 2016 The Mermaid Murders (The Art of Murder, #1)
author: Josh Lanyon
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2016
rating: 4
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date added: 2018/03/24
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<![CDATA[Blow Down (The Plumber's Mate, #4)]]> 29536947 Death is what happens while you’re making other plans . . .

The last thing newly engaged plumber Tom Paretski needs is to stumble over another dead body. He’s got enough on his mind already as the reality of his impending marriage sinks in. Not only is his family situation complicated, but his heroism at a pub fire has made him a local celebrity, and now everyone knows about his psychic talents—and wants a piece of them.

Hired to recover a missing necklace, Tom and his fiancé, private investigator Phil Morrison, find themselves trying to unmask a killer. And there’s no shortage of suspects, including the local bishop.

As Tom and Phil try to uncover the truth, they’re pulled in all directions by the conflicting pressures of their families and their own desires. But the murderer they’re up against is a ruthless schemer who won’t baulk at killing again. If Tom and Phil don’t watch out, their love—and all their plans for the future—could be blown down like a house of straw.]]>
296 J.L. Merrow 1619234610 L.J. 4 4.13 2016 Blow Down (The Plumber's Mate, #4)
author: J.L. Merrow
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2016
rating: 4
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date added: 2018/03/24
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Fair Chance (All's Fair, #3) 32162446 Elliot Mills comes face-to-face with evil in this follow-up to Fair Game and Fair Play from bestselling author Josh Lanyon Ěý

One final game of cat and mouse…�

Ex–FBI agent Elliot Mills thought he was done with the most brutal case of his career. The Sculptor, the serial killer he spent years hunting, is finally in jail. But Elliot's hope dies when he learns the murderer wasn't acting alone. Now everyone is at risk once again—thanks to a madman determined to finish his partner's gruesome mission. Ěý

When the lead agent on the case, Special Agent Tucker Lance, goes missing, Elliot knows it's the killer at work. After all, abducting the love of his life is the quickest way to hurt him. Ěý

The chances of finding Tucker are all but impossible without the help of the Sculptor—but the Sculptor is in no position to talk. Critically injured in a prison fight, he lies comatose and dying while the clock ticks down. Elliot has no choice but to play this killer's twisted game and hope he can find Tucker in time.

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336 Josh Lanyon 1459293614 L.J. 4 4.25 2017 Fair Chance (All's Fair, #3)
author: Josh Lanyon
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2017
rating: 4
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date added: 2018/03/24
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<![CDATA[The Monet Murders (The Art of Murder, #2)]]> 30245414
And it seems like Sam is unsold on the idea as well.

But personal feelings must be put aside when Sam requests Jason's help in order to catch a deranged killer targeting wealthy, upscale art collectors.]]>
274 Josh Lanyon 1945802162 L.J. 4 4.15 2017 The Monet Murders (The Art of Murder, #2)
author: Josh Lanyon
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2017
rating: 4
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date added: 2018/03/24
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<![CDATA[Wake Up Call (Porthkennack, #2)]]> 34093960 A Porthkennack Contemporary Novel

South London mechanic Devan Thompson has gone to Porthkennack to track down someone he’s been waiting all his life to know. But Dev’s distracted from his quest by Kyle, a broodingly handsome local of only a few months, who’s already got a reputation as an alcoholic because of his strange behaviour � including a habit of collapsing in the street.

Kyle Anthony fled to Porthkennack to escape from the ruins of his life. Still raging against his diagnosis of narcolepsy � a condition that’s cost him his job as a barrister, his lover, and all chance of normality—the last thing he wants is another relationship that’s doomed to fail. But Dev’s easy-going acceptance and adaptability, not to mention his good looks, have Kyle breaking all his self-imposed rules.

When disaster strikes Dev’s adored little sister, Kyle steps up to the plate, and Dev sees a side of his lover he wasn’t prepared competent, professional � and way out of Dev’s league. With one man determined that they don’t have a future, and the other fearing it, life after Porthkennack is starting to look bleak for both of them.

* * * * * * *
The stories in the Porthkennack universe can be enjoyed in any order � jump in wherever you'd like!

Word 84,800; page 320]]>
278 J.L. Merrow 1626495408 L.J. 4 3.71 2017 Wake Up Call (Porthkennack, #2)
author: J.L. Merrow
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2017
rating: 4
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date added: 2018/03/24
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<![CDATA[Something Permanent (Middle of Somewhere, #2.1)]]> 34314225
*FREE Valentine's Day Short Story*]]>
44 Roan Parrish L.J. 4 4.08 2017 Something Permanent (Middle of Somewhere, #2.1)
author: Roan Parrish
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2017
rating: 4
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date added: 2018/03/24
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Cutie Pies 38331124
When Mick, a new-to-town customer, walks in asking for a dildo, Joey thinks it’s all a part of the day’s work. Except Mick’s large dark eyes, shy smile, and kissable lips—along with the ten-inch dildo he bought—quickly win him a starring role in Joey’s nightly fantasies.

