Jaime's bookshelf: read en-US Fri, 16 May 2025 20:24:48 -0700 60 Jaime's bookshelf: read 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Princess and the Rogue (Bow Street Bachelors, #3)]]> 52174919 A princess in disguise is forced to live with a rogue in order to protect her from danger in this fun, sexy regency romance.

Bow Street agent Sebastien Wolff, Earl of Mowbray, doesn't believe in love―until a passionate kiss with a beautiful stranger in a brothel forces him to reconsider. When the mysterious woman is linked to an intrigue involving a missing Russian princess, however, Seb realizes her air of innocence was too good to be true.

Princess Anastasia Denisova has been hiding in London as plain 'Anna Brown'. With a dangerous traitor hot on her trail, her best option is to accept Wolff's offer of protection―and accommodation―at his gambling hell. But living in such close quarters, and aiding Wolff in his Bow Street cases, fans the flames of their mutual attraction. If Anya's true identity is revealed, does their romance stand a chance? Could a princess ever marry a rogue?]]>
328 Kate Bateman 1250306094 Jaime 5 4.01 2020 The Princess and the Rogue (Bow Street Bachelors, #3)
author: Kate Bateman
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/16
date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: historical, read-in-2020, romance, series, reread, read-in-2025
review:

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The Everlasting 225699786 From the New York Times bestselling author of Starling House, Alix E. Harrow, comes a moving and genre-defying adventure through time � as a reluctant lady knight and a not-so-heroic-historian will fight through time and space to rewrite their tragic fates . . . and finally reveal the truths hidden beneath the greatest legend ever told.

It begins where it ends: beneath the yew tree � a girl not yet a knight, and a boy without a story.

It is where she pulls a sword from the heartwood and becomes a legend.

And it is where, more than a thousand years later, he will find her � and lose her � and find her � and lose her again.

It is where a new story will be written � but whose will it be?]]>
320 Alix E. Harrow 1250799082 Jaime 0 to-read 5.00 2025 The Everlasting
author: Alix E. Harrow
name: Jaime
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[All's Fair in Love and Treachery (Lady Petra Inquires, #2)]]> 203578997 Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie in this dazzling next installment in a captivating Regency-era mystery series with a feminist spin. 21 June, 1815. London may be cheering the news of Napoleon’s surrender at Waterloo, but Lady Petra Forsyth has little to celebrate after discovering that the death of her viscount fiancé three years earlier was no accident. Instead, it was murder, and the man responsible is her handsome, half-Scottish secret paramour Duncan Shawcross—yet the scoundrel has disappeared, leaving only a confusing riddle about long-forgotten memories in his wake.

So what’s a lady to do when she can’t hunt down her traitorous lover? She concentrates on a royal assignment instead. Queen Charlotte has tasked Petra with attending an event at the Asylum for Female Orphans and making inquiries surrounding the death of the orphanage’s matron. What’s more, there may be a link between the matron’s death and a group of radicals with ties to the aristocracy, as evidenced by an intercepted letter. Then, Petra overhears a nefarious conversation with two other men about a plot to topple the monarchy, set to take place during three days of celebrations currently gripping London. As the clock counts down and London’s streets teem with revelers, Petra’s nerves are fraying as her past and present collide. Yet while all’s fair in love and war, she can never surrender, especially when more orphaned girls may be in trouble. And to save their lives, the monarchy itself, and even her own heart, Lady Petra must face her fears with the strength of an army of soldiers and fight with the heart of a queen.]]>
320 Celeste Connally 1250867606 Jaime 0 to-read 3.70 All's Fair in Love and Treachery (Lady Petra Inquires, #2)
author: Celeste Connally
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.70
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord (Lady Petra Inquires, #1)]]> 65213393 Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie in Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, a dazzling first entry in a terrific new Regency-era mystery series with a feminist spin.

When Lady Petra Forsyth’s fiancé and soulmate dies just weeks ahead of their wedding, she makes the shocking proclamation—in front of London’s loosest lips—that she will never remarry. A woman of independent means, Petra sees no reason to cede her wealth and freedom to any man now that the love of her life has passed, nor does she intend to become confined to her country home. Instead, she uses her title to gain access to elite spaces and enjoy the best of society without expectations.

But when ballroom gossip suggests that a longtime friend has died of “melancholia� while in the care of a questionable physician, Petra vows to use her status to dig deeper—uncovering a private asylum where men pay to have their wives and daughters locked away, or worse. Just as Lady Petra has reason to believe her friend is not dead, but a prisoner, her own headstrong actions and thirst for independence are used to put her own freedom in jeopardy.]]>
304 Celeste Connally 125086755X Jaime 0 to-read 3.49 2023 Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord (Lady Petra Inquires, #1)
author: Celeste Connally
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Revenge, Served Royal: A Mystery (Lady Petra Inquires, 3)]]> 222376990 336 Celeste Connally 1250387396 Jaime 0 to-read 5.00 Revenge, Served Royal: A Mystery (Lady Petra Inquires, 3)
author: Celeste Connally
name: Jaime
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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Kill the Beast 222377124 The Witcher meets Howl’s Moving Castle in this debut original faerie tale of revenge, redemption, and friendship―for fans of T. Kingfisher, Naomi Novik, and cozy fantasy with a dash of gritty adventure.

The night Lyssa Cadogan's brother was murdered by a faerie-made monster known as the Beast, she made him a promise: she would find a way to destroy the immortal creature and avenge his death. For thirteen years, she has been hunting faeries and the abominations they created. But in all that time, the one Beast she is most desperate to find has never resurfaced.

Until she meets Alderic Casimir de Laurent, a melodramatic dandy with a coin purse bigger than his brain. Somehow, he has found the monster’s lair, and―even more surprising―retrieved one of its claws. A claw Lyssa needs in order to forge a sword that can kill the Beast.

When the witch Ragnhild decrees that Alderic and Lyssa must gather the other ingredients to forge the weapon together, or else the spell will fail, Lyssa gets more than she bargained for. Alderic is ill-equipped for the task at hand, and almost guaranteed to get himself killed.

But as the two of them search for the materials that will be the Beast's undoing, Alderic reveals hidden depths: dark secrets that he guards as carefully as Lyssa guards hers. Before long, and against Lyssa's better judgment, they begin to forge a blooming friendship―one that will either lead to the culmination of Lyssa's quest for vengeance, or spell doom for them both.]]>
320 Serra Swift 1250373786 Jaime 0 to-read 4.60 2025 Kill the Beast
author: Serra Swift
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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A Riddle of Thorns 223641791 A Riddle of Thorns is a twisty Dark Academia mystery—glittering, elegant, unsettling, and perfect for fans of Divine Rivals and The Inheritance Games.

Sana Gupta has waited years to return to her ancestral home in Paris, with its labyrinthine halls and overgrown gardens. Sent away as a child when her mother disappeared, Sana has long puzzled over whether her mother's departure was just another of her famously unsolvable riddles.

Now eighteen and ready to claim her inheritance, Sana arrives at the dark and dilapidated estate to find three strangers awaiting her: Fox, an eccentric prodigy who models himself after Sherlock Holmes; Isabelle, a seemingly innocent girl who shares an icy history with Sana; and Minho, a handsome young genius always wearing half a smirk. Per her mother’s will, they’ve each received a cryptic invitation to compete in a contest of riddles for the deed to Razorthorn Manor—and the rumored treasure hidden within: a flower created by the gods themselves, able to grant any wish.

Feeling betrayed by her mother, Sana sets out to uncover the truth of where her mother really went, what links the competitors together, and what secrets the crumbling and disquieting house conceals. But her task won’t be easy—for her competitors will do anything to win this twisted game . . .

Set in a darkly shimmering Edwardian Paris where worship of the Roman gods never ended, A Riddle of Thorns drips with Gothic atmosphere, sizzles with romantic tension, and confounds with intricate puzzles and long-buried mysteries.]]>
352 Sarena Nanua 0823460428 Jaime 0 to-read 5.00 2025 A Riddle of Thorns
author: Sarena Nanua
name: Jaime
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[We Who Will Die (Empire of Blood, #1)]]> 225910699 From the bestselling author of the Kingdom of Lies series comes a slow-burn romantasy set in a Roman-inspired world ruled by merciless vampires. Filled with breathtaking combat, vengeful gods, and magical creatures, We Who Will Die is the epic first installment in an enthralling new series perfect for fans of Carissa Broadbent, Jasmine Mas, and Rebecca Yarros.

Life in the perilous Thorn district is a constant battle for Arvelle and her younger brothers. And the vampire standing on her doorstep is about to turn their world upside down.

Faced with an unthinkable choice, Arvelle makes a magically binding vow to do the impossible: kill the emperor, an ancient vampire created by the god Umbros. But first, she must enter the Sundering—an arena where only the fastest, strongest, and deadliest survive long enough to be selected for the emperor’s elite guard.

She quickly draws the ire of the Primus, the powerful figure charged with protecting the emperor. But the vampire under the armor is the last person Arvelle expects to encounter in the emperor’s court.

With her brothers� lives in the balance, Arvelle has no choice but to ally with the man who once shattered her heart� and with the emperor’s sadistic son, Rorrik—two vampires whose motives are impossible to pin down. Rorrik holds the key to understanding the powers Arvelle is developing—abilities that would put a price on her head if discovered by the emperor.

To survive the arena and complete her mission, Arvelle must get to the bottom of a conspiracy that will change everything she thought she knew about herself—and the two vampires who are deeply entwined with her destiny…]]>
432 Stacia Stark 006343671X Jaime 0 to-read 4.62 2026 We Who Will Die (Empire of Blood, #1)
author: Stacia Stark
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.62
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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To Heist and to Hold 221179144 A quick-witted widow anda mysterious gambling hell owner fall for each other in the firstbook in this enticing Regency romance from bestselling author Christina Britton—perfect for fans of Sophie Jordan!]]> 352 Christina Britton 1538769115 Jaime 0 to-read 0.0 2025 To Heist and to Hold
author: Christina Britton
name: Jaime
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Secret of the Three Fates (Ruby Vaughn, #2)]]> 203578784 Following the atmospheric and award-winning gothic historical mystery debut, The Curse of Penryth Hall, USA Today bestselling author Jess Armstrong's heroine, Ruby Vaughn, returns in The Secret of the Three Fates, where the Scottish Hills hold ghosts of the past that threaten Ruby’s present.

American heiress Ruby Vaughn still hasn't entirely forgiven her octogenarian employer and housemate Mr. Owen for bringing the occult into their lives during her recent trip to Cornwall. He claims their journey to Manhurst Castle in the Scottish Borders is simply to appraise and acquire illuminated manuscripts for their rare bookshop, however when Ruby discovers there are no manuscripts and receives news of a séance to be held that very night, she begins to grow suspicious about the true reason why they have come.

The Great War left grieving families willing to sacrifice anything for the chance to say goodbye to a lost loved one. Mr. Owen is no exception. He is desperate to speak to his son, but he doesn’t want to face the spirits alone. When the séance—hosted by a trio of mediums billing themselves as The Three Fates—goes awry, Mr. Owen’s secrets begin to unravel, threatening to reveal a history that he has been running from for half his life. Something Ruby knows all too well how to do.

When Ruby finds one of the Three Fates murdered the night of the seance, she and Mr. Owen quickly become the prime suspects. To clear their names, Ruby enlists the help of Ruan Kivell, the folk healer Pellar who helped her weeks before in Cornwall. As their investigation progresses Ruby and Ruan realize someone is determined to prevent them from uncovering the truth about what happened to the dead medium.]]>
323 Jess Armstrong 1250909880 Jaime 0 to-read 3.89 2024 The Secret of the Three Fates (Ruby Vaughn, #2)
author: Jess Armstrong
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Curse of Penryth Hall (Ruby Vaughn, #1)]]> 65213227 An atmospheric gothic mystery that beautifully brings the ancient Cornish countryside to life, Armstrong introduces heroine Ruby Vaughn in her Minotaur Books & Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut, The Curse of Penryth Hall.

After the Great War, American heiress Ruby Vaughn made a life for herself running a rare bookstore alongside her octogenarian employer and house mate in Exeter. She’s always avoided dwelling on the past, even before the war, but it always has a way of finding her. When Ruby is forced to deliver a box of books to a folk healer living deep in the Cornish countryside, she is brought back to the one place she swore she’d never return. A more sensible soul would have delivered the package and left without rehashing old wounds. But no one has ever accused Ruby of being sensible. Thus begins her visit to Penryth Hall.

A foreboding fortress, Penryth Hall is home to Ruby’s once dearest friend, Tamsyn, and her husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth. It’s an unsettling place, and after a more unsettling evening, Ruby is eager to depart. But her plans change when Penryth’s bells ring for the first time in thirty years. Edward is dead; he met a gruesome end in the orchard, and with his death brings whispers of a returned curse. It also brings Ruan Kivell, the person whose books brought her to Cornwall, the one the locals call a Pellar, the man they believe can break the curse. Ruby doesn’t believe in curses—or Pellars—but this is Cornwall and to these villagers the curse is anything but lore, and they believe it will soon claim its next victim: Tamsyn.

To protect her friend, Ruby must work alongside the Pellar to find out what really happened in the orchard that night.]]>
326 Jess Armstrong 1250886015 Jaime 0 to-read 3.50 2023 The Curse of Penryth Hall (Ruby Vaughn, #1)
author: Jess Armstrong
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Devil in Oxford: A Ruby Vaughn Mystery (Ruby Vaughn Mysteries Book 3)]]> 222572365 Jess Armstrong’s USA Today bestselling and award-winning series is historical gothic murder mystery at its best, and Ruby Vaughn returns in The Devil in Oxford.

If someone were to ask American heiress Ruby Vaughn how exactly the occult came to play such a large role in her life, she would immediately point to her octogenarian housemate and employer, Mr. Owen. Together, the pair run a rare book shop in Exeter. Mr. Owen’s penchant for arcane, unusual—and occasionally illegal—books has been known to get Ruby into her fair share of trouble. And after the last year, she is looking forward to spending a quiet holiday in picturesque Oxford while Mr. Owen attends the annual meeting of his antiquarian society. Secretly, Ruby is also looking for a holiday from her confounding feelings for Ruan Kivell, the intriguing folk healer Pellar that she met in Cornwall.

When Mr. Owen secures two tickets to an upcoming exhibition of artifacts amassed by disgraced scholar Julius Harker, Ruby reluctantly agrees to attend. The evening turns out to be more eventful than either of them bargained for. Harker’s dead body is discovered amongst the collection, his business partner is hastily arrested, and Ruan arrives…wanting to speak with Ruby. It seems both the arcane and her Pellar have followed Ruby to Oxford.