Joey can’t stop thinking about him, and Mick’s continued visits to the store make him even harder to forget. Mick is shy and sweet, but also secretive and uncertain. As the two grow closer together, Joey starts to wonder what Mick really wants from him, and whether he can risk falling in love with someone who might not be free to love him back.

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108 Barbara Bell 162649746X L.J. 4 3.48 2018 Cutie Pies
author: Barbara Bell
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2018/03/22
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This was totally sweet and adorable! It reminded me a lot of "Please Like Me" with the awkwardness and cute babbling [spoilers removed]. I loved the sex shop setting but was pleased when [spoilers removed]. I really hope we see more from Barbara Bell.
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Friendly Fire 30799159
Elliot McKenzie is the king of reinvention. Five years after losing his job and his lover and almost going to prison, his self-help program, Charmed Life, is more successful than he’d ever dreamed. He thinks he’s put his sordid past firmly behind him, until he starts receiving cryptic threats . . . and realizes it might not be as over as he’d hoped.

Security expert Lennox West has been lost since a deadly skirmish in Afghanistan led to his forced retirement from the Army. His PTSD makes helping his ex raise their daughter a challenge. When his ex’s sister asks him to set her boss up with a security system, Lennox isn’t expecting anyone like Elliot McKenzie � a man who captures his attention and makes him feel relaxed for the first time since leaving the service.

But Elliot is dangerously stubborn. Even as the threats against him escalate, he refuses to involve the police, and Lennox fears that stubbornness could kill him. A battle of wills ensues that brings them closer to each other than either man expected. But if the threats turn real, they might not live long enough to get their future together.

* * * * * * *

Word 82,800; page ]]>
252 Cari Z. 1626494819 L.J. 4 3.84 2016 Friendly Fire
author: Cari Z.
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2016
rating: 4
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date added: 2018/02/21
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<![CDATA[How to Blow It with a Billionaire (Arden St. Ives, #2)]]> 31933324 401 Alexis Hall 1455571369 L.J. 5 4.14 2017 How to Blow It with a Billionaire (Arden St. Ives, #2)
author: Alexis Hall
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2017
rating: 5
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date added: 2017/12/21
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<![CDATA[The Obelisk Gate (The Broken Earth, #2)]]> 26228034 410 N.K. Jemisin L.J. 4
One, this didn't have the same gut wrenching impact that The Fifth Season delivered with the end of Syenite's story.

Two, this is clearly a middle book in a trilogy, falling prey to Book Two-itis where nothing much actually happens. There's a lot of talking, half explained lessons and setting up for the big finale. Normally, this doesn't bother me all that much because some of it is necessary. However, after the unique and powerful style of book one, this one can't help but pale in comparison.

Three, Alabaster.
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4.27 2016 The Obelisk Gate (The Broken Earth, #2)
author: N.K. Jemisin
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2017/12/18
date added: 2017/12/18
shelves:
review:
There are a few reasons I'm giving this awesome book only four stars.

One, this didn't have the same gut wrenching impact that The Fifth Season delivered with the end of Syenite's story.

Two, this is clearly a middle book in a trilogy, falling prey to Book Two-itis where nothing much actually happens. There's a lot of talking, half explained lessons and setting up for the big finale. Normally, this doesn't bother me all that much because some of it is necessary. However, after the unique and powerful style of book one, this one can't help but pale in comparison.

Three, Alabaster.

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My Last Husband (Ruin #4) 36459960 10 Alexis Hall L.J. 3 3.89 2017 My Last Husband (Ruin #4)
author: Alexis Hall
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/12/15
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In Vino (Spires, #3.5) 31361284 **Author note: In Vino is a Spires Universe extra � but it’s not currently available as the entire Spires series has found a new home at Sourcebooks! Ahhh!**

A novella about Jasper, a character from FOR REAL. A giveaway to folks who sign up for Hall's mailing list.]]>
26 Alexis Hall L.J. 4 4.04 2016 In Vino (Spires, #3.5)
author: Alexis Hall
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2016
rating: 4
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date added: 2017/12/15
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Looking for Group 30175057
And now that we’re together, it’s going pretty well. Except sometimes I think Kit—that’s his name, sorry I didn’t mention that—spends way too much time in HoL. I know he has friends in the guild, but he has me now, and my friends, and everyone knows people you meet online aren’t real. I mean. Not Kit. Kit's real. Obviously.

Oh, I’m Drew, by the way. This is sort of my story. About how I messed up some stuff and figured out some stuff. And fell in love and stuff.]]>
294 Alexis Hall 1626494460 L.J. 4 3.84 2016 Looking for Group
author: Alexis Hall
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/12/15
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<![CDATA[How to Bang a Billionaire (Arden St. Ives, #1)]]> 31423483 Rules are made to be broken . . .

If England had yearbooks, I'd probably be "Arden St. Ives: Man Least Likely to Set the World on Fire." So far, I haven't. I've no idea what I'm doing at Oxford, no idea what I'm going to do next and, until a week ago, I had no idea who Caspian Hart was. Turns out, he's brilliant, beautiful . . . oh yeah, and a billionaire.

It's impossible not to be captivated by someone like that. But Caspian Hart makes his own rules. And he has a lot of them. About when I can be with him. What I can do with him. And when he'll be through with me.

I'm good at doing what I'm told in the bedroom. The rest of the time, not so much. And now that Caspian's shown me glimpses of the man behind the billionaire I know it's him I want. Not his wealth, not his status. Him. Except that might be the one thing he doesn't have the power to give me.]]>
384 Alexis Hall 1455571326 L.J. 5 3.83 2017 How to Bang a Billionaire (Arden St. Ives, #1)
author: Alexis Hall
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/12/15
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Killing Lazarus (The Brackenford Cycle #3.5)]]> 36686518
But he’s not as well hidden as he thought, because one night the telephone rings and an anonymous caller offers him a job. It’s an offer he can’t refuse; fail to complete the job and his location will be revealed to the Custodians. At first glance it seems quite straightforward � travel to a remote Cornish fishing village and retrieve a stolen artefact. But Barker quickly discovers that he hasn’t been given all the details. The thief is a man with homicidal tendencies, an unusual talent for disguise, and a ridiculous name: Gary Lazarus. He knows all about Barker, and has very specific reasons for wanting to meet him. He wants to play a game. A game only one of them can possibly survive…]]>
Nick Moseley L.J. 4 They’re pieces of me, he thought, drifting among them.

I was very intrigued by Ezekiel Barker in Hangman's Pond, but then I am always very intrigued by mysterious, brooding men with dark histories and unclear intentions. So it's probably a given that I really enjoyed this novella.

Barker is a man detached in time. Born in the 1800s, cryogenically frozen and only defrosted when his master required him, he suddenly finds himself in the 21st century, masterless, friendless, hunted by the supernatural police and, most significantly, alone. He's contemplating the idea of ending it all when he's hired by a mysterious party to find a stolen object. Naturally, things aren't that straightforward and Barker finds himself in a fight for his very soul.

This is a very welcome addition to the Brackenford Cycle. Trev is fun, relatable and, well, trying his hardest to be a hero, when pushed sufficiently. But Barker brings an element of (conflicted) ruthlessness to the world, showing the darker side of what Trev is still learning about. I really hope we'll see Barker in the future, either as an ally of Trev's, or his enemy. Perhaps even as a frenemy. ;)

Highly recommended. And can be read as a standalone, though reading the other books adds depth to the world and explains the few asides about that Irwin chap, as well as being very worthy reads.]]>
4.33 2017 Killing Lazarus (The Brackenford Cycle #3.5)
author: Nick Moseley
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/12/01
date added: 2017/12/01
shelves:
review:
They’re pieces of me, he thought, drifting among them.


I was very intrigued by Ezekiel Barker in Hangman's Pond, but then I am always very intrigued by mysterious, brooding men with dark histories and unclear intentions. So it's probably a given that I really enjoyed this novella.

Barker is a man detached in time. Born in the 1800s, cryogenically frozen and only defrosted when his master required him, he suddenly finds himself in the 21st century, masterless, friendless, hunted by the supernatural police and, most significantly, alone. He's contemplating the idea of ending it all when he's hired by a mysterious party to find a stolen object. Naturally, things aren't that straightforward and Barker finds himself in a fight for his very soul.

This is a very welcome addition to the Brackenford Cycle. Trev is fun, relatable and, well, trying his hardest to be a hero, when pushed sufficiently. But Barker brings an element of (conflicted) ruthlessness to the world, showing the darker side of what Trev is still learning about. I really hope we'll see Barker in the future, either as an ally of Trev's, or his enemy. Perhaps even as a frenemy. ;)

Highly recommended. And can be read as a standalone, though reading the other books adds depth to the world and explains the few asides about that Irwin chap, as well as being very worthy reads.
]]>
<![CDATA[Shadows of Self (Mistborn, #5)]]> 22887640
Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is now on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds.

When family obligations forced Waxillium Ladrian to forsake the frontier lands and return to the metropolis of his birth to take his place as head of a noble House, he little imagined that the crime-fighting skills acquired during twenty years in the dusty plains would be just as applicable in the big city. He soon learned that there too, just being a talented Twinborn � one who can use both Allomancy and Feruchemy, the dominant magical modes on Scadrial � would not suffice.

This bustling, optimistic, but still shaky society will now face its first test by terrorism and assassination, crimes intended to stir up labor strife and religious conflict. Wax, his eccentric sidekick Wayne, and brilliant, beautiful young Marasi, now officially part of the constabulary, must unravel the conspiracy before civil strife can stop Scadrial’s progress in its tracks.]]>
383 Brandon Sanderson 147320822X L.J. 4 The Alloy of Law in 2014, so I guess it's okay that I don't remember anything about it, except that there was a train. Maybe. I'm sure I picked up on the Wax and Wayne pun in the first one, but it was fun to discover it again here. Anyshit, I enjoyed this, as I enjoy most of Sanderson's books (I recently remembered that I'd started Warbreaker ages ago, put it down and quite forgot to go back to it (and don't intend to)) and happily, you don't have to remember the details of the first book to do so. ;)]]> 4.17 2015 Shadows of Self (Mistborn, #5)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2017/11/30
date added: 2017/11/30
shelves:
review:
Apparently I read The Alloy of Law in 2014, so I guess it's okay that I don't remember anything about it, except that there was a train. Maybe. I'm sure I picked up on the Wax and Wayne pun in the first one, but it was fun to discover it again here. Anyshit, I enjoyed this, as I enjoy most of Sanderson's books (I recently remembered that I'd started Warbreaker ages ago, put it down and quite forgot to go back to it (and don't intend to)) and happily, you don't have to remember the details of the first book to do so. ;)
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The Well 34685160
But when morning comes, Elise has disappeared without a trace.