The murder case is suspicious at best, but the last thing Ruby wants is another investigation. That is, until an old friend comes begging for Ruby’s help. It soon becomes painfully clear that there is more going on in Oxford than meets the eye. Ruby and Ruan will have to uncover the dark secrets of the competitive world of antiquities while trying to understand the peculiar force that keeps drawing them back together.]]>
Jess Armstrong 1250374669 Jaime 0 to-read 5.00 The Devil in Oxford: A Ruby Vaughn Mystery (Ruby Vaughn Mysteries Book 3)
author: Jess Armstrong
name: Jaime
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Bookbinder's Secret 231127283 400 A.D. Bell 1250412641 Jaime 0 to-read 3.00 The Bookbinder's Secret
author: A.D. Bell
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.00
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Bookbinder’s Secret: Brand-new, captivating historical fiction for 2025, filled with mystery, romance and the thrilling secrets concealed in a book]]> 222688787 When a burned book falls into the hands of a young bookbinder, she uncovers a tale of forbidden love, a fortune lost � and murder � which puts her own life in jeopardy. The Shadow of the Wind meets Enola Holmes in this thrilling historical novel, with an intriguing mystery, ideal for lovers of books about books.

'Original, exciting, beautifully written' M. W. Craven

…ĦĦĦĦ�.

What danger could lie within a book?

‘I wish you had not killed him.�

Lilian Delaney, apprentice to a master bookbinder in Oxford in 1901, chafes at the confines of her life, caught between the oppressive walls of her father’s bookshop and the limitations of being a woman in a man’s profession. But when a burned book comes into her possession, she finds hidden beneath the binding a fifty-year-old letter speaking of love, fortune and murder.

Lily is drawn into the mystery, which hints at a forbidden romance between young lovers, and learns there are other books which conceal more of the story. Lily becomes obsessed with finding them, but she is not the only one looking, and what began as a simple intrigue quickly turns dangerous.

Her journey takes her across the country, to the eccentric booksellers of London, private libraries of unscrupulous collectors and the dusty archives of society papers, as she delves further into the heart of the secret. But with sinister forces closing in, willing to do anything to obtain the books, Lily’s world begins to fall apart, and she must decide if uncovering the truth is worth losing everything.

Readers are hooked by The Bookbinder's Secret:'An incredible read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐�

'A truly gripping, amazing book' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐]]>
A.D. Bell 0008755922 Jaime 0 to-read 4.29 The Bookbinder’s Secret: Brand-new, captivating historical fiction for 2025, filled with mystery, romance and the thrilling secrets concealed in a book
author: A.D. Bell
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Last Vampire 222376560 Pride & Prejudice meets Crave when Austen-loving Lorena Navarro attends a new boarding school expecting to find her own Mr. Darcy, but accidentally finds the world’s last vampire instead!

Pride comes before the fall.


When a boarding school opens in a once-condemned Victorian manor buried in the woods of New Hampshire, Austen-loving Lorena Navarro enrolls in hopes of finding her own Mr. Darcy. Instead, she stumbles across a coffin and accidentally awakens the world’s last vampire.

After hibernating for nearly three centuries, William Pride is desperate to find his family—and clueless about the modern world. Relying on Lorena for more than just blood, he enrolls at the school to catch up on all he’s missed.

Soon, William uncovers a chilling truth: He is the last hope for his kind’s return to power. Torn between protecting the humans around him and fulfilling his fate, William must make a choice that could change everything. Will he sacrifice his species for love . . . or will he embrace his dark destiny at last?]]>
400 Romina Garber 1250863910 Jaime 0 to-read 3.00 2025 The Last Vampire
author: Romina Garber
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[This Gilded Abyss (The Titan's Wrath Trilogy, 1)]]> 232234367
She should have known Kessandra would fight back.

Consigned as Kessandra’s bodyguard, Nix grudgingly boards the Luminosity, a luxurious submersible that offers the only transportation to Fall. But Kessandra wasn’t truthful–surprise, surprise–and her “investigation� isn’t about the massacre, but rather what caused it: an illness that incites its victims into a violent craze.

When another royal is brutally murdered, Nix and Kess realize the disease has spread–and no one on the Luminosity is safe. If they’re going to survive until Fall, they’ll have to trust each other� but considering Kessandra is responsible for Quian’s death, that won’t be easy.]]>
352 Rebecca Thorne 1250422124 Jaime 0 to-read 0.0 2023 This Gilded Abyss (The Titan's Wrath Trilogy, 1)
author: Rebecca Thorne
name: Jaime
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Seventh Champion 227912381 A dragon princess joins forces with a scarred prince to escape a competition for her hand in marriage, unaware he is hiding dark secrets of his own in the first of a new romantasy duology from the author of Bride of the Shadow King.

Swept from her quiet life as an apothecary’s apprentice to the treacherous court of the High King, Rosie Harpwood is shocked to discover she is the long-lost daughter of the demonic Dragon Queen. Reawakening her dormant magic is the kingdom's only hope for salvation, but the journey is perilous, and she'll need a champion to guide her. So the High King hosts a series of trials to determine which prince is worthy of the honor � as well as claiming Rosie's hand in marriage.

Rosie, however, has other ideas.

A talented healer and lover of small, fluffy creatures, Rosie wants nothing to do with demon queens or saving the world. Determined to escape this fate, she joins forces with one of the champions to plot her getaway. Prince Valtar may be enigmatic and a little bit terrifying, but something about him makes her blood burn in ways that have nothing to do with her dragon heritage.

Trained from youth to serve the Dragon Queen, Valtar has proven himself a ruthless assassin. Posing as a suitor to get close enough to his target shouldn't be a problem. But Valtar wasn’t planning on his target being Rosie, the girl he failed to assassinate years ago . . . who has haunted his dreams ever since.]]>
464 Sylvia Mercedes 0593952235 Jaime 0 to-read 3.00 2025 The Seventh Champion
author: Sylvia Mercedes
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/15
shelves: to-read
review:

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Dark Matter 27833670 A mindbending, relentlessly surprising thriller from the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy.

Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie—when his reality shatters.

"Are you happy with your life?"

Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.

Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.

Before a man Jason's never met smiles down at him and says, "Welcome back, my friend."

In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that's the dream?

And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could've imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.

Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human--a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we'll go to claim the lives we dream of.]]>
342 Blake Crouch 1101904224 Jaime 0 to-read 4.13 2016 Dark Matter
author: Blake Crouch
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/05/14
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[True Fate: A steamy, second chance, small town, �90s retro romance (True Men Book 1)]]> 232286692 Fall in love like it’s 1995.

From USA Today bestselling author of The Duchess Society series comes a sexy small-town romance about going home, making peace with the past—and falling hard all over again.

If you love Sweet Home Alabama, unforgettable first loves, and a hero who never stopped yearning, this '90s second-chance short romance is for you.

Lainey Prescott swore she’d never come back to Promise, South Carolina. But a cheating ex, a tanked career, and one too many sleepless nights send her packing for the only place that still feels like home. Sort of.

She’s not expecting to run into Justin True—first love, worst goodbye, and the man who ruined her for all others. Now he’s all grown up, a successful architect, dangerously steady, sexy, and entirely off-limits.

Thirteen years ago, she pushed him away, and he walked, taking her heart with him.

Now she’s back. And that slow-burn chemistry? Still hot enough to torch every bridge she thought she'd burned.

One small town. One unforgettable summer.
One shot to finally get it right.

TRUE MEN Series
Book 1/ True Fate (Justin)
Book 2: True Dreams (Campbell)
Book 3: True Ruin (Dallas)
Book 4: True Burn (Ransom)]]>
98 Tracy Sumner Jaime 4 4.33 True Fate: A steamy, second chance, small town, ’90s retro romance (True Men Book 1)
author: Tracy Sumner
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/13
date added: 2025/05/13
shelves: 2025, contemporary, read-in-2025, romance, series
review:

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Lady’s Knight 217432802 An undeniably fierce, unforgettably funny, unapologetically queer feminist romp through the England of medieval legend. Bestselling and acclaimed authors Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner bring readers along on an epic quest for valor, freedom, and, above all, love. A Knight’s Tale meets the Lady Jane series, with a dash of The Great!

Gwen is sick of hiding—hiding the fact that she’s taken over her father’s blacksmithing duties, hiding her attraction to girls, hiding her yearning for glory as a knight.

Meanwhile, Lady Isobelle of Avington, queen bee of the castle, has never once considered hiding who she is—until now. She’s been chosen as the grand prize in the Tournament of Dragonslayers, to be given to whichever knight can claim her hand. And for the first time in her life, she can’t talk her way out of trouble.

When Isobelle discovers Gwen’s knightly ambitions, they hatch a scheme together—Gwen will joust in the tournament, disguised as Sir Gawain. Winning means freedom for Isobelle, and glory for Gwen. Losing means� well, let’s not go there.

One thing’s for sure: falling in love was never the plan.

But the best laid plans…are often trampled all over by dragons.

"A sapphic delight, full of jousts, jaunts, and courtly love.Lady's Knightsparkles with wit and charm and has lady knights to swoon over. Kaufman and Spooner will leave you breathless." —C. S. Pacat,New York Timesbestselling author ofDark Rise]]>
432 Amie Kaufman 0062893394 Jaime 3 4.17 2025 Lady’s Knight
author: Amie Kaufman
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/13
date added: 2025/05/13
shelves: 2025, fantasy, galley-arc, read-in-2025, romance
review:

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<![CDATA[A Witch and Her Dragon (Coven Crest Academy #1)]]> 230162351 His duty is to protect the princess, but his dragon’s desire to claim her is becoming impossible to ignore—and she’s about to uncover all the fiery secrets he’s been hiding.

Alina Ravenscroft has a graduate from Coven Crest Academy, master her magic, and join the king’s powerful coven of witches. The only problem? The king is her grandfather, and he insists she can’t attend without a knight by her side. A bodyguard. A babysitter.

Raelan Ashvale is one of the king’s elite knights—and a dragon shifter, though only the king knows the truth. Raelan is assigned as Princess Alina’s personal guard. But there’s a Alina is Raelan’s fated mate, and for the past three years, he’s been doing everything he can to ignore the overwhelming pull between them, the searing need to claim her and make her his own. He can’t afford to give in to his desire for her—especially when revealing the secret of his dragon could risk everything for Raelan and his family.

As Alina and Raelan are forced to spend more time together, the growing tension between them becomes impossible to ignore. Raelan has a duty to the king, to his family, and to his secret. But when danger draws closer and threats to Alina’s safety become all too real, Raelan will have to confront the dangerous truths about his dragon—and the powerful connection he shares with the princess.

A Witch and Her Dragon is the first book in a quartet of standalones set against the magical backdrop of Coven Crest Academy. If you like cozy books with tortured heroes and a dash of spice, this book is for you! Appropriate for readers 18+.


Cozy spicy fantasy romanceMagical academyForced proximityEnemies to loversWitch x Dragon shifterHe falls firstRoyalty romance]]>
Emberly Wyndham Jaime 0 to-read 4.14 A Witch and Her Dragon (Coven Crest Academy #1)
author: Emberly Wyndham
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.14
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/13
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Bell Witches (Savannah Red, #1)]]> 216748008
After Emily’s father tragically dies, she is forced to live with the only family she has left, an aunt and grandmother in the heart of Savannah, Georgia in a house as beautiful as it is mysterious.

But all is not what it seems with the Bell family; they’re hiding a magical secret.

When Emily meets the alluring Wyn, she forms a connection that feels like it was always meant to be. As the spark between them grows more powerful, her life takes an exhilarating and terrifying turn; but every step closer to him, takes her a step further away from her family.

Emily will find out that blood is always thicker than water...

THERE’S NO BOND GREATER THAN MAGIC]]>
448 Lindsey Kelk 0008739854 Jaime 0 to-read 3.68 The Bell Witches (Savannah Red, #1)
author: Lindsey Kelk
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.68
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/12
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Long Live Evil (Time of Iron #1)]]> 201626991
She wakes in a castle on the edge of a hellish chasm, in a kingdom on the brink of war. Home to dangerous monsters, scheming courtiers and her favourite fictional character: the Once and Forever Emperor. He’s impossibly alluring, as only fiction can be. And in this fantasy world, she discovers she's not the heroine, but the villainess in the Emperor's tale.

So be it. The wicked are better dressed, with better one-liners, even if they're doomed to bad ends. She assembles the wildly disparate villains of the story under her evil leadership, plotting to change their fate. But as the body count rises and the Emperor's fury increases, it seems Rae and her allies may not survive to see the final page.

This adult epic fantasy debut from Sarah Rees Brennan puts the reader in the villain's shoes, for an adventure that is both 'brilliant' (Holly Black) and 'supremely satisfying' (Leigh Bardugo). Expect a rogue's gallery of villains including an axe wielding maid, a shining knight with dark moods, a homicidal bodyguard, and a playboy spymaster with a golden heart and a filthy reputation.]]>
435 Sarah Rees Brennan 0316568716 Jaime 0 3.87 2024 Long Live Evil (Time of Iron #1)
author: Sarah Rees Brennan
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/10
shelves: 2024, currently-reading, audio
review:

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We Met Like This 222376740 Beloved author Kasie West's sparkling adult rom-com debut about a hopeless romantic falling for the one man she never expected

Can a swipe right turn into swept away?

Margot Hart is a hopeless romantic. That’s why she wants to be a literary agent—to help bring romance books to the world. It’s also why she hates dating apps with all her romance loving soul. She wants her own love story to be just as much fun as the books she reads—a mixed up coffee order, a mistaken identity. She’s not going to tell the story that she swiped right on future husband’s shirtless pic for the rest of her life.

The problem is that her most consistent relationship over the last several years is with Oliver, a guy she keeps rematching with on the apps. They’ve only been on one date and it was a disaster…well, until the make out session in the car before parting ways. But, she keeps reminding herself, a make out session does not a relationship make. And so there will not be a date two regardless of how witty their app banter is.

When Margot gets fired from her job on the same day she meets Oliver again, her life becomes a veritable shit show. Her dream career is dying right before her eyes, and Oliver thinks she’s interested in only one a repeat of the hot make out session they had three years ago so she can get him out of her system. And maybe that is all she wants from him, because she and Oliver are definitely not compatible—he doesn’t hit the snooze button, he runs five miles every morning, he reads nonfiction, and worst of all, she didn’t meet him in cute way! But in her scramble to keep her dream career alive, by opening her own agency, Oliver is there with his golden retriever energy, more steady and helpful than any man she’s ever dated. Just when she thinks she’s overcome her app bias, she realizes that maybe it’s not her who’s holding back, but him. And his reasons are more than she bargained for.

Kasie West's romantic adult debut is full of witty banter, meet cutes gone awry and, ultimately, true love.]]>
368 Kasie West 1250349141 Jaime 5
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3.97 2025 We Met Like This
author: Kasie West
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/09
date added: 2025/05/09
shelves: 2025, contemporary, favorites, galley-arc, read-in-2025, romance
review:
I could not love this story more - I absolutely adore Kasie West’s YA so I knew I had to read her first adult romance and it met all my expectations. It had all my favorite things� a swoony guy, a lovable and relatable lead, a swoony relationship and strong female friendship. I can’t wait for more adult reads from West!


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You, with a View 59737396 Two weeks on the road... stuck in a car with your high-school enemy.

Noelle Shepard is grieving the loss of her beloved grandmother when she discovers decades-old photos and letters that hint to a forbidden love in her gram's past. Needing to know the full story, she creates a TikTok video appealing for information - and it goes viral.

Through her video, she manages to track down her grandmother's secret love, Paul, who offers to take her on the honeymoon road-trip he and Gram planned but never got to go on.