Twelve years later, Pierce and his twin brother Jordan are professional paranormal investigators, starring in their own ghost-hunting TV show. When Pierce calls Haven, insisting they return to the supposedly haunted building one last time, Haven reluctantly agrees. He’s nervous about seeing Pierce again, but he’s determined to get some answers. Did they really speak to Cassie’s ghost that night? What happened to Elise? And the biggest mystery of all � how did she know the secret of the well?]]>
206 Marie Sexton L.J. 4 4.07 2017 The Well
author: Marie Sexton
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/10/24
date added: 2017/10/24
shelves:
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<![CDATA[Played! (The Shamwell Tales, #2)]]> 24663927 All the world’s a stage...but real-life lessons are hidden in the heart.

Tristan’s in Shamwell for one last summer of freedom before he joins the family firm in New York—no more farting around on stage, as his father puts it. But the classically trained actor can’t resist when members of the local amateur dramatics society beg him to take a role in their production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Especially as he’ll also be giving private acting lessons to gorgeous local handyman, Con, who’s been curiously resistant to Tristan’s advances. Tristan’s determined to get Con in his bed—not only is the man delicious, there’s fifty pounds riding on Tristan’s success after a bet made with his drama school chum Amanda.

Con’s never dared to act before. A late-diagnosed dyslexic who had a hard time at school, he’s always been convinced he’d never be able to learn his lines—but with Tristan helping him, he might just be in with a chance. Trouble is, the last time Con fell for a guy, he ended up getting his heart broken, and with Tristan due to leave the country in a matter of months, Con’s determined not to give in and start anything that’s bound to finish badly.

Just as Tristan thinks he’s finally won Con’s heart—and given his own in return—disaster strikes. And the curtain may have fallen forever on their chance of happiness.


Warning: contains a surfeit of Bottoms and asses, together with enough mangled quotations to have the Bard of Avon gyrating in his grave.]]>
214 J.L. Merrow 1619225743 L.J. 3 3.71 2015 Played! (The Shamwell Tales, #2)
author: J.L. Merrow
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2017/09/12
date added: 2017/09/12
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Caught! (The Shamwell Tales, #1)]]> 22030684 You can run from the past…but the past runs faster.

Behind Robert’s cheerfully eccentric exterior lies a young heart battered and bruised by his past. He’s taken a job teaching in a village primary school to make a fresh start, and love isn’t part of his plans. But he’s knocked for six—literally—by a chance encounter with the uncle of two of his pupils.

Sean works in pest control, rides a motorbike, and lives on a council estate. On the face of it, he shouldn’t have anything in common with Robert’s bow-tie, classic-car style and posh family background. Yet Robert is helpless to resist Sean’s roguish grin, and a rocky, excruciatingly embarrassing start doesn’t keep the sparks between them from flaring.

Despite Robert’s increasingly ludicrous attempts to keep his past where it belongs, his past hasn’t read the memo. And soon his secrets could be the very things that drive Sean away for good...


Warning: Contains the alarming misadventures of a pest control technician, a stepsister with a truly unfortunate name, and a young manĚýwho may have more bow ties than sense.]]>
351 J.L. Merrow 1619222256 L.J. 4 3.83 2014 Caught! (The Shamwell Tales, #1)
author: J.L. Merrow
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/09/08
shelves:
review:

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Matter (Culture, #8) 886066
Only the sister is not what she once was; Djan Seriy Anaplian has become an agent of the Culture's Special Circumstances section, charged with high-level interference in civilisations throughout the greater galaxy.

Concealing her new identity � and her particular set of abilities � might be a dangerous strategy. In the world to which Anaplian returns, nothing is quite as it seems; and determining the appropriate level of interference in someone else's war is never a simple matter.

Cover illustration by Debra Lill]]>
593 Iain M. Banks 1841494186 L.J. 2 4.09 2008 Matter (Culture, #8)
author: Iain M. Banks
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2017/08/12
shelves:
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<![CDATA[The Player of Games (Culture, #2)]]> 18630 293 Iain M. Banks 0061053562 L.J. 4 4.28 1988 The Player of Games (Culture, #2)
author: Iain M. Banks
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1988
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/12
shelves:
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<![CDATA[Consider Phlebas (Culture, #1)]]> 8935689
Within the cosmic conflict, an individual crusade. Deep within a fabled labyrinth on a barren world, a Planet of the Dead proscribed to mortals, lay a fugitive Mind. Both the Culture and the Idirans sought it. It was the fate of Horza, the Changer, and his motley crew of unpredictable mercenaries, human and machine, actually to find it, and with it their own destruction.]]>
467 Iain M. Banks 1857231384 L.J. 4 3.86 1987 Consider Phlebas (Culture, #1)
author: Iain M. Banks
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1987
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/12
shelves:
review:

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Use of Weapons (Culture, #3) 12007
The woman known as Diziet Sma had plucked him from obscurity and pushed him towards his present eminence, but despite all their dealings she did not know him as well as she thought.

The drone known as Skaffen-Amtiskaw knew both of these people. It had once saved the woman's life by massacring her attackers in a particularly bloody manner. It believed the man to be a burnt-out case. But not even its machine intelligence could see the horrors in his past.

In this brilliant, multilayered book, Iain Banks explores once again the universe of the Culture, which he has previously visited in Consider Phlebas and The Player of Games. Ferociously intelligent, both witty and horrific, Use of Weapons leaves no doubt that Banks is now the outstanding writer of science fiction in Britain.]]>
411 Iain M. Banks 185723135X L.J. 5 4.18 1990 Use of Weapons (Culture, #3)
author: Iain M. Banks
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1990
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/08/12
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, #6)]]> 234553 452 Jim Butcher 1841494038 L.J. 5 4.16 2004 Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, #6)
author: Jim Butcher
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2017/08/11
date added: 2017/08/11
shelves:
review:

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Missing (Mason Gray, #1) 35662110 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Hardboiled Thriller with a Supernatural Twist.

Mason Gray is a walking cliche, complete with trench coat and fedora, and he knows it.

A former cop and now a private investigator, he has a solid grip on the world around him. But when he finds a dead man in his apartment, he knows his career is on the line...again. The police are corrupt, he’s being chased by an assassin, and he learns that vampires might actually be real. To solve this case, he must choose to go through the looking glass, wrestle with demons both figurative and literal, and- of course- save the girl.

Fans of Nightside, Alex Verus, and old hard-boiled detective novels are sure to enjoy this supernatural thriller.

“Exciting and intriguing with a distinct voice, this read will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more!â€�- Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ review]]>
180 William C. Markham 1546391436 L.J. 4 The doctors were full of questions about my diet and what supplements I was taking. All I said was, “I drink a lot of gin.�

William Markham’s Missing is a noir mystery right down to the chain-smoking, trench coat and fedora wearing, disgraced ex-cop turned PI looking for a missing dame� eh, woman. ;)

Set in contemporary Chicago, the story isn’t all cliché, thankfully. Sure, when a dead guy shows up in Masson Gray’s home, he goes out on his own to solve the crime, finding himself mixed up in a missing person case along the way, that turns out to be linked to the murder. In good PI fashion he talks to people, follows suspicious characters, sets up dodgy meets in dodgy parts of the city and gets royally beaten up for his efforts. However, what really impressed me and set this apart from so many other similar stories was Gray’s willingness to work with the authorities, even knowing he’s prime material for Suspect #1. He calls the cops when he finds the body and reports the shooting when a sniper takes pot shots at him. He answers the lead detective’s questions without a belligerent attitude. It was nice and refreshing.

The other aspect that stands out is the subtle introduction of the supernatural elements. The reader only becomes aware of it as Gray does and happily, Gray isn’t one to turn a blind eye to what he witnesses. He knows what he saw and goes looking, smartly, for possible explanations. He doesn’t find all the answers immediately, though, which leaves plenty of room in future instalments for him to get into trouble.

If I had to quibble about something, it’s the lack of depth to the interpersonal relationships. Personally, I like to see characters interacting with each other, especially with the important relationships. [spoilers removed] A little bit more shown detail on Gray’s friendships would have really rounded out this story for me.

Overall, the writing is smooth and the plot flows well, though there were the occasional areas where it got a little bogged in the mundane, but nothing to really hinder the reading. Recommended for people who like their noir with a twist.]]>
4.03 Missing (Mason Gray, #1)
author: William C. Markham
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/01
shelves:
review:
The doctors were full of questions about my diet and what supplements I was taking. All I said was, “I drink a lot of gin.�

William Markham’s Missing is a noir mystery right down to the chain-smoking, trench coat and fedora wearing, disgraced ex-cop turned PI looking for a missing dame� eh, woman. ;)

Set in contemporary Chicago, the story isn’t all cliché, thankfully. Sure, when a dead guy shows up in Masson Gray’s home, he goes out on his own to solve the crime, finding himself mixed up in a missing person case along the way, that turns out to be linked to the murder. In good PI fashion he talks to people, follows suspicious characters, sets up dodgy meets in dodgy parts of the city and gets royally beaten up for his efforts. However, what really impressed me and set this apart from so many other similar stories was Gray’s willingness to work with the authorities, even knowing he’s prime material for Suspect #1. He calls the cops when he finds the body and reports the shooting when a sniper takes pot shots at him. He answers the lead detective’s questions without a belligerent attitude. It was nice and refreshing.