Noelle jumps at the chance to make this one last connection with her grandmother. There's just one problem - Paul's grandson is Noelle's frustratingly handsome high-school rival Theo.

And Theo has to come, too.

It's only two weeks. Surely Noelle can survive that long? But with one car between them - and often only one bed - it doesn't take long for things to heat up...
]]>
352 Jessica Joyce 059354840X Jaime 0 to-read 4.05 2023 You, with a View
author: Jessica Joyce
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/08
shelves: to-read
review:

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Piranesi 50202953
There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.]]>
272 Susanna Clarke 163557563X Jaime 3 audio, fantasy 4.22 2020 Piranesi
author: Susanna Clarke
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/08
date added: 2025/05/08
shelves: audio, fantasy
review:

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A Royal Mile 231250160
It’s hard to stay in the friend zone when the attraction is this hot�

Going into my senior year of university at war with a member of the British royal family wasn’t in my carefully laid plans. Sebastian Thorne might be the grandson of a princess, but it’ll take more than a royal pardon to get me to forgive him for pretending to be someone he’s not.

But Sebastian is determined to be my friend. Even if it means signing up to a psych experiment just to get me to talk to him. Who knew a sincere apology and him saying my name in that posh English accent would make me weak in the knees?

This year was supposed to be about my dissertation and graduate school. Only, Sebastian has thrown my ordered world off kilter. He makes me bolder, more confident. A braver version of me.

Yet every lingering glance and stolen touch has me realizing one thing�

I’m falling for my best friend.

There’s just one problem. Sebastian has demons, ones that make him determined to keep me in the friend zone no matter the cost.

And even when temptation sends his walls tumbling down, the beauty we’ve found might not survive against the will of powerful outside forces…]]>
440 Samantha Young 1915243351 Jaime 0 to-read 5.00 2025 A Royal Mile
author: Samantha Young
name: Jaime
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/08
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Persephone Code 207656658
1812

Deep below the hills of the Buckinghamshire countryside, the infamous Hellfire Caves house a pleasure palace for the idle rich � a secret society steeped in satanism, opium and debauchery of the highest order.

When the club’s warden, Antony Pennington, is brutally murdered, his bastard sister, Dora, must follow the clues to decode who the killer is, aided by an unexpected ally � ex-Army officer, former opium addict and son of a Viscount, Dr Jacob Sandys.

As a shadow dogs their every footstep, Dora and Jacob find themselves in the midst of a shocking conspiracy, caught between the legendary Illuminati and the Hell Fire Club. With time running out, they must fight against both the most influential gentleman of the ton � and the undeniable attraction they feel towards each other…]]>
384 Julia Golding 0008636877 Jaime 0 to-read 3.49 The Persephone Code
author: Julia Golding
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.49
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves: to-read
review:

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At Last (Lucky Harbor, #5) 13076969 Amy Michaels loves her new life in Lucky Harbor. A waitress in the local diner, she's looking forward to her first weekend hike through the mountains. But when a wrong turn takes her off the trail, she finds herself up close and personal with forest ranger Matt Bowers. And even though she's tempted to kiss that sexy smile right off his face, she won't make the mistake of getting involved with the town heartthrob.

A former cop whose life went south, Matt doesn't let anyone get too close. But something about the feisty beauty caught his eye the moment he first saw her in the diner. After a hot night under a starry sky, Matt can't deny their attraction-or the fact that for the first time in a long time, he feels the stirrings of something more. Now it's up to Matt to help Amy see that, no matter what is in their past, together they can build a future in Lucky Harbor.]]>
314 Jill Shalvis 1455503746 Jaime 5
Jill Shalvis has made me fall in love with fictional characters and a fictional town and I love it.

Amy is the tough girl who keeps everyone at an arms length, even her friends to some degree, but will Matt, a former Chicago cop and the sexy forest ranger get through that tough exterior?

Neither is looking for anything permanent but the chemistry they have together is UNF!!!

I'm seriously repeating myself with each and every one of these books but they are swooony perfection and I always finish with a big smile on my face even though I know what's coming.

This series is on my 'recommend forever' list for a reason - don't miss out - read them now!!]]>
4.14 2012 At Last (Lucky Harbor, #5)
author: Jill Shalvis
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/07
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves: romance, series, recommend-forever, swoony-boys, on-my-real-shelves, contemporary, reread, read-in-2025
review:
My absolute favorite I think. I don't know what I can tell you about why that is, but I just loved both Amy and Matt.

Jill Shalvis has made me fall in love with fictional characters and a fictional town and I love it.

Amy is the tough girl who keeps everyone at an arms length, even her friends to some degree, but will Matt, a former Chicago cop and the sexy forest ranger get through that tough exterior?

Neither is looking for anything permanent but the chemistry they have together is UNF!!!

I'm seriously repeating myself with each and every one of these books but they are swooony perfection and I always finish with a big smile on my face even though I know what's coming.

This series is on my 'recommend forever' list for a reason - don't miss out - read them now!!
]]>
<![CDATA[True Dreams: An enemies to lovers, small town, single brother, �90s retro romance (True Men Book 2)]]> 231589403 Fall in love like it’s 1995.

From USA Today bestselling author Tracy Sumner comes a steamy enemies-to-lovers '90s romance—where sparks fly, walls come down, and love shows up when you least expect it.

He’s got a camera, a complicated past, and a stare that sees straight through her—too bad he’s also her landlord. And the last man she should be falling for.

Fontana Quinn doesn’t have time for brooding photographers with too many opinions. She’s busy running a barely-surviving business, raising her teenage sister, and trying to stay on top of the bills—including rent on the cottage she just learned is owned by none other than Campbell True.

He’s thoughtful. Intense. Brilliant.
And he’s living next door.

Temporarily back in Promise to care for his younger brother, Campbell doesn’t plan to stay long. But Fontana is impossible to ignore—sharp-tongued, beautiful, and determined not to let him under her skin.

They clash over everything. But behind every argument is something neither of them wants to admit. That they’re drawn to each other. Badly.

She’s guarded. He’s grieving.
And the fire between them is starting to feel a lot like fate.

One stubborn man. One fierce woman.
One chance to turn sparks into something real.

TRUE MEN Series
Book 1/ True Fate (Justin)
Book 2: True Dreams (Campbell)
Book 3: True Ruin (Dallas)
Book 4: True Burn (Ransom)]]>
Tracy Sumner Jaime 0 to-read 0.0 True Dreams: An enemies to lovers, small town, single brother, ’90s retro romance (True Men Book 2)
author: Tracy Sumner
name: Jaime
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves: to-read
review:

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Well, Actually 217387757
Forced to confront Rylie on a live episode of Sausage Talk, he offers Eva a deal: allow him to take her on a series of dates to make up for his toxic behavior, then debrief them on his channel to show he’s changed. Eva refuses to play nice, but agrees to the scheme to advance her own career and continue defaming Rylie’s good name. When these manufactured dates start to feel real, Eva has to wonder if the boy that broke her heart has become the man that might heal it.]]>
384 Mazey Eddings 1250333318 Jaime 3
Overall a good read - certainly spicy, quick read and I really loved the solidness of Riley’s character.]]>
3.98 2025 Well, Actually
author: Mazey Eddings
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/06
date added: 2025/05/06
shelves: 2025, contemporary, galley-arc, romance, read-in-2025
review:
3.5 stars - there were things I really liked about this and other things that kind of annoyed me. Riley has a blushing problem but is super sweet. I liked Eva’s toughness but when she really needed to show she had a spine it wasn’t there. I get that she was young and uncertain about her place at work but the reaction to what happened felt so different to the personality of the character that was built up throughout the story.

Overall a good read - certainly spicy, quick read and I really loved the solidness of Riley’s character.
]]>
<![CDATA[Marked by Moonlight (The Moon Chasers, #1)]]> 220160627 “A riveting plot, steeping with sultry sexual tension and unforgettable love scenes� (Kresley Cole, #1 New York Times bestselling author), makes this first entry in the Moon Chasers series an unforgettable paranormal romance.

Claire Morgan has always been the quiet one: a shy, mousy schoolteacher, overlooked and unwanted. Until one day, out of nowhere, she wakes up a whole new woman—bold, wild, passionate...and impossible to ignore.

When Gideon March tells her she was bitten by a werewolf, Claire doesn’t want to believe the brutally handsome stranger. Sure, she was attacked by a nasty dog in a back alley, but this guy insists he’s a member of an underground society of lycan hunters and his mission is to kill her.

But Claire and Gideon are bound by a desire they can’t resist. And if they can’t break the curse by the next full moon, Claire’s soul will be lost forever and Gideon will be forced to end the woman who is dangerously close to devouring him, heart and soul.]]>
320 Sophie Jordan 1668075024 Jaime 0 to-read 3.00 2025 Marked by Moonlight (The Moon Chasers, #1)
author: Sophie Jordan
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves: to-read
review:

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I, Medusa 228143091 From New York Times bestselling author Ayana Gray comes a new kind of villain origin story, reimagining one of the most iconic monsters in Greek mythology as a provocative and powerful young heroine.

Meddy has spent her whole life as a footnote in someone else’s story. Out of place next to her beautiful, immortal sisters and her parents—both gods, albeit minor ones—she dreams of leaving her family’s island for a life of adventure. So when she catches the eye of the goddess Athena, who invites her to train as an esteemed priestess in her temple, Meddy leaps at the chance to see the world beyond her home.

In Athens� colorful market streets and the clandestine chambers of the temple, Meddy flourishes in her role as Athena’s favored acolyte, getting her first tastes of purpose and power. But when she is noticed by another Olympian, Poseidon, a drunken night between girl and god ends in violence, and the course of Meddy’s promising future is suddenly and irrevocably altered.

Her locs transformed into snakes as punishment for a crime she did not commit, Medusa must embrace a new identity—not as a victim, but as a vigilante—and with it, the chance to write her own story as mortal, martyr, and myth.

Exploding with rage, heartbreak, and love, I, Medusa portrays a young woman caught in the cross currents between her heart’s deepest desires and the cruel, careless games the Olympian gods play.]]>
336 Ayana Gray 0593733762 Jaime 0 to-read 4.21 2025 I, Medusa
author: Ayana Gray
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil]]> 213263148
This is a story about hunger.
1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
A young girl grows up wild and wily—her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But María knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men. When an alluring stranger offers an alternate path, María makes a desperate choice. She vows to have no regrets.

This is a story about love.
1827. London.
A young woman lives an idyllic but cloistered life on her family’s estate, until a moment of forbidden intimacy sees her shipped off to London. Charlotte’s tender heart and seemingly impossible wishes are swept away by an invitation from a beautiful widow—but the price of freedom is higher than she could have imagined.

This is a story about rage.
2019. Boston.
College was supposed to be her chance to be someone new. That’s why Alice moved halfway across the world, leaving her old life behind. But after an out-of-character one-night stand leaves her questioning her past, her present, and her future, Alice throws herself into the hunt for answers . . . and revenge.

This is a story about life�
how it ends, and how it starts.
]]>
544 Victoria E. Schwab 1250320526 Jaime 4 4.52 2025 Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/04
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: 2025, fantasy, galley-arc, paranormal, vampires
review:

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<![CDATA[Daughter of No Worlds (The War of Lost Hearts, #1)]]> 49826643
Ripped from a forgotten homeland as a child, Tisaanah learned how to survive with nothing but a sharp wit and a touch of magic. But the night she tries to buy her freedom, she barely escapes with her life.

Desperate to save the best friend she left behind, Tisaanah journeys to the Orders, the most powerful organizations of magic Wielders in the world. But to join their ranks, she must complete an apprenticeship with Maxantarius Farlione, a handsome and reclusive fire wielder who despises the Orders.

The Orders� intentions are cryptic, and Tisaanah must prove herself under the threat of looming war. But even more dangerous are her growing feelings for Maxantarius. The bloody past he wants to forget may be the key to her future� or the downfall of them both.

But Tisaanah will stop at nothing to save those she abandoned. Even if it means gambling in the Orders� deadly games. Even if it means sacrificing her heart.

Even if it means wielding death itself.

Fans of epic romantic fantasy like Sarah J. Maas and Raven Kennedy will devour this tale of dark magic, passionate romance, vengeance, and redemption.]]>
520 Carissa Broadbent Jaime 0 to-read 4.03 2020 Daughter of No Worlds (The War of Lost Hearts, #1)
author: Carissa Broadbent
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Maid’s Secret (Penny Green, #3)]]> 55527721 The truth is rarely simple.

London 1884. Victorian industrialist Alexander Glenville is a man with many secrets. Fleet Street reporter Penny Green is tasked with working undercover as a maid in his home, but tragedy strikes when Glenville’s daughter is poisoned.

Penny’s insider knowledge is crucial for Scotland Yard’s murder investigation, but someone in the Glenville household already suspects that she’s more than just a servant. Can Penny and Inspector James Blakely solve the mystery before Penny’s cover is blown?

For fans of classic murder mysteries! The books in the Penny Green Series can be read in any order.]]>
344 Emily Organ Jaime 4 4.18 2017 The Maid’s Secret (Penny Green, #3)
author: Emily Organ
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/01
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: audio, historical, mystery-suspense, series, read-in-2025
review:

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The Seventh Champion 227913530 A dragon princess joins forces with a scarred prince to escape a competition for her hand in marriage, unaware he is hiding dark secrets of his own in the first of a new romantasy duology from the author of Bride of the Shadow King.

Swept from her quiet life as an apothecary’s apprentice to the treacherous court of the High King, Rosie Harpwood is shocked to discover she is the long-lost daughter of the demonic Dragon Queen. Reawakening her dormant magic is the kingdom's only hope for salvation, but the journey is perilous, and she'll need a champion to guide her. So the High King hosts a series of trials to determine which prince is worthy of the honor � as well as claiming Rosie's hand in marriage.

Rosie, however, has other ideas.

A talented healer and lover of small, fluffy creatures, Rosie wants nothing to do with demon queens or saving the world. Determined to escape this fate, she joins forces with one of the champions to plot her getaway. Prince Valtar may be enigmatic and a little bit terrifying, but something about him makes her blood burn in ways that have nothing to do with her dragon heritage.

Trained from youth to serve the Dragon Queen, Valtar has proven himself a ruthless assassin. Posing as a suitor to get close enough to his target shouldn't be a problem. But Valtar wasn’t planning on his target being Rosie, the girl he failed to assassinate years ago . . . who has haunted his dreams ever since.]]>
Sylvia Mercedes 0593952243 Jaime 0 to-read 3.00 2025 The Seventh Champion
author: Sylvia Mercedes
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

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The House Saphir 221604746
Mallory is a self-proclaimed expert on Count Bastien Saphir - otherwise known as Monsieur Le Bleu - who brutally killed three of his wives more than a century ago. But she never expected to meet Bastien's great-grandson and heir to the Saphir estate. Armand is handsome, wealthy, and convinced that the Fontaine Sisters are as talented as they claim. The perfect mark. When he offers Mallory a large sum of money to rid his ancestral home of Le Bleu's ghost, she can’t resist. A paid vacation at Armand’s country manor? It’s practically a dream come true, never mind the ghosts of murdered wives and the monsters that are as common as household pests.