The other aspect that stands out is the subtle introduction of the supernatural elements. The reader only becomes aware of it as Gray does and happily, Gray isn’t one to turn a blind eye to what he witnesses. He knows what he saw and goes looking, smartly, for possible explanations. He doesn’t find all the answers immediately, though, which leaves plenty of room in future instalments for him to get into trouble.

If I had to quibble about something, it’s the lack of depth to the interpersonal relationships. Personally, I like to see characters interacting with each other, especially with the important relationships. [spoilers removed] A little bit more shown detail on Gray’s friendships would have really rounded out this story for me.

Overall, the writing is smooth and the plot flows well, though there were the occasional areas where it got a little bogged in the mundane, but nothing to really hinder the reading. Recommended for people who like their noir with a twist.
]]>
<![CDATA[Death Masks (The Dresden Files, #5)]]> 346090 Lost items found. Paranormal investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable rates. No love potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertsinment.

Harry Dresden, Chicago's only practicing professional wizard, should be happy that business is pretty good for a change. But now he's getting more than he bargained for: a duel with the Red Court of Vampore's champion, who must kill Harry to end the war between vampires and wizards... professional hit men using Harry for target practice... the missing Shroud of Turin... a handless and headless corpse the Chicago police need identified...

Not to mention the return of Harry's ex-girlfriend Susan, who's still struggling with her semi-vampire nature. And who seems to have a new man in her life.

Some days, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. No matter how much you're charging.]]>
408 Jim Butcher 184149402X L.J. 4 4.14 2003 Death Masks (The Dresden Files, #5)
author: Jim Butcher
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2017/07/19
date added: 2017/07/19
shelves:
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<![CDATA[Haunted: The Book of Australia's Ghosts]]> 6297663 * Eerie Encounters
* Uncanny Photographs

Countless Australians have experienced the awe - and shock - of a personal encounter with a ghost. In this unique book, John Pinkney chronicles many of the strangest and most profound of our nation's modern-day hauntings.

(From blurb on back cover)]]>
333 John Pinkney 1741248639 L.J. 4 3.86 2005 Haunted: The Book of Australia's Ghosts
author: John Pinkney
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2017/07/10
date added: 2017/07/10
shelves:
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The Loyalty of Chickens 35192132
With selected barnyard illustrations by Gwynne McGinley.

Suitable for readers 11 plus.]]>
103 Jenny Blackford 1922080748 L.J. 5 5.00 2017 The Loyalty of Chickens
author: Jenny Blackford
name: L.J.
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2017/06/29
date added: 2017/06/29
shelves:
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<![CDATA[Summer Knight (The Dresden Files, #4)]]> 346089
And just when it seems things can’t get any worse, in saunters the Winter Queen of Faerie. She has an offer Harry can’t refuse if he wants to free himself of the supernatural hold his faerie godmother has over him - and hopefully end his run of bad luck. All he has to do is find out who murdered the Summer Queen’s right-hand man, the Summer Knight, and clear the Winter Queen’s name.

It seems simple enough, but Harry knows better than to get caught in the middle of faerie politics. Until he finds out that the fate of the entire world rests on his solving this case. No pressure or anything …]]>
405 Jim Butcher 1841494011 L.J. 4 4.11 2002 Summer Knight (The Dresden Files, #4)
author: Jim Butcher
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2017/06/25
date added: 2017/06/25
shelves:
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<![CDATA[Grave Peril (The Dresden Files, #3)]]> 346088 426 Jim Butcher 1841494003 L.J. 4 3.96 2001 Grave Peril (The Dresden Files, #3)
author: Jim Butcher
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2017/06/11
date added: 2017/06/11
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[The Rifter Book Three: His Sacred Bones (Rifter 8-10)]]> 17445438 8. The Silent City
9. The Iron Temple
10. His Holy Bones]]>
397 Ginn Hale 1935560263 L.J. 4 4.60 2013 The Rifter Book Three: His Sacred Bones (Rifter 8-10)
author: Ginn Hale
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/05/08
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[The Rifter Book Two: The Holy Road (Rifter #4-7)]]> 16293170 4. Witches' Blood
5. The Holy Road
6. Broken Fortress
7. Enemies and Shadows]]>
488 Ginn Hale 1935560255 L.J. 4 4.59 2013 The Rifter Book Two: The Holy Road (Rifter #4-7)
author: Ginn Hale
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/05/08
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[The Rifter Book One: The Shattered Gates (Rifter #1-3)]]> 14646784
When John opens a letter addressed to his missing roommate, Kyle, he expects to find a house key, but instead he is swept into a strange realm of magic, mysticism, revolutionaries and assassins. Though he struggles to escape, John is drawn steadily closer to the fate he shares with Kyle-to awaken the destroyer god, the Rifter, and shatter a world.