But when murder again comes to the House Saphir, Mallory finds herself at the center of the investigation—and she is almost certain the killer is mortal. If she has any hope of cashing in on the payment she was promised, she’ll have to solve the murder and banish the ghost, all while upholding the illusion of witchcraft.

But that all sounds relatively easy compared to her biggest learning to trust her heart. Especially when the person her heart wants the most might be a murderer himself.]]>
432 Marissa Meyer 125032095X Jaime 0 to-read 4.39 2025 The House Saphir
author: Marissa Meyer
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Ever King (The Ever Seas, #1)]]> 223640997 They stole his crown, so he stole their daughter�

For years Erik, the scarred king of the Ever Kingdom, has thought of nothing but vengeance against the man who killed his father and trapped him beneath the waves, making Erik a prisoner in his own realm.

But on a dare gone wrong, his enemy’s daughter recklessly breaks the chains on the Ever. She soon becomes the unwitting pawn in Erik's vicious game of revenge.

She’s innocent. He’s vicious. But he will take back what he lost, no matter the price.

Unless she steals his heart first.

Welcome to the passionate world of the Ever Kingdom where pirates, sirens, and fae collide with Vikings in a spicy, dark fantasy romance between a made villain and the innocent princess who holds his heart.

*This series is a spinoff series from the bestselling Broken Kingdoms series, but can be read independently*]]>
480 L.J. Andrews 0593955021 Jaime 0 to-read 4.37 2023 The Ever King (The Ever Seas, #1)
author: L.J. Andrews
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Tapestry of Time 218283708
There's a tradition in the Sharp family that some possess the Second Sight. But is it superstition, or true psychic power?

Kit Sharp is in Paris, where she is involved in a love affair with the stunning Evelyn Larsen, and working as an archivist, having inherited her historian father's fascination with the Bayeux Tapestry. He believes that parts of the tapestry were made before 1066, and that it was a tool for prediction, not a simple record of events.

The Nazis are also obsessed with the convinced that not only did it predict the Norman Conquest of England, but that it will aid them in their invasion of Britain.

Ivy Sharp has joined the Special Operations Executive � the SOE � a secret unit set up to carry out espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance. Having demonstrated that she has extraordinary powers of perception, she is dropped into Northern France on a special mission.

With the war on a knife edge, the Sharp Sisters face certain death. Can their courage and extrasensory gifts prevent the enemy from using the tapestry to bring about a devastating victory against the Allied Forces?]]>
384 Kate Heartfield 000873142X Jaime 0 to-read 3.62 2024 The Tapestry of Time
author: Kate Heartfield
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: to-read
review:

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Phantasma (Wicked Games, #1) 204593914 Welcome to Phantasma. There are only two rules to the game: Stay alive. And don’t fall in love.

When Ophelia’s sister disappears, there is only one way to save her. Ophelia must enter Phantasma, a deadly contest inside a haunted mansion, and claim its prize—a single wish.

Phantasma is a maze of twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, of demons and temptations. Ophelia will face nine challenges, each more dangerous than the last. There can only be one winner, and the other contestants will stop at nothing to eliminate their rivals.

Every day the house creates new monsters. But just as Ophelia’s fears threaten to overwhelm her, a mysterious stranger offers her a bargain.

Charming, arrogant and infuriatingly attractive, Blackwell claims he can guide her through the lethal trials ahead. All he asks in return is ten years of her life.

Ophelia knows she shouldn’t trust him. Blackwell doesn’t seem dangerous, but appearances can be deceptive. Worse still, she feels a dark and irresistible attraction drawing them closer and closer.

Her life is on the line. But in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart . . .]]>
497 Kaylie Smith 1538769255 Jaime 0 to-read 4.05 2024 Phantasma (Wicked Games, #1)
author: Kaylie Smith
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: to-read
review:

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A Fire in the Sky 205822553 New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan returns to the high-stakes, sweeping world of dragons, romance, and drama first evoked in her bestselling young adult Firelight series, in a brand-new epic adult romantasy series.

Dragons are extinct. Witches are outcast. Magic is dying.

But human lust for power is immortal.


Dragon fire no longer blisters the skies over Penterra, but inside the lavish palace, life is still perilous…especially for Tamsyn. Raised in the glittering court alongside the princesses, it's her duty to be punished for their misdeeds. Treated as part of the royal family but also as the lowliest servant, Tamsyn fits nowhere. Her only friend is Stig, Captain of the Guard...though sometimes she thinks he wants more than friendship.

When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, descends on her home, Tamsyn’s world becomes even more dangerous. To save the pampered princesses from a fate worse than death, she is commanded to don a veil and marry the brutal warrior. She agrees to the deception even though it means leaving Stig, and the only life she’s ever known, behind.

The wedding night begins with unexpected passion—and ends in near violence when her trickery is exposed. Rather than start a war, Fell accepts Tamsyn as his bride...but can he accept the dark secrets she harbors—secrets buried so deep even she doesn’t know they exist? For Tamsyn is more than a royal whipping girl, more than the false wife of a man who now sees her as his enemy. And when those secrets emerge, they will ignite a flame bright enough to burn the entire kingdom to the bone.

Magic is not dead...it is only sleeping. And it will take one ordinary girl with an extraordinary destiny to awaken it.]]>
336 Sophie Jordan 0063399997 Jaime 0 to-read 3.59 2024 A Fire in the Sky
author: Sophie Jordan
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Masquerade in London (Samantha and Wyatt Mysteries #1)]]> 60630538
V.T. Wyatt has defied his aristocratic upbringing to pursue a life as a private investigator. After an unusual first meeting, he hires Samantha to help him solve a rash of burglaries. Soon, a connection between the burglaries and the murders emerges, drawing Samantha and Wyatt even closer together as they race to solve both mysteries and clear her name. ★★★★� "A very interesting, intriguing and exciting read; I found it difficult to put down. Yes totally recommend, 5 stars for sure." ~Carol, ŷ user ★★★★� "Love a great story with lots of twists and turns. Wonderful characters to follow along on this adventure that keeps you guessing until the end. Interesting and complex story that will keep you reading the pages. Hard to put down." ~Rhonda, Booksprout reviewer ★★★★ "I love a good historical mystery, being transported to a different time and caught up in a good plot. This is one of those books. Great characters who buck against their class imposed roles to fight for the truth and what’s right. A good plot that kept me guessing and a wonderfully built approximation of the Victorian era. I was absolutely surprised at the ending in the best way. I would recommend this to any historical mystery fans!" ~Michelle, Booksprout reviewe]]>
329 Emily L. Finch 1737737221 Jaime 4 4.36 2022 Masquerade in London (Samantha and Wyatt Mysteries #1)
author: Emily L. Finch
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/29
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: historical, mystery-suspense, read-in-2025, series
review:

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Twin Tides 228953550 Long-lost twin sisters unravel the mystery behind their mother's disappearance and face the family betrayal that ultimately separated them in this breathtaking speculative young adult thriller.

Aria Nguyen and Caliste Ha are identical twins. A fact that they just learned when a police officer told them that their mother is no longer a missing person. She’s been found dead in Minnesota, a place neither knew they had a connection to.

Aria is from DC, where she’s been struggling to pay their sick aunt’s medical bills and only does so by writing her classmates� papers for extra cash. Meanwhile, Caliste is a successful influencer in LA, not that their food mogul father cares. Both have dreamt of the moment they’d see their mother again, of being happy again, but they could’ve never imagined this nightmare. Their mom’s body apparently hasn’t aged, and there’s a bruise on her neck.

Now beckoned to the quaint yet eerie city of Les Eaux, where a ghoul supposedly haunts the waters, Caliste and Aria must delve into their family’s past to find their mother’s murderer. Secrets don’t unravel easily though. And some people in this small town don’t want to give theirs up without a fight.]]>
352 Hien Nguyen Jaime 0 to-read 4.85 2025 Twin Tides
author: Hien Nguyen
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.85
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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An Embroidery of Souls 223854927
Jade Aguilar can kill a man with nothing more than a needle and thread. Like her mother, a thread speaker in the queendom of Mérecal, she has the unique ability to stitch love, beauty, intelligence and to unravel even death. When her mother goes missing, the queen orders Jade to find her or be conscripted into a life of servitude.
Lukas Keller is desperate to feed his family and makes a deal with a vicious gang leader. Though he swore never to seek the help of a thread speaker, he's in over his head and it might be his only option.
Jade and Lukas form a mistrustful alliance. But as Mérecal erupts into chaos and the killer closes in, they must cling to one another for survival--and perhaps . . . something more?

From debut author Ruby Martinez comes a wildly romantic, heart pounding mystery set in a lush fantastical world inspired by Mexican and German lore.]]>
416 Ruby Martinez 0593901037 Jaime 0 to-read 4.80 2025 An Embroidery of Souls
author: Ruby Martinez
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.80
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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Shiny Happy People 227913043 A gripping, genre-bending novel about a mysterious new drug plaguing a small town and one girl who must uncover the terrifying truth behind the haunting side effects—or she will be next.

At sixteen Kyra is still haunted by the horrors she saw as little girl living with her mother’s drug addiction. Years later, Kyra doesn’t always feel like she belongs—and disturbing dreams come to her at night.

When a new party drug makes its way to her high school, Kyra’s life becomes an actual nightmare. A challenge spreads among the students thanks to a few videos circulating—and Kyra is unable to escape the inexplicably strange side effects.

Everyone around her seems to be mysteriously changing, including the people she loves the most. Her brother has a new personality overnight. Her best friend suddenly feels like a stranger. The only other person who seems to be noticing the eeriness around them is Logan, the new boy at school. Like Kyra, he has steered clear of the party scene.

But as strange occurrences begin to turn sinister, Kyra can’t shake the feeling that something unnatural is at play . . . as if something deadly spreading is in their veins. With Logan’s help, she decides to find out exactly what is behind the mysterious drug—before they’re next. As they begin to get closer to the truth, the line between Kyra’s past and her present blurs . . . and she will need to face the terrors inside herself to save everyone.]]>
368 Clay McLeod Chapman 0593904095 Jaime 0 to-read 4.33 Shiny Happy People
author: Clay McLeod Chapman
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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Red as Royal Blood 220435903 The Inheritance Games gets the royal treatment in this paperback original thriller that combines courtly intrigue, succession drama, and romance.

Ruby has never found a puzzle she couldn’t solve. Even though she’s destined to spend the rest of her life as a servant to the royal family, her mind itches for a true challenge. But no puzzle could prepare her for the king’s decision to name Ruby as the next heir to the throne just before his death.

Thrown into the viper’s nest of court, Ruby is forced to contend with a kingdom in crisis, the dead king’s angry wife, and the three entitled and annoyingly handsome princes. Then, as if being newly crowned queen wasn’t enough, she discovers a note left by the king that claims he was murdered . . . and that she might be next.

Unsure of who she can trust, Ruby makes uneasy alliances with each of the princes as she tries to solve the king’s murder. But with the clock winding down, she will face her most difficult challenge finding the truth before the killer comes for her.]]>
336 Elizabeth Hart 006344111X Jaime 0 to-read 4.33 Red as Royal Blood
author: Elizabeth Hart
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[A Theory of Dreaming (A Study in Drowning, #2)]]> 221228045
All stories come to an end.

Effy learned that when she defeated the Fairy King. Even though she may never know exactly what happened at Hiraeth, she is free of her nightmares and is able to pen a thesis with Preston on the beloved national fairy tale Angharad. She has finally earned a spot at the literature college, making her the first woman in history to enroll.

But some dreams are dangerous, especially when they come true. The entire university—and soon the entire nation—is waiting for her to fail. With the Fairy King defeated and Myrddin’s legacy exposed, Effy can no longer escape into fantasy. Who is she without her stories?

With Effy under threat, Preston is surprised to discover a rage simmering inside him, ringing in his ears like bells. He begins to dream of a palace under the sea, a world where he is king—visions that start to follow him even in waking.

As the war between Llyr and Argant explodes, Effy and Preston find themselves caught in the crossfire: Effy losing her dreams and Preston losing himself in his.

Are dreams ever truly just dreams?]]>
416 Ava Reid 0063421674 Jaime 0 to-read 3.92 2025 A Theory of Dreaming (A Study in Drowning, #2)
author: Ava Reid
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda]]> 218553720 Penguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series for learners of English as a foreign language. With carefully adapted text, new illustrations and language learning exercises, the print edition also includes instructions to access supporting material online.

Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction, introducing language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content.

The eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning (CEFR). Exercises at the back of each Reader help language learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, and key exam skills. Before, during and after-reading questions test readers' story comprehension and develop vocabulary.

Visit the Penguin Readers website
Exclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock online resources including a digital book, audio edition, lesson plans and answer keys.

Simon is a young gay boy who is at High School in America. He meets Blue on the school's Tumblr, and they begin talking to each other. Simon knows that he is falling in love, but then another boy sees the emails and Simon has to come out.]]>
400 Becky Albertalli 0063443473 Jaime 0 to-read 3.25 Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
author: Becky Albertalli
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.25
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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13 Days of Summer 220175524 Almost Famousmeets The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsin this YA meet-cute following a group of friends on an unforgettable road trip to a Taylor Swift concert, perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Nicola Yoon.

It’s the summer after senior year for a group of friends, and they intend to live it up while they can. What could be more epic than a cross-country road trip to see Taylor Swift in concert? Along the way, the friends pick up a mysterious and charming guy who is stranded at a rest stop. (Is that a James Dean daydream look in his eyes?) As he and one of the friends hit it off, said friend gets a crash course in love-at-first sight.

At its core, a novel about the power and possibility of friendships, sprinkled with just enough romance and set against the ultimate summer playlist, this lighthearted read is both a quintessential teen romance and coming-of-age novel that will stay with readers long after Taylor sings her last note.]]>
336 Stephanie Kate Strohm Jaime 0 to-read 3.86 13 Days of Summer
author: Stephanie Kate Strohm
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.86
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[My Best Friend's Earl (Bluestocking Booksellers, #2)]]> 222139830 A bold bookseller tries to matchbreak her friend’s engagement to an earl . . . until she finds herself falling for him instead.

The one thing Constance Martin wants most to avoid is a boring life. She walks her cat with a leash in Hyde Park and even called off her wedding at the altar to stop what would have been a monotonous marriage. So when an aristocratic friend comes into the store asking for help throwing over her fiancé, Constance is both sympathetic and eager for the excitement to come. What could be more fun than plotting ways to get a stuffy—but very handsome—earl to break an engagement?

Oliver Vincent, Earl of Southwyn, likes his orderly life of duty and logic. Everything’s falling into place; all that’s left is marrying the girl next door. Except the girl next door is increasingly reluctant. But marriage is a business deal, after all, and Oliver is determined to keep moving forward with the plan. If only he wasn’t so distracted by her friend—a stunning woman best described as chaos incarnate. She thinks marriage should be an adventure, and he views it as a transaction. But Oliver can’t seem to remember the downsides of falling when Constance is near. . .]]>
368 Bethany Bennett 1538740508 Jaime 4 4.06 2025 My Best Friend's Earl (Bluestocking Booksellers, #2)
author: Bethany Bennett
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/27
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves: 2025, galley-arc, historical, romance, series, read-in-2025
review:

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<![CDATA[Lucky in Love (Lucky Harbor, #4)]]> 13057132 For the first time in his life, Ty can't bear to leave. Helping this sexy seductress-in-training walk on the wild side is making him desire things he shouldn't, including leaving the military for good. As their just-for-fun fling becomes something more, Mallory and Ty wonder if they could really be this lucky in love. After all . . . anything can happen in a town called Lucky Harbor.]]> 341 Jill Shalvis 145550372X Jaime 5
I was wrong. It was just as good.. if not better. I loved the first three books, and I wanted to love these next in the series the same, if not more.