Contains parts 1 to 3 of The Rifter series:
1. The Shattered Gates
2. Servants of the Crossed Gates
3. Black Blades]]>
368 Ginn Hale 1935560239 L.J. 4 4.33 2012 The Rifter Book One: The Shattered Gates (Rifter #1-3)
author: Ginn Hale
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/05/08
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Corpora Delicti (The Administration, #9)]]> 18775827
On the surface, stability has returned to Europe. According to all the official metrics released to news feeds, the Administration and the corporations are stronger and more united than ever. Only in the most secret of government surveillance departments and corporate security divisions would anyone suggest otherwise.

On the surface, Senior Para-investigator Toreth’s year is ending badly. His boss hates him, his junior is looking for a way out, and his new case seems like a dud. Even the upcoming holidays bring more unwelcome news. But the new year starts him down a trail that will lead him from an unpromising beginning, via an unappetizing corpse, right into the financial heart of the Administration and the highest-stakes investigation of his career.

On the surface, corporate director Keir Warrick’s life is on the up. His virtual reality corporation SimTech has weathered the storm of the revolt, and new opportunities are appearing. Away from work, though, more clouds are gathering. What should be good family news brings concerns for the future. With so many secrets to keep, where can he turn to finally guarantee the safety of his family and corporation? And what will the consequences of his choices be for his relationship with Toreth?

This is the ninth book in the Administration series, and follows the intertwined private and professional lives of somewhat justifiably paranoid senior para-investigator Val Toreth and overly inquisitive corporate director Keir Warrick.]]>
288 Manna Francis 1934081531 L.J. 5
Thanks to the intricacies of the world, a lot of the political/bureaucratic jargon involved in Toreth's case whizzed by me, which is only fair as a lot of such things whiz past me in the real world too. But the case was, as usual, intriguing and complex, starting with some pieces of illegal equipment in a shipment of silk and ending with, as usual, an Administration wide conspiracy of sufficient threat to make Toreth scramble to cover his arse, which is always fun.

Toreth, thankfully, hasn't been fully domesticated by cohabitation, and, as is part and parcel of his psyche, hasn't changed much at all. He can freely admit now that he'll never leave Warrick, but it hasn't, and won't, stop him from being who he's always been. At times, I wanted to slap him. Or wanted Warrick to slap him (for once), rather.

Warrick, too, makes no big changes here, but the fact that we get to see him this time (I'm still disappointed at the lack of Warrick in Blood & Circuses) is all I really needed. This book also went a long way to reminding me of Warrick's complexity. His fascination with the sim, with making a world he, a confirmed 'control freak', can 100% control, is so much more than that. His childhood in a fake family, the knowledge that his parents weren't who they said they were, that their children were tools to be used in their work or as a cover story, influences his driving need to make a perfect, fake world he can escape into at will. His entire childhood was summed up in a single sentence. When asked if he was close to his now-deceased mother, he thinks, "She was like a mother to us."

My only disappointment with the story was while we got oodles of Toreth doing Toreth-things, and a pleasing amount of Warrick doing Warrick-things, there was by far, not enough of Warrick and Toreth doing Warrick-and-Toreth-things.

**Edited to add -- I had vague ideas that this would the be the last book in the Administration series (why, I don't know), but the ending does give me cautious hope for at least book 10.]]>
4.16 2017 Corpora Delicti (The Administration, #9)
author: Manna Francis
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2017/03/17
date added: 2017/03/17
shelves:
review:
The sheer depth and breadth of the world Francis has created for this series continues to fascinate and amaze me. The pure cold-bloodedness of the Administration is wonderfully counteracted by the believability of the bureaucracy and the ridiculousness of the red-tape the characters are faced with in their work life. The level of detail in both Warrick's and Toreth's jobs boggles my mind. I won't say the world building is flawless, because a more astute reader than I would probably find things to pick at, but for me it's pretty solid.

Thanks to the intricacies of the world, a lot of the political/bureaucratic jargon involved in Toreth's case whizzed by me, which is only fair as a lot of such things whiz past me in the real world too. But the case was, as usual, intriguing and complex, starting with some pieces of illegal equipment in a shipment of silk and ending with, as usual, an Administration wide conspiracy of sufficient threat to make Toreth scramble to cover his arse, which is always fun.

Toreth, thankfully, hasn't been fully domesticated by cohabitation, and, as is part and parcel of his psyche, hasn't changed much at all. He can freely admit now that he'll never leave Warrick, but it hasn't, and won't, stop him from being who he's always been. At times, I wanted to slap him. Or wanted Warrick to slap him (for once), rather.

Warrick, too, makes no big changes here, but the fact that we get to see him this time (I'm still disappointed at the lack of Warrick in Blood & Circuses) is all I really needed. This book also went a long way to reminding me of Warrick's complexity. His fascination with the sim, with making a world he, a confirmed 'control freak', can 100% control, is so much more than that. His childhood in a fake family, the knowledge that his parents weren't who they said they were, that their children were tools to be used in their work or as a cover story, influences his driving need to make a perfect, fake world he can escape into at will. His entire childhood was summed up in a single sentence. When asked if he was close to his now-deceased mother, he thinks, "She was like a mother to us."

My only disappointment with the story was while we got oodles of Toreth doing Toreth-things, and a pleasing amount of Warrick doing Warrick-things, there was by far, not enough of Warrick and Toreth doing Warrick-and-Toreth-things.