I might love them more.

In book four, we're introduced to our next three lovely ladies by way of a storm. Amy, Mallory and Grace are in the diner when it hits and they make the most of it with a chocolate cake. Enter Ty, or Mysterious Cute Guy. He's only passing through town, but all the residents are intrigued. After a freak accident he and Mallory meet and suddenly she has a date for a fundraiser she's setting up. The fireworks start immediately.

Straight and narrow Mallory has always followed the rules and for once she's breaking them... she wants one night with Mr. Wrong and she gets it, but is one night going to be enough... for either of them? I didn't think so either. These two are combustible and I when I turned that last page I wanted more!

I think that I love these books because while a town with all these hot guys in it is a bit fantastical, they could be real people... the situations are believable, the emotions are believable and there never seems to be angst just for angst sake. I swear I get to that part of the book where you expect shit to hit the fan, and it does, but usually it's only a little splatter... (sorry for that picture friends) These are adult people, in adult relationships, acting like adults.

The books themselves have a bit of predictability, the hero/heroine fools themselves into thinking this isn't anything serious, neither thinks they want to commit, but then they do. BUT even typing that out makes me all gooey inside, because the way Shalvis writes it, I'm never bored. I love the characters, the heroins don't bug the crap out of me (which is rare in contemporary romance) and I adore the men, even if they are being boneheaded. LOL

run to read these books - I swear you're going to thank me!]]>
4.20 2012 Lucky in Love (Lucky Harbor, #4)
author: Jill Shalvis
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/26
date added: 2025/04/26
shelves: recommend-forever, series, swoony-boys, romance, on-my-real-shelves, reread, read-in-2025
review:
I can't lie... I was worried. I wasn't sure what I would do without Maddie, Tara, Chloe, Jax, Ford and Sawyer. I almost convinced myself not to read because it wouldn't be the same without them.

I was wrong. It was just as good.. if not better. I loved the first three books, and I wanted to love these next in the series the same, if not more.

I might love them more.

In book four, we're introduced to our next three lovely ladies by way of a storm. Amy, Mallory and Grace are in the diner when it hits and they make the most of it with a chocolate cake. Enter Ty, or Mysterious Cute Guy. He's only passing through town, but all the residents are intrigued. After a freak accident he and Mallory meet and suddenly she has a date for a fundraiser she's setting up. The fireworks start immediately.

Straight and narrow Mallory has always followed the rules and for once she's breaking them... she wants one night with Mr. Wrong and she gets it, but is one night going to be enough... for either of them? I didn't think so either. These two are combustible and I when I turned that last page I wanted more!

I think that I love these books because while a town with all these hot guys in it is a bit fantastical, they could be real people... the situations are believable, the emotions are believable and there never seems to be angst just for angst sake. I swear I get to that part of the book where you expect shit to hit the fan, and it does, but usually it's only a little splatter... (sorry for that picture friends) These are adult people, in adult relationships, acting like adults.

The books themselves have a bit of predictability, the hero/heroine fools themselves into thinking this isn't anything serious, neither thinks they want to commit, but then they do. BUT even typing that out makes me all gooey inside, because the way Shalvis writes it, I'm never bored. I love the characters, the heroins don't bug the crap out of me (which is rare in contemporary romance) and I adore the men, even if they are being boneheaded. LOL

run to read these books - I swear you're going to thank me!
]]>
<![CDATA[Pitcher Perfect (Big Shots, #4)]]> 222658358 #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey is back with an all-new enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating sports romance about a playboy hockey rookie and the disciplined softball pitcher completely immune to his charms.

Boston Bearcats rookie Robbie Corrigan is living the dream. He’s made it to the NHL, his best friend/teammate and fellow “orgasm donor� is his roomie—and the women of Boston love them both. Life is sweet. That is, until he meets Skylar Paige, division 1 softball pitcher, girl least likely to take anyone’s bull…and the one member of the opposite sex immune to his charms. Robbie might be dazzled by the badass pitcher, but Skylar pegs him as a filthy player and wants nothing to do with him.

When he discovers she’s carrying a serious torch for her brother’s best friend, Robbie knows he should just go back to clubbing and whipped cream bikini parties, but he can’t seem to leave Skylar to flounder on her romantic quest to land another man. Nor can he miss out on the opportunity to spend time with her and hopefully redeem himself. Before Robbie knows it, he’s agreed to be Skylar’s fake boyfriend/love coach at an upcoming family wilderness competition where her crush will be in attendance. What could go wrong?

Through a series of contests that require them to trust each other, Robbie and Skylar grow closer and closer until their fake relationship starts to feel like the realest thing they’ve ever known and the sizzling lessons in sensuality burn out of control.

But it’s all just pretend…right?]]>
336 Tessa Bailey 0063380838 Jaime 0 to-read 4.12 2025 Pitcher Perfect (Big Shots, #4)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Nine Month Contract (Mountain Men Matchmaker, #1)]]> 219655872 “A hilariously fresh and spicy rom-com that I couldn’t put down!� -Meghan Quinn, USA Today Bestselling Author

Help Wanted: Grumpy mountain man seeks baby momma. Job is an incubator position only. Surrogate must be impervious to grunting as the form of communication and nosy brotherly neighbors. Rustic mountain range housing available upon request.

I wanted to pummel my irritating brothers when they posted their own version of a wanted ad to help me with my life.

But I can’t fault the results once the right woman lands in my lap.

Becoming a single father is not a decision I made lightly. In fact, it’s the biggest decision of my entire life.

Which is why when I interview Trista, I know she’s perfect.

She’s wild, she’s opinionated, she wears cowboy boots. Even my pet goat loves her�

She’s the exact type of person I was holding out for.

And to my great horror, I realize on our first night of attempting this baby-making dance—when the lights are low, the cheap wine is flowing and the home-insemination supplies are laid out on the kitchen counter—I want to do a lot more than just make her my surrogate.

I want to make her mine.

Perfect for fans of:
� Grumpy/Sunshine
� Small Town Romance
� Age Gap
� Curvy FMC
� Meghan Quinn and Tessa Bailey
]]>
358 Amy Daws Jaime 2 3.95 2024 Nine Month Contract (Mountain Men Matchmaker, #1)
author: Amy Daws
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/25
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: contemporary, meh, read-in-2025, romance, series
review:

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<![CDATA[The Ravenkeeper's Daughter: A Victorian Historical Murder Mystery (The Field & Greystone Series, #1)]]> 218276826
Scotland Yard Inspector Henry Field has few clues to follow but is determined to prove his quick rise through the ranks of the Metropolitan Police wasn’t simply because of his last name. Yet when the ravenkeeper’s daughter is found, the case becomes even more complicated.

Discovering the frightened, disheveled girl on her doorstep is a shocking start to widow Amelia Greystone’s day. So is the inspector assigned to the case—the same one who has yet to solve her husband’s murder.

Soon the investigation takes a dangerous turn that rouses fear of the legend surrounding the Tower’s ravens and threatens the Queen herself.

Can the unlikely pair protect the newly orphaned girl and halt the killer before he strikes again?

Fans of Irina Shapiro, Andrea Penrose, and Miss Scarlet and the Duke will enjoy this mystery series set on the dark streets of Victorian London.]]>
324 Lana Williams Jaime 3 4.41 The Ravenkeeper's Daughter: A Victorian Historical Murder Mystery (The Field & Greystone Series, #1)
author: Lana Williams
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.41
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/25
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: historical, mystery-suspense, read-in-2025, series
review:

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<![CDATA[The Ballad of Falling Dragons (Moonfall, #2)]]> 216815055 � Raeve and Kaan will return in the highly anticipated sequel to the #1 internationally bestselling phenomenon, When The Moon Hatched. Prepare for more danger, magic, romance and dragons!]]> Sarah A. Parker 000871035X Jaime 0 to-read, 2026 4.36 2026 The Ballad of Falling Dragons (Moonfall, #2)
author: Sarah A. Parker
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: to-read, 2026
review:

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<![CDATA[Problematic Summer Romance (Not in Love, #2)]]> 228691354 What is wrong meets what feels right in this romance set in Italy by the New York Times bestselling author of Deep End.

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

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

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

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

When Maya’s brother decides to get married in Taormina, she and Conor end up stuck together in a romantic Sicilian villa for over a week. There, on the beautiful Ionian coast, between ancient ruins, delicious foods, and natural caves, Maya realizes that Conor might be hiding something from her. And as the destination wedding begins to erupt out of control, she decides that a summer fling might be just what she needs—even if it’s a problematic one.]]>
416 Ali Hazelwood Jaime 0 to-read 4.67 2025 Problematic Summer Romance (Not in Love, #2)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[To Catch an Earl (Bow Street Bachelors, #2)]]> 51168316 A case of secret identities finds reunited lovers on opposite sides of the law in this fun, flirty Regency romance.

There's only one case Bow Street agent Alex Harland, Earl of Melton, hasn't cracked: the identity of the mysterious woman who stole a kiss from him before he left for war. He's neither forgotten--nor forgiven--her for leaving him wanting. When he starts investigating the Nightjar, an elusive London jewel thief, he keeps running into the alluring Emmy Danvers, who stirs feelings he hasn't felt in years.

Even though Emmy's loved Alex for years, she can't risk revealing her heart, or her identity as the Nightjar. With Alex on her case, Emmy knows that her secrets are in danger of being discovered. Their cat and mouse game heats up with every interaction, but when Emmy's reputation--and life--is at risk, will Alex realize that some rules are made to be broken for love?]]>
325 Kate Bateman 1250306116 Jaime 4 3.90 2020 To Catch an Earl (Bow Street Bachelors, #2)
author: Kate Bateman
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/23
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: 2020, historical, romance, series, read-in-2020, audio, read-in-2022, reread, read-in-2025
review:

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<![CDATA[The Wolf and the Crown of Blood]]> 231387291 Description TBA 400 Elizabeth May 1035912899 Jaime 0 to-read 0.0 The Wolf and the Crown of Blood
author: Elizabeth May
name: Jaime
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Rookery (Penny Green, #2) 55527715 There’s a killer in the slums.

London 1884. When a thief robs Fleet Street reporter Penny Green, she finds herself caught up in a horrifying murder.

Someone is terrorizing the residents of St Giles Rookery and Scotland Yard sends Inspector James Blakely to investigate. When the serial killer claims a victim outside the slums, Victorian London is sent into panic.

Can Penny’s friendship with the people of St Giles uncover the culprit? She and James must overcome their complicated relationship to work together, but each new murder threatens to derail their work for good.

If you like historical murder mysteries then you must read this second book in the Penny Green Series. The books can be read in any order.]]>
302 Emily Organ Jaime 4 4.13 2017 The Rookery (Penny Green, #2)
author: Emily Organ
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/23
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: historical, mystery-suspense, series
review:

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<![CDATA[Curse of Shadows and Thorns (The Broken Kingdoms, #1)]]> 58988311 A rebellious princess. A cursed rogue. A forbidden love that will bring a kingdom to its knees.

As niece of the king, Elise Lysander cares about two things: sneaking into gambling dens, and avoiding an advantageous marriage at all costs.

When her uncle holds the life of her deathly-ill father over her head, reluctantly, Elise puts her fate into the hands of Legion Grey, the handsome and mysterious dowry negotiator. He may be arrogant and infuriating, but soon Legion incites a blistering, forbidden passion she can’t ignore.

As their attraction grows, so do the dangers: attacks from black-eyed people, a cursed enemy who is more beast than man, and rumors of fae returning for the crown they believe was stolen from them long ago.

After a bloody coup upends the kingdom, Elise flees with Legion, but nothing is as it seems. The man she allowed into her heart reveals his own secret plans with the return of magic—and he has every intention of using Elise to see them through.

With war between magic and mortal on the horizon, Elise must pick a side to protect her kingdom. Does she stand with her people who stole the throne? Or with a man who lied his way into her heart and whose secret past could bring her destruction?

Filled with luscious world building, banter-filled romance, and epic battles, this first book in the dark, fantasy romance series, The Broken Kingdoms, part Viking, part fairy tale. One-click to start reading today.]]>
348 L.J. Andrews Jaime 0 to-read 3.87 2021 Curse of Shadows and Thorns (The Broken Kingdoms, #1)
author: L.J. Andrews
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Ever King (The Ever Seas, #1)]]> 75384035 They stole his crown, so he stole their daughter�

For years Erik, the scarred king of the Ever Kingdom, has thought of nothing but vengeance against the man who killed his father and trapped him beneath the waves, making him a prisoner in his own realm.

Until his enemy’s daughter unintentionally breaks the chains on the Ever, and Erik makes her the unwitting pawn in his vicious game of revenge.

She’s innocent. He’s vicious. But he will take back what he lost, no matter the price.

Unless she steals his heart first.

Welcome to the passionate world of the Ever Kingdom where pirates, sirens, and fae collide with Vikings in a dark fantasy romance between a villain and the innocent princess who holds his heart.

*Please note: This series is set in the same world as the bestselling Broken Kingdoms series, but can be read independently, and readers are encouraged to read the list of triggers inside*]]>
408 L.J. Andrews Jaime 0 to-read 4.14 2023 The Ever King (The Ever Seas, #1)
author: L.J. Andrews
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: to-read
review:

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Tenderly, I Am Devoured 214438301 Perfect for fans of Saltburn, For the Wolf, and House of Hollow, Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a moody, monstrously Gothic romantasy in which a young woman must bind herself to a dangerous chthonic demon with the help of the son of a rival family to save her family's legacy―and herself―from ruin.

Expelled from her prestigious boarding school following a violent incident, eighteen-year-old Lacrimosa Arriscane returns home in disgrace to discover her family on the point of financial ruin. Desperate to save them, she accepts a marriage of convenience� to Therion, the chthonic god worshipped by Lark’s isolated coastal hometown.

But when her betrothal goes horribly wrong, Lark begins to vanish from the mortal realm. Her only hope is to seek help from Alastair Felimath: the brilliant, arrogant boy who was her first heartbreak, and his alluring older sister, Camille. As the trio delve into the folklore of gods, Lark falls under the spell of the Felimath siblings.

Ensnared by a fervent romance, they perform a bacchanalia with hopes the hedonistic ritual will repair the connection between Lark and her bridegroom. Instead, they draw the ire of something much darker, which seeks to destroy Therion―and Lark as well.]]>
304 Lyndall Clipstone 1250348900 Jaime 3 4.01 2025 Tenderly, I Am Devoured
author: Lyndall Clipstone
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/22
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: 2025, fantasy, galley-arc, read-in-2025, stand-alone-books
review:

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<![CDATA[The Anatomist's Wife (Lady Darby Mystery, #1)]]> 13542496 “A riveting debut…an original premise, an enigmatic heroine, and a compelling Highland setting…a book you won’t want to put down.”—New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn

Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her husband, Lady Darby has taken refuge at her sister’s estate, finding solace in her passion for painting. But when her hosts throw a house party for the cream of London society, Kiera is unable to hide from the ire of those who believe her to be as unnatural as her husband, an anatomist who used her artistic talents to suit his own macabre purposes.

Kiera wants to put her past aside, but when one of the house guests is murdered, her brother-in-law asks her to utilize her knowledge of human anatomy to aid the insufferable Sebastian Gage—a fellow guest with some experience as an inquiry agent. While Gage is clearly more competent than she first assumed, Kiera isn’t about to let her guard down as accusations and rumors swirl.

When Kiera and Gage’s search leads them to even more gruesome discoveries, a series of disturbing notes urges Lady Darby to give up the inquiry. But Kiera is determined to both protect her family and prove her innocence, even as she risks becoming the next victim…]]>
368 Anna Lee Huber 0425253287 Jaime 0 to-read 3.91 2012 The Anatomist's Wife (Lady Darby Mystery, #1)
author: Anna Lee Huber
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[A Legionnaire's Guide to Love and Peace]]> 219520694 In this charming fantasy with a swoony friends-to-lovers romance, two soldiers must decide the futures they want in the wake of a last-chance hook-up on the night before the world was supposed to end.

On the eve of the battle that will decide the realm of Telrus’s fate, Katrien takes a hard look at her prospects. A mere legionnaire, she and her spear will be at the fore in the morning, facing off against the Demon Lord and his wretched army, and it’s all but certain she’ll perish in the fight. But if the end of the world is mere hours away, there’s no reason not to hook up with her handsome, dedicated battle partner Emory—despite any anti-fraternization policies their centurion may have in place.

Only, the world doesn’t end the next day. Instead, an insufferable prince raised in hiding comes out of nowhere with a plucky band of heroes, defeats the Demon Lord, and seals the rift to the hellish plane. The realm is saved. The war is over. And Kat suddenly has a lot more future than she knows what to do with. It’s a future that could include Emory . . . if only he weren’t so set on staying enlisted with the very army Kat was unwillingly drafted into.

And while the Demon Lord has been destroyed, peace is still a long march away. When Kat inadvertently draws the eye of the prince, she, Emory, and the rest of their motley unit are pulled to the fore of the formation—and the heart of the danger—as the army embarks on one last campaign. The mission: laying a road as a foundation for the prince’s future rule. The real mission: scouring the last of the Demon Lord’s servants from the material plane.

As Kat and Emory work to secure a lasting peace, they’ll have to decide what they want their futures to look like—and if there’s room for love at the end of the road.]]>
368 Emily Skrutskie 0593974077 Jaime 4
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read early! ]]>
4.26 2025 A Legionnaire's Guide to Love and Peace
author: Emily Skrutskie
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: 2025, fantasy, galley-arc, read-in-2025, romance, stand-alone-books
review:
This was my first read from this author but it definitely won’t be the last! Equal parts action and adventure and charming romance made for a fun read and had me devouring this in just one day! I really enjoyed not just Kat and Emory but all the side characters as well! Each contributed to this story as it progressed and that was wonderful!

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read early!
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<![CDATA[Hekate: The Witch (Goddesses of the Underworld Book 1)]]> 227919563 In this stunning reimagining of Greek myth for fans of Circe and Lore, Nikita Gill showcases the underworld and its chthonic deities in all their glory, weaving a gripping story about the young goddess coming of age within their midst.

Hekatesings the story of its eponymous heroine. Born into a world on fire and at war, she and her mother are left behind by the menfolk of their Titan family as the battle against the new Gods–the Olympians–begins. Soon, Hekate and her mother are forced to flee their home as the Olympians overpower and enslave the Titans, including Hekate’s father, Perses, and gain dominion over the universe. In a bid to protect Hekate from the clutches of Zeus and Poseidon, her mother leaves her in the underworld with the goddess Styx and king of the underworld, Hades, where she must make a life for herself and discover her divine purpose.

Here begins Nikita Gill’s beautiful and propulsive reimagining of Hekate’s myth which unfolds into a coming-of-age adventure story and quest in which our young protagonist � not yet a goddess � sets out to discover what has happened to her parents, heal from the trauma of her separation from them, make a new home for herself in the underworld, and, eventually, step into her true power as a woman and goddess, before it’s too late.]]>
Nikita Gill Jaime 0 to-read 5.00 2025 Hekate: The Witch (Goddesses of the Underworld Book 1)
author: Nikita Gill
name: Jaime
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: to-read
review:

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Hot Desk: A Novel 224003835 Younger meets Writers and Lovers in this rollicking, sparkling, and funny novel that spans decades and generations of a family in the publishing industry.

In the post-pandemic publishing industry, two rival editors are forced to share a “hot desk� on different days of the week, much to their chagrin. Having never set eyes on each other, Rebecca Blume and Ben Heath begin leaving passive-aggressive Post-it notes on the pot of their shared cactus. But when revered literary legend Edward David Adams (known as “the Lion�) dies, leaving his estate up for grabs, their banter escalates as both work feverishly to land this career-making opportunity. Their fierce rivalry ultimately forces each to decide how far they’ll go to get ahead, what role they want to play in the Lion’s legacy, and what they mean to each other.

As their battle for the estate gets more heated, Rebecca learns of a connection between her mother, Jane, and the Lion. The story travels back four decades earlier to when Jane arrives in Manhattan and meets Rose, soon her best friend. Jane and Rose are two strong, talented young women trying to make their mark in the publishing world at a time when art, the written word, and creative expression were at their height. But one fateful day during the April blizzard of 1982 will change the course of Jane’s life, and of their friendship, forever...]]>
368 Laura Dickerman 1668081091 Jaime 0 to-read 5.00 Hot Desk: A Novel
author: Laura Dickerman
name: Jaime
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: to-read
review:

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Great Big Beautiful Life 218572920 Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.

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

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

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

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

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

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

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.]]>
427 Emily Henry Jaime 0 to-read 4.24 2025 Great Big Beautiful Life
author: Emily Henry
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: to-read
review:

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Den of Liars 215149230 A young thief attempting a daring casino heist during a high-stakes tournament is torn between two warring brothers in Den of Liars, a thrilling YA fantasy romance by acclaimed author Jessica S. Olson.

Lola St. James is the world’s best kept secret. When her father’s loss in the Liar’s Dice Tournament–a high-stakes competition where players are forced to gamble with their deepest secrets–made her a target, she was rescued by the Thief, the notorious leader of the Tentacles. But the Thief’s kindness came with a Lola’s heart. In the years that followed, she and the Thief formed a bond like no other, able to feel each other’s emotions because of their shared heart.

Now, living under the pseudonym Astra, she is determined to prove herself and become a full-fledged Tentacle. But when a critical heist goes sideways, the only way forward is for Lola to compete in the Liar’s Dice Tournament herself. Lola is confident in her ability to pull off any heist, but the Thief's mysterious brother, the Liar, runs the game and he turns out to be more than she bargained for. As her attraction for him grows and illusions run wild, she will be forced to confront the secrets of her past, the truth of the brothers� shared history, and the lies she tells herself.]]>
400 Jessica S. Olson 1250329728 Jaime 4 4.29 2025 Den of Liars
author: Jessica S. Olson
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/20
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: 2025, fantasy, galley-arc, read-in-2025, romance, series, ya
review:

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<![CDATA[Warrior Princess Assassin (Braided Fate, #1)]]> 223338530 Jodi Picoult, #1 NYT bestselling authorNew York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer makes her adult debut with this irresistible and steamy fantasy about three characters whose paths will collide in surprising ways � two royals pushed into a political engagement, and the assassin tasked with hunting them down.

WARRIOR. King Maddox Kyronan’s fire magic has earned him a ruthless reputation on the battlefield, but now his kingdom is slowly burning. Ky’s only chance to save his people is to enter a marriage alliance with the neighboring nation of Astranza, and hope that the royal family’s power to manipulate the weather will help his land flourish once more. He just needs to ensure no one finds out how the blaze began.

PRINCESS. With war looming on the horizon, Princess Jory’s home needs the protection of the fearsome warrior king, but she is hiding a dangerous her family’s magic is fading. Tempting as it is to reject her duties and run away with her childhood friend, Asher, Jory knows that she is the kingdom’s last hope. When she meets her intended, Jory is surprised to discover that beneath Ky’s daunting exterior is a compassionate and sharp-witted man who sets her heart aflame. But what will he do when he realizes she's deceiving him?

ASSASSIN. Asher’s done what he must to survive, even if that means getting his hands dirty. Once a young nobleman in Astranza’s palace, where he and Jory caused mischief together, now he’s part of the Hunter’s Guild, employing much darker skills. When a lucrative job comes his way, Asher can’t say no—until he discovers the targets. Someone wants Ky and Jory dead. With the Guild watching, Asher must decide what he’s willing to do to protect the woman he loves.

A tale of three complex characters torn between chasing, betraying, and falling in love with each other, Warrior Princess Assassin marks the beginning of a thrilling new fantasy trilogy filled with enchantment, adventure, and passionate romance.]]>
408 Brigid Kemmerer 006339166X Jaime 0 to-read 4.03 2025 Warrior Princess Assassin (Braided Fate, #1)
author: Brigid Kemmerer
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: to-read
review:

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Bad Publicity 217927382 A sparkling rom-com in which an unexpected reunion could lead to a career-ending catastrophe or a second-chance romance . . .

When Andie lands her dream job as a senior book publicist, she’s ready to take the world of New York publishing by storm.

Until her first day, when she discovers that her biggest author is Jack Carlson—the same Jack who ruined her life at university. Whom she hasn’t spoken to in five years. Who is not only still infuriatingly hot but also incredibly successful. And whose campaign she definitely cannot mess up, if she wants to keep her job.

To make matters even worse, the central part of this career-defining campaign is a book tour. For a month, Andie will have to travel across Europe with the man whom, if she were being totally honest, she’d like to hit with her car.

But she will not lose this opportunity, especially not because of him. One month on tour with Jack Carlson, visiting some of the most romantic spots in Europe. Deep breath. She can do this.]]>
336 Bianca Gillam 014313860X Jaime 0 2025, contemporary, dnf I didn’t click either this and honestly the amount of contempt and anger that Andie had for Jack with absolutely no explanation tithe reader was super frustrating. ]]> 3.19 Bad Publicity
author: Bianca Gillam
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.19
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: 2025, contemporary, dnf
review:
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
I didn’t click either this and honestly the amount of contempt and anger that Andie had for Jack with absolutely no explanation tithe reader was super frustrating.
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<![CDATA[The Duke Disaster (League of Extraordinary Widows #1)]]> 225403380
The Duke of Hartwood is a precise, exacting man. As head of the prestigious and well-respected Barnes family, he demands perfection. A Barnes must be above reproach and never mentioned in the gossip columns. When a distant cousin’s widow decides to scandalize London by courting disaster and tainting the Barnes name, Hartwood is summoned by his family.

Do something, anything, about Mrs. Celia Barnes.

After a terrible, lonely marriage, Celia has found her independence as a widow. Vowing never to wed again, she embraces the social whirl and outlandish behavior. Thumbing her nose at the priggish Barnes family is vastly pleasurable...until the Duke of Hartwood unexpectedly barges into her bedroom, demanding Celia cease embarrassing his family. He doesn’t care if she beds every man in London, just be discreet about it.

Celia has never responded well to authority and Hartwood is no exception even if she finds him attractive. They agree on only one thing�

Mutual dislike.

But one angry kiss and a far too pleasurable carriage ride later, dislike has turned into something else…an unexpected passion, so strong it threatens to ruin them both.]]>
278 Kathleen Ayers Jaime 4 4.59 The Duke Disaster (League of Extraordinary Widows #1)
author: Kathleen Ayers
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.59
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/19
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: 2025, historical, read-in-2025, romance, series
review:

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Limelight (Penny Green, #1) 55527697 How did an actress die twice?

London, 1883. Actress Lizzie Dixie drowned in the River Thames, so how was she murdered five years later in Highgate Cemetery?

Intrepid Fleet Street reporter Penny Green was a friend of Lizzie’s and Scotland Yard needs her help. Does Penny unwittingly hold clues to Lizzie’s mysterious death? Penny must work with Inspector James Blakely to investigate the worlds of theatre, showmen and politicians in search of the truth.

But who is following her? And who is sending her threatening letters?

Penny is about to discover that Lizzie’s life was more complicated, and dangerous, than she could ever have imagined.

If you like a murder mystery then you'll love this atmospheric Victorian mystery by Emily Organ.]]>
344 Emily Organ Jaime 4 3.98 2017 Limelight (Penny Green, #1)
author: Emily Organ
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/18
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves: audio, historical, mystery-suspense, read-in-2025, series
review:

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<![CDATA[Heir of Storms (Storm Weaver, #1)]]> 214438337 RED QUEEN meets SHADOW AND BONE in this explosive start to a YA romantasy trilogy about dangerous magic, forbidden love, and a cut-throat competition for the throne in an empire where crowns are not inherited -- they're won.

The very day Blaze came into the world, she almost drowned it. A Rain Singer born into one of the most powerful fire-wielding families in the empire, Blaze's birth summoned a devastating storm that left thousands dead. She's been hidden away ever since with a dark secret: the same torrential power that branded her an outcast disappeared that fateful day. And she’s not sure she wants it back.

When an unexpected invitation arrives for Blaze and her twin brother, Flint, to compete as future rulers of the empire, she’s suddenly thrust into the limelight again -- and into battle. Threats abound at the Golden Palace, where intrigue and romance await with not one but two handsome suitors: the enchanting Crown Prince and a dangerously alluring newcomer at court.

As Blaze explores her untapped power, she discovers the throne may be within her grasp. But in order to take it, she’ll have to leave behind the stories that others have told about her, and find the courage to write her own.]]>
416 Lauryn Hamilton Murray 1250348153 Jaime 3 4.17 2025 Heir of Storms (Storm Weaver, #1)
author: Lauryn Hamilton Murray
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: 2025, fantasy, galley-arc, series, sobfest, ya, read-in-2025
review:

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<![CDATA[A Wallflower’s Guide to Viscounts and Vice (A Wallflower’s Guide #1)]]> 217182365
A wallflower by choice, wealthy Lucy Penhallow would rather sit out the dancing all season than listen to false flattery from the fortune hunters who pursue her. But when she and her best friend’s brother witness a crime in progress, they’ll need to put every skill Lucy’s learned from reading detective stories to the test in their hunt for a missing woman. And if Viscount Gilford happens to be handsome as sin and clever to boot? Well, that's no hardship for her.
Viscount Gilford needs a wife to save him from financial ruin, and there’s only one heiress who’s off limits. So when he and Lucy find themselves inextricably linked in the tabloids, it’s a disaster. As their investigation progresses, their once unwelcome alliance becomes something more—a love match neither will give up. But there’s a killer watching their romance from the wings who’s only too happy to keep these meddlesome sleuths together . . . in the afterlife.]]>
320 Manda Collins 1538769182 Jaime 2 3.81 2025 A Wallflower’s Guide to Viscounts and Vice (A Wallflower’s Guide #1)
author: Manda Collins
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/16
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: 2025, galley-arc, historical, romance, series
review:

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<![CDATA[The Crimson Crown (The Crimson Crown Duology, #1)]]> 222683985 Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the wickedest of them all? Snow White’s dark queen tells her side of the story in the first book of a queer, witchy duology that reimagines the classic fairy tale—from the author of Malice.