**Edited to add -- I had vague ideas that this would the be the last book in the Administration series (why, I don't know), but the ending does give me cautious hope for at least book 10.
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<![CDATA[The Four Legendary Kingdoms (Jack West Jr, #4)]]> 29603980 A RUTHLESS KIDNAPPING
Jack West Jr and his family are living happily on their remote farm... when Jack is brutally kidnapped and he awakes in an underground cell to find a masked attacker with a knife charging at him.

THE GREAT GAMES
Jack, it seems, has been chosen � along with a dozen other elite soldiers � to compete in a series of deadly challenges designed to fulfill an ancient ritual.

With the fate of the Earth at stake, he will have to traverse diabolical mazes, fight cruel assassins and face unimaginable horrors that will test him like he has never been tested before.

TO HELL AND BACK
In the process, he will discover the mysterious and powerful group of individuals behind it all: The Four Legendary Kingdoms.

He might also discover that he is not the only hero in this place...]]>
450 Matthew Reilly 192547996X L.J. 3 4.30 2016 The Four Legendary Kingdoms (Jack West Jr, #4)
author: Matthew Reilly
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2016/12/11
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<![CDATA[Where We Left Off (Middle of Somewhere, #3)]]> 31328230
For the past miserable year, Leo hasn’t been able to stop thinking about the powerful connection he and Will shared. So, when Leo moves to New York for college, he sweeps back into Will’s life, hopeful that they can pick up where they left off. What begins as a unique friendship soon burns with chemistry they can’t deny� though Will certainly tries.

But Leo longs for more than friendship and hot sex. A romantic to his core, Leo wants passion, love, commitment—everything Will isn’t interested in giving. Will thinks romance is a cheesy fairytale and love is overrated. He likes his space and he’s happy with things just the way they are, thank you very much. Or is he? Because as he and Leo get more and more tangled up in each other’s lives, Will begins to act like maybe love is something he could feel after all.]]>
260 Roan Parrish L.J. 4 3.93 2016 Where We Left Off (Middle of Somewhere, #3)
author: Roan Parrish
name: L.J.
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/10/25
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<![CDATA[Out of Nowhere (Middle of Somewhere, #2)]]> 28549365
Rafael Guerrera has found ways to live with the past he’s ashamed of. He’s dedicated his life to social justice work and to helping youth who, like him, had very little growing up. He has no time for love. Hell, he barely has time for himself. Somehow, everything about miserable, self-destructive Colin cries out to him. But down that path lie the troubles Rafe has worked so hard to leave behind. And as their relationship intensifies, Rafe and Colin are forced to dredge up secrets that both men would prefer stay buried.]]>
274 Roan Parrish 1634769031 L.J. 5 4.21 2016 Out of Nowhere (Middle of Somewhere, #2)
author: Roan Parrish
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/10/25
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<![CDATA[In the Middle of Somewhere (Middle of Somewhere, #1)]]> 25687508
Daniel Mulligan is tough, snarky, and tattooed, hiding his self-consciousness behind sarcasm. Daniel has never fit in—not at home in Philadelphia with his auto mechanic father and brothers, and not at school where his Ivy League classmates looked down on him. Now, Daniel’s relieved to have a job at a small college in Holiday, Northern Michigan, but he’s a city boy through and through, and it’s clear that this small town is one more place he won’t fit in.

Rex Vale clings to routine to keep loneliness at bay: honing his muscular body, perfecting his recipes, and making custom furniture. Rex has lived in Holiday for years, but his shyness and imposing size have kept him from connecting with people.

When the two men meet, their chemistry is explosive, but Rex fears Daniel will be another in a long line of people to leave him, and Daniel has learned that letting anyone in can be a fatal weakness. Just as they begin to break down the walls keeping them apart, Daniel is called home to Philadelphia, where he discovers a secret that changes the way he understands everything.

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350 Roan Parrish 1634762126 L.J. 4 4.14 2015 In the Middle of Somewhere (Middle of Somewhere, #1)
author: Roan Parrish
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/10/25
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Pansies (Spires #4) 31195675
It’s rough, though, going back to South Shields now that they all know he’s a fully paid-up pansy. It’s the last place he’s expecting to pull. But Fen’s gorgeous, with his pink-tipped hair and hipster glasses, full of the sort of courage Alfie’s never had. It should be a one-night thing, but Alfie’s never met anyone like Fen before.

Except he has. At school, when Alfie was everything he was supposed to be, and Fen was the stubborn little gay boy who wouldn’t keep his head down. And now it’s a proper mess: Fen might have slept with Alfie, but he’ll probably never forgive him, and Fen’s got all this other stuff going on anyway, with his mam and her flower shop and the life he left down south.

Alfie just wants to make it right. But how can he, when all they’ve got in common is the nowhere town they both ran away from.]]>
405 Alexis Hall 1626493073 L.J. 4 4.10 2016 Pansies (Spires #4)
author: Alexis Hall
name: L.J.
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/10/21
shelves:
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