“An alluring, vengeful origin story that brings tremendous dimension to a classic fairytale.”—Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of Immortal Longings

Legends tell of a witch who became a queen—the heartless villain in the story of Snow White.

But now the wicked queen is stepping out of Snow White’s shadow to become the heroine of her own legend.

Her real “once upon a time� begins when she is just Ayleth, a young witch who lives in the forest with her coven. The witches practice their magic in secret, hiding from the White King and his brutal war against witchcraft.

Ayleth, however, faces a war of her own. Her magical gifts have yet to reveal themselves, and as the threat of the Royal Huntsmen intensifies, Ayleth fears she will never become the witch her coven needs.

To prove herself, Ayleth sets out on a perilous quest that sends her to the White Palace, a decadent world of drama and deceit. There, Ayleth encounters an unlikely figure from her past: Jacquetta, a witch who once held Ayleth’s heart—and betrayed her.

As events at the palace escalate, Ayleth finds herself caught in the web of the White King, whose dark charisma is as dangerous as the sinister force that seems to be haunting the palace—and perhaps even Ayleth herself. With the threat of discovery looming, Ayleth and Jacquetta must set aside the wounds of their past and work together to survive.

As she uncovers the secrets of the White Court—and those of her own heart—Ayleth must find the strength to transform into someone she never imagined she could be.

A powerful witch, the very wickedest of them all.

Book One in The Crimson Crown series.]]>
544 Heather Walter 0593598385 Jaime 0 to-read 4.25 2024 The Crimson Crown (The Crimson Crown Duology, #1)
author: Heather Walter
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Road Trip with a Rogue (Her Majesty’s Rebels #3)]]> 217388210
A midnight mishap.

Daisy Hamilton’s new mission for King & Co., London's premier private investigation firm, is simple: stop heiress Violetta Brand from eloping. But her case is derailed when she mistakenly holds up the carriage of Lucien Vaughan, Duke of Cranford—cynical war hero, infamous libertine, and the very man who broke her heart five years ago.

A reluctant road trip.

Lucien’s determined to see his lovestruck nephew married to Miss Brand, but the unexpected appearance of Daisy� the one woman he’s never been able to forget—could ruin his plans. As they follow the runaway couple together, Lucien decides that delaying the headstrong Daisy by any means possible—including seduction—will be his absolute pleasure . . . and hers.

A dangerous desire.

After Daisy’s reputation is threatened, Lucien makes a scandalous claim, but when an unexpected enemy threatens her life, he realizes she’s the only woman for him. Their past encounters have made Daisy almost as jaded about love as Lucien himself, and it’s going to take action, not words, to convince this knife-wielding hellion to risk her heart on him again...]]>
304 Kate Bateman 1250907381 Jaime 4 4.00 2025 Road Trip with a Rogue (Her Majesty’s Rebels #3)
author: Kate Bateman
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/15
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: 2025, historical, read-in-2025, romance, series
review:

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Overdue 222376487 Is it time to renew love or start a new chapter?

Ingrid Dahl, a cheerful twenty-nine-year-old librarian in the cozy mountain town of Ridgetop, North Carolina, has been happily dating her college boyfriend, Cory, for eleven years without ever discussing marriage. But when Ingrid’s sister announces her engagement to a woman she’s only been dating for two years, Ingrid and Cory feel pressured to consider their future. Neither has ever been with anybody else, so they make an unconventional decision. They'll take a one-month break to date other people, then they'll reunite and move toward marriage. Ingrid even has someone in mind: her charmingly grumpy coworker, Macon Nowakowski, on whom she’s secretly crushed for years. But plans go awry, and when the month ends, Ingrid and Cory realize they’re not ready to resume their relationship� and Ingrid’s harmless crush on Macon has turned into something much more complicated.

Overdue is a beautiful, slow-burn romance full of lust and longing about new beginnings and finding your way.]]>
416 Stephanie Perkins 1250313465 Jaime 0 to-read 3.71 2025 Overdue
author: Stephanie Perkins
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

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Good Spirits (Ghosted, #1) 222279220 “Good Spirits is an absolute knockout. A new Borison book feels like coming home in the best way. She's truly in a league of her own.� � Hannah Grace, New York Times bestselling author of Icebreaker

The New York Times bestselling author of First-Time Caller, B.K. Borison is back with a whimsical new holiday romance—this time with a magical twist—that will have everyone falling in love with the Ghost of Christmas Past.

He’s the Ghost of Christmas Past. She’s not exactly Scrooge.

Ghost of Christmas Past Nolan Callahan intends to spend this holiday haunting like every other—get in, get out, return to his otherwise aimless existence as a ghost awaiting the afterlife. But when he’s faced with Harriet York, the sweetest assignment he’s ever had, he suddenly finds himself wishing for a future.

Harriet York has no idea why she’s being haunted. She’s a good person—or, at least, she tries to be. A people pleaser to her core, she always does what’s expected of her. But as she and Nolan begin to examine her past, they discover there are threads that bind them together� and realize there might be more to moving on than expected.

With the deadline of Christmas Eve fast approaching, will they find the key to their futures in each other’s pasts? Or will they stay firmly in the present, indulging in their unexpected, spirited connection?

Filled with magic, mayhem, and cozy holiday charm, this swoony romance is B.K. Borison’s best yet!]]>
384 B.K. Borison 0063430401 Jaime 0 to-read 4.56 2025 Good Spirits (Ghosted, #1)
author: B.K. Borison
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Betrayal from Beyond (The Kier and Levett Mystery, #6)]]> 230971614 Every betrayal is rife with pain--but betrayal from beyond the grave? Terrifying.

After terror, turmoil and more than their fair share of murder, the newly married Duke and Duchess of Sedwick have reached a calmer, more serene phase, both in life and in their relationship. They are more than happy to settle in and enjoy a bit of peace, until it becomes clear that an old enemy has returned with a view to torment them.

This time, they vow, they will let Scotland Yard and the government handle the situation. It’s not easy to sit back and remain a target, though. It’s not a skill they have ever developed. They are vastly relieved, then, to hear that their nemesis—a woman who has vowed vengeance on them both—is dead.

But, of course, nothing is as simple as it seems. Why has the taunting continued? How could Kara have possibly caught a glimpse of a dead woman? When tragedy strikes, they can no longer ignore the signs that someone, somewhere, has made a mistake.

Soon they are back on the trail of a killer, unraveling tangled secrets of love, loyalty and revenge.

The Kier and Levett Mystery series
Book 1 - A Killer in the Crystal Palace
Book 2 - Death from the Druid’s Grove
Book 3 - Murder on the Mirrored Lake
Book 4 - Revenge in the Rogue’s Hideaway
Book 5 - Carnage from the Cursed Crown
Book 6 - Betrayal from Beyond
Book 7 - Dark Tidings on the Thames
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262 Deb Marlowe 1967169179 Jaime 0 to-read 4.29 Betrayal from Beyond (The Kier and Levett Mystery, #6)
author: Deb Marlowe
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Floating World (The Floating World, #1)]]> 215149209 From Axie Oh, the New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in this romantic fantasy reimagining the Korean legend of Celestial Maidens.

Sunho lives in the Under World, a land of perpetual darkness. An ex-soldier, he can remember little of his life from before two years ago, when he woke up alone with only his name and his sword. Now he does odd-jobs to scrape by, until he comes across the score of a lifetime—a chest of coins for any mercenary who can hunt down a girl who wields silver light.

Meanwhile, far to the east, Ren is a cheerful and spirited acrobat traveling with her adoptive family and performing at villages. But everything changes during one of their festival performances when the village is attacked by a horrific humanlike demon. In a moment of fear and rage, Ren releases a blast of silver light—a power she has kept hidden since childhood—and kills the monster. But her efforts are not in time to prevent her adoptive family from suffering a devastating loss, or to save her beloved uncle from being grievously wounded.

Determined to save him from succumbing to the poisoned wound, Ren sets off over the mountains, where the creature came from—and from where Ren herself fled ten years ago. Her path sets her on a collision course with Sunho, but he doesn't realize she's the girl that he—and a hundred other swords-for-hire—is looking for. As the two grow closer through their travels, they come to realize that their pasts—and destinies—are far more entwined than either of them could have imagined...]]>
368 Axie Oh 1250853087 Jaime 3 4.09 2025 The Floating World (The Floating World, #1)
author: Axie Oh
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/13
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: 2025, fantasy, galley-arc, read-in-2025, series
review:

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Sea of Ruin (Sea of Ruin, #1) 51416396 Bennett Sharp is on the run.
Wanted for piracy, she fears neither God nor death nor man.
Except Priest Farrell.

The unfaithful, stormy-eyed libertine hunts her with terrifying possessiveness. Nothing will stop him from coming for her. Not his unforgivable betrayal. Not when she's captured by the ice-cold pirate hunter, Lord Ashley Cutler.
She must escape Ashley's prison and Priest's deceit. But can she walk away from their twisted desires?

Two gorgeous captains stand on opposite sides of the law. When they collide in a battle to protect her, the lines blur between enemies and lovers.
Passion heats, secrets unravel, and hearts entangle until they break.
Can love prevail in the sea of ruin?]]>
467 Pam Godwin Jaime 0 3.92 2020 Sea of Ruin (Sea of Ruin, #1)
author: Pam Godwin
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: currently-reading, audio, fantasy
review:

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<![CDATA[In Scandal with the Duke (Sins & Sensibilities #1)]]> 214348757 #EnemiestoLovers
#Oppositeattracts
#Olderbrotherbestfriend

Jaded by fortune hunters who covet her wealth rather than her heart, American heiress Miss Elizabeth Armstrong has abandoned the pursuit of marriage. Resigned to enjoy her London visit before returning to New York, Elizabeth’s deep desire for adventures is ignited after a chance meeting with the cynical yet captivating Duke of Basil.

James, a seasoned rake with a steadfast rule against entanglements with debutantes and innocents, finds himself irresistibly drawn to Elizabeth’s wit and charm. Intent on indulging in a fleeting affair, he plans to savor the intoxicating pleasures she offers without any promises of tomorrow. However, Elizabeth proves far more alluring than he anticipated. As their passionate connection deepens, James becomes ensnared in a web of scandal and heartbreak.

Will they find the courage to embrace the love that binds them, or will their affair end in ruin?]]>
278 Stacy Reid Jaime 0 to-read 4.28 In Scandal with the Duke (Sins & Sensibilities #1)
author: Stacy Reid
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Method of Revenge (Spencer & Reid Mysteries #2)]]> 223192170
In the several weeks since the unconventional Leo Spencer helped him solve an explosive case, Jasper has kept the willful morgue assistant at arm’s length. Now, the bride of one of the city’s most dangerous crime lords has been poisoned, and his primary witness is the very woman he’s been trying to avoid—if only because she is as fascinating as she is irritating.

Disregarding strict warnings to stay out of it, Leo insists on helping Jasper sort through his inquiry. When a death portrait of two mysterious children is found in the victim’s handbag, and an unsolved Jane Doe case that haunts Jasper resurfaces, he and Leo begin to question if more than one crime—and killer—is at play. But discovering the truth might also mean walking into a carefully laid trap.

Method of Revenge is the second book in Cara Devlin’s new romantic historical mystery series set in Victorian London. The Spencer & Reid Mysteries are perfect for fans of PBS Masterpiece Mystery’s Miss Scarlet & the Duke, and readers of Irina Shapiro, Andrea Penrose, and C.S. Harris.
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247 Cara Devlin Jaime 4
The mystery itself was really well plotted and I had no inkling of what was going on until it was revealed!

I was completely unprepared for that cliffhanger at the end though and I am dying for book 3 to see where that part of the story goes!]]>
4.64 Method of Revenge (Spencer & Reid Mysteries #2)
author: Cara Devlin
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.64
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/11
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: 2025, historical, romance, series, mystery-suspense, read-in-2025
review:
Once again Cara Devlin had me invested in Leo and Jasper from the moment I started book 2. I’m on the fence in considering this a romance because while there are elements and I can maybe see where the story is goin it’s definitely very very slow burn if it ever happens.

The mystery itself was really well plotted and I had no inkling of what was going on until it was revealed!

I was completely unprepared for that cliffhanger at the end though and I am dying for book 3 to see where that part of the story goes!
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The Faerie Morgana 223296201 In this atmospheric and bewitching novel, Louisa Morgan reimagines the story of Morgan Le Fay, one of the most enigmatic and powerful women in Arthurian legend.

To the other priestesses of the Nine, a powerful council at the Lady’s Temple, Morgana is haughty and arrogant as she performs feats of magic no human should be capable of. Rumors start that she must be a fearsome fae.

To King Arthur, Morgana is a trusted and devoted advisor, but his court is wary of her and her prodigious talent at divination. But his wife sees Morgana as a rival and a malevolent witch.

To Braithe, Morgana’s faithful acolyte, she is simply the most powerful priestess Camelot has seen.

Morgana doesn’t know why she’s so different from everyone else, and she doesn’t much care. But when she aids Arthur to ascend the throne before his time, she sets off a series of events that will change everything Morgana believes about her power.]]>
528 Louisa Morgan 0316585114 Jaime 0 to-read 5.00 The Faerie Morgana
author: Louisa Morgan
name: Jaime
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

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A Steep and Savage Path 195340459 From the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author of THE THORNS REMAIN comes an enemies-to-lovers journey to the underworld unlike any other, for fans of THE CRIMSON MOTH and THE CRUEL PRINCE

An immortal vampire. A mortal bride. A vow that even death can’t break.

Irina is about to be married to a dead man. She is the willing village sacrifice for the Wedding of the a desperate ritual designed to lay the hungry vampire that has been terrorising her Transylvanian village to rest. Irina’s beloved sister’s soul is trapped in the land of the dead. If Irina can retrieve it, she could bring her back � but Irina would need a guide, one who can walk between the living and the dead.

Irina strikes up a deal with her new husband � if he agrees to get her safely there and back again, then he can drink her blood as much as he wants.

They begin a perilous journey through the afterlife together, in which Irina realises Stefan isn’t the cruel and terrifying monster that she thought. In a land of three-headed beasts, winged creatures and walking corpses, the last thing Irina would have expected was to fall in love.

Only, Irina learns that by bringing Stefan to the land of the dead she has put him in grave danger, and will be faced with an impossible choice. Will they be able to make it out, undead or alive?]]>
384 J.J.A. Harwood 0008517983 Jaime 0 to-read 3.92 2025 A Steep and Savage Path
author: J.J.A. Harwood
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Curse that Binds (Bewitched, #2.5)]]> 136287169 The stunning prequel to the USA Today bestselling Bewitched series. Two thousand years before there was Selene, there was Roxilana. Her love fated, her life doomed, and her story forgotten—until now.

When young Roxilana first hears a voice in her head, she thinks she has gone mad. The truth, however, is stranger still. Because Memnon, the boy who speaks to her, claims he is real. Not only that, he insists they both are god-touched soul mates with the ability to wield magic.

As wild as his claims are, they gradually come to pass. First, Roxilana’s power Awakens. Then his. But nothing is nearly as startling as the day Memnon, now the sorcerer king of the Sarmatians, arrives at Roxilana’s doorstep, proclaiming the witch his wife and shepherding her off to his homeland.

Her fate is everything ardent Roxi could have hoped for. But there are things Memnon hasn’t told her—about his magic, about life as a Sarmatian and what, as queen, she will be asked to endure. Roxilana’s trials are only beginning. And as she’ll soon discover, there is nothing so dangerous as love mixed with power. For while the combination can build empires and shape legacies, it also has the potential to destroy everything in its path. And, if they’re not careful, Roxilana and Memnon could be destroyed along with it.]]>
Laura Thalassa Jaime 0 to-read 4.64 2025 The Curse that Binds (Bewitched, #2.5)
author: Laura Thalassa
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Sea Witch (Salt & Sorcery, #1)]]> 218806332 From a world where women are forbidden to use magic and the only freedom is found on the Caribbean high seas comes a swashbuckling romantasy from USA TODAY bestselling author Eva Leigh.

Condemned as a witch, sentenced to die, Alys Tanner uses her innate magical power to flee Puritanical New England. Stealing a ship, Alys becomes captain of The Sea Witch, leading its all-female, sorcery-wielding pirate crew. But the colonial British navy is in hot pursuit. The navy fights for a choke hold on the Caribbean and will destroy anything they cannot control, especially witches.

When Ben Priestley, a headstrong naval navigator, is inadvertently captured by the lady pirates, dangerous truths are revealed. A quest that could turn the tides against the navy’s might ignites a reluctant partnership between the by-the-books prisoner and the fierce witch pirate captain. While they brave backstabbing pirates, perilous tropical islands and monster-filled seas, Alys and Ben’s mistrust grows into unexpected desire as they battle an enemy that will stop at nothing to rule the waves.]]>
Eva Leigh 036976062X Jaime 0 to-read 3.88 2025 The Sea Witch (Salt & Sorcery, #1)
author: Eva Leigh
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Nightshade (Sorrowsong University, #1)]]> 229003381 *Book one of a duet*

When Ophelia Winters accepts a scholarship at a prestigious Scottish university to prove that her parents' death was the fault of Cain Green, an American aviation tycoon, her plan is simple; keep her grades up and her head down. The last thing she wants is to wind up in a mafia war or step on the toes of royalty.

Her plan gets off to a rocky start when the mysterious man that almost kills her on her first day turns out to be Cain's eldest son. As far as she’s concerned, Alex Corbeau-Green is a younger version of his billionaire father. A monster hiding beneath a beautiful facade.

Loneliness has been Ophelia’s only dependable companion for years, but when anonymous threats and mysterious occurrences start to haunt her time at Sorrowsong, she wonders if she really can survive there on her own.

Between being paired together for a project and ending up as each other’s alibi for a murder, avoiding Alex becomes increasingly impossible. She begins to fall for the soft heart that hides beneath his hard exterior.

Tormented by a malicious stalker and growing closer to Alex, Ophelia’s desperation for revenge wavers for the first time. Can she really bring herself to pull the trigger on Cain now that she knows the family it’ll split into two?
__________

Dark Academic Romance - Enemies to Lovers - Slow Burn - University Setting

This work is dark in places and contains several triggers throughout. Please heed the warnings before reading.]]>
416 Autumn Woods 1638933731 Jaime 0 to-read 4.05 2025 Nightshade (Sorrowsong University, #1)
author: Autumn Woods
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Wild Huntress 207567925
BRANWEN possesses a gift no other human has: the ability to see and slay monsters. She’s desperate to cure her mother’s sickness, and the Wild Hunt is her only option.

GWYDION is the least impressive of his magically talented family, but with his ability to control plants and his sleight of hand, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his cruel older brother from becoming a tyrant.

PRYDERI is prince-born and monster-raised. Deep down, the royal crown doesn’t interest him—all he wants is to know is where he belongs.

A trickster, a prince, and a wild huntress—if they band together against the monstrous creatures within the woods, they have a chance to win. But nothing is guaranteed, for all are fair game in love and the Hunt.]]>
421 Emily Lloyd-Jones 0316568147 Jaime 4 3.99 2024 The Wild Huntress
author: Emily Lloyd-Jones
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: 2024, audio, fairies, fantasy, read-in-2025, stand-alone-books
review:

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<![CDATA[Fallen City (Fallen City Duology, #1)]]> 222376635 In the great walled city of Isara, political turmoil ignites a rebellion one hundred years in the making. But when a legionnaire falls in love with a Magistrate's daughter, their love will threaten the fate of the city and the will of the gods.

Luca Matius has one purpose—to carry on the family name, maintaining its presence in the Forum once his powerful and cruel uncle dies. But his noviceship with the city's Philosopher places him in the middle of a catastrophe that will alter the destiny of his people.

Maris Casoeria was raised amidst the strategic maneuvers of the Citadel's inner workings, and she knows what her future holds—a lifetime of service to a corrupt city. But her years of serving as a novice to the last Priestess who possesses the stolen magic of the Old War has made her envision a different kind of future for the city. When she meets Luca, a fated chain of events is set into motion that will divinely entangle their lives.

As a secret comes to light and throws the city into chaos, Luca and Maris hatch a plot to create a calculated alliance that could tip the scales of power. But when an execution forces Luca to become the symbol of rebellion, he and Maris are thrown onto opposite sides of a holy war. As their fates diverge, they learn they are at the center of a story the gods are writing. And even if they can find their way back to each other, there may be nothing left.]]>
416 Adrienne Young 1250794196 Jaime 0 to-read 3.93 2025 Fallen City (Fallen City Duology, #1)
author: Adrienne Young
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[In the Veins of the Drowning (The Siren Mage, #1)]]> 221179150
Imogen Nel is in hiding. Hiding from a cruel kingdom that believes Sirens are monstrous, blood-hungry creatures. Hiding from a king and his captain who viciously hunt her kind. Hiding from her own alluring abilities. By keeping herself from the sea, Imogen’s bloodlust is dulled, and her black wings remain hidden beneath her skin.

When a neighboring king comes to visit, Imogen can no longer hide. He knows precisely what she is, and he believes she can save both their kingdoms from an even greater monster. But Imogen’s power threatens to violently reveal itself, and the two form a blood bond that protects them both. They flee the kingdom together, traversing waters teeming with the undead. As the lines between duty to their people and desire for each other begin to blur, Imogen worries her own ancestral powers may not be enough to kill what hunts her—the only way to defeat a monster may be to become one herself.]]>
384 Kalie Cassidy 0316587605 Jaime 4 4.12 2025 In the Veins of the Drowning (The Siren Mage, #1)
author: Kalie Cassidy
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: 2025, fantasy, galley-arc, read-in-2025, romance, series
review:

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<![CDATA[Head Over Heels (Lucky Harbor, #3)]]> 10599302
Free-spirited Chloe lives life on the edge. Unlike her soon-to-be married sisters, she isn't ready to settle into a quiet life running their family's newly renovated inn. But soon her love of trouble � and trouble with love � draws the attention of the very stern, very sexy sheriff who'd like nothing better than to tame her wild ways.

Suddenly, Chloe can't take a misstep without the sheriff hot on her heels. His rugged swagger and his enigmatic smile are enough to make a girl beg to be handcuffed. For the first time, instead of avoiding the law, Chloe dreams of surrender. Can this rebel find a way to keep the peace with the straitlaced sheriff? Or will Chloe's colorful past keep her from a love that lasts... and the safe haven she truly wants in a town called Lucky Harbor?]]>
328 Jill Shalvis 1442085037 Jaime 5
Over the last month or so I've become a die hard fan of Jill Shalvis and I have my BFF to thank for that. I've never really "loved" contemporary romance, usually finding stuff to be cheesy but Jill Shalvis is a genius and if I ever met her in person I would be hugging her.

Head Over Heels is a companion book in the Lucky Harbor Series, where we met the sisters in the first book. Book one focusing on Maddie, book two on Tara and finally in book three here, we get to know more about Chloe. I truly think the stories have gotten better and better as it goes. Now, that's not to say I didn't like the first... I LOVED the first, but I'm getting more in each book as we go. More depth to the stories and characters and I love it.

Chloe is the wild child of the sisters. Never setting up roots, never really having a home base, and never tying herself down. I loved the changes we see in her from book one up to this book. She's more serious about her life, and making something of it. It doesn't hurt that the gorgeous, straight-laced sheriff seems to have a thing for her too.

These two can't seem to stay away from each other and lucky for us! their chemistry is perfect and I swooned so damn hard when I read that one part.. [spoilers removed]

Turns out the lovely and rules abiding Sheriff wasn't always so well-behaved though and he and Chloe are more perfect for each other than either could have guessed.

Shalvis hits another one out of the park with this book and the series as a whole is among my all-time favorites now for a reason! Go check out the boys of Lucky Harbor, you won't be disappointed!!]]>
4.14 2011 Head Over Heels (Lucky Harbor, #3)
author: Jill Shalvis
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: swoony-boys, series, romance, recommend-forever, on-my-real-shelves, reread, read-in-2025
review:
I think I have to go back and rate all of these books as 5 star-ers LOL

Over the last month or so I've become a die hard fan of Jill Shalvis and I have my BFF to thank for that. I've never really "loved" contemporary romance, usually finding stuff to be cheesy but Jill Shalvis is a genius and if I ever met her in person I would be hugging her.

Head Over Heels is a companion book in the Lucky Harbor Series, where we met the sisters in the first book. Book one focusing on Maddie, book two on Tara and finally in book three here, we get to know more about Chloe. I truly think the stories have gotten better and better as it goes. Now, that's not to say I didn't like the first... I LOVED the first, but I'm getting more in each book as we go. More depth to the stories and characters and I love it.

Chloe is the wild child of the sisters. Never setting up roots, never really having a home base, and never tying herself down. I loved the changes we see in her from book one up to this book. She's more serious about her life, and making something of it. It doesn't hurt that the gorgeous, straight-laced sheriff seems to have a thing for her too.

These two can't seem to stay away from each other and lucky for us! their chemistry is perfect and I swooned so damn hard when I read that one part.. [spoilers removed]

Turns out the lovely and rules abiding Sheriff wasn't always so well-behaved though and he and Chloe are more perfect for each other than either could have guessed.

Shalvis hits another one out of the park with this book and the series as a whole is among my all-time favorites now for a reason! Go check out the boys of Lucky Harbor, you won't be disappointed!!
]]>
A Treachery of Swans 220160823 From the New York Times bestselling author of Where the Dark Stands Still comes an atmospheric fantasy based on Swan Lake, following Odile as her plan to restore magic to her kingdom gets disrupted by a murder—forcing her to beg for help from the young woman whose identity she stole.

Can two girls—one enchanted, one the enchantress—save their kingdom and each other?

Two hundred years ago, a slighted deity stole the magic from Auréal and vanished without a trace. But seventeen-year-old Odile has a plan. All her life, her father, a vengeful sorcerer, has raised her for one singular task: infiltrate the royal palace and steal the king’s crown, an artefact with enough power to restore magic. But to enter the palace, she must assume the identity of a noblewoman. She chooses Marie d’Odette: famed for her beauty, a rumored candidate for future queen…and Odile’s childhood-friend-turned-sworn-enemy.

With her father’s help, Odile transforms Marie into a swan and takes her place at court. But when the king is brutally murdered and her own brother is accused, her plans are thrown into chaos. Desperate to free her brother, Odile is forced to team up with none other than elegant, infuriating Marie, the girl she has cursed…and the girl she can’t seem to stop thinking about despite her best efforts.

To make matters worse, there are whispers that the king’s murder was not at the hands of man, but beast. Torn between loyalty to her father and her growing feelings for Marie, Odile becomes tangled in a web of treachery and deceit. To save her kingdom, she must find the true path to magic…and find the real killer before they—or it—strikes again.]]>
368 A.B. Poranek 1665936509 Jaime 0 to-read 4.18 2025 A Treachery of Swans
author: A.B. Poranek
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Entanglement of Rival Wizards (Magic and Romance, #1)]]> 222376745 Ali Hazelwood meets Dungeons & Dragons in this enemies-to-lovers fantasy academia romcom where rival grad student wizards are forced to work together without killing―or falling for―each other.

Will they conjure love, or evoke chaos? Two rival wizards are about to find out.

Sebastian Walsh: twenty-four. Grad student at Lesiara University in the Mageus of Evocation program. Human. The first of his family to go to college rather than the military (and it goes over at family get-togethers about as well as you’d think).

Elethior Tourael: also twenty-four. Also a grad student, but in the far more inferior Mageus of Conjuration program. Half-elf. The latest in a long line of Touraels to grace the hallowed halls of Lesiara U (what would the world do if the Touraels ran out of rich douches to lead their magical weapons manufacturing empire?).

―and the other finalist for the Mageus Research Grant.

Sebastian needs that grant to fund the last few months of research for his degree, after which he’ll get a job that actually helps people. He isn’t about to let anyone snatch this from him, least of all a snob who doesn’t even need the money because his family is loaded thanks to war profiteering.

But there’s something worse than having a conceited academic nemesis steal grant money from you: you could be forced to work with him. Thio is secretive, broody, and his stunning biceps take up far too much shared lab space―but even as volatile as their partnership is, Sebastian just might find himself falling for his rival―and it could blow up his whole future.]]>
336 Sara Raasch 1250333237 Jaime 0 to-read 4.60 2025 The Entanglement of Rival Wizards (Magic and Romance, #1)
author: Sara Raasch
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Survivor Wants to Die at the End (Death-Cast, #2)]]> 199531917
Paz Dario stays up every night, waiting for the Death-Cast call that would mean he doesn’t have to keep faking his way through this lonely life. After a devastating day, Paz decides he’s done waiting around for Death-Cast. If they say he’s not dying, he’ll just have to prove them wrong. But right before Paz can die, a boy saves his life.

Alano Rosa is heir to the Death-Cast empire that encourages everyone to live their best lives, but he doesn’t feel in control of his own existence thanks to his father. And with a violent organization called the Death Guard threatening Alano, his End Day might be closer than he thinks. It’s time to live.

Fate brings Paz and Alano together, but it’s now up to the boys to survive the tragic trials ahead so no one dies at the end.

This book contains themes that some readers may find difficult.]]>
720 Adam Silvera 0063240858 Jaime 0 to-read 4.43 2025 The Survivor Wants to Die at the End (Death-Cast, #2)
author: Adam Silvera
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Executioners Three 217387866 From New York Times bestselling author Susan Dennard comes The Executioners Three, a mystery filled with rivalry, romance, best friends, and a gruesome curse that dates back centuries.

Freddie Gellar didn't mean to get half the rival high school arrested. She’d simply heard shrieks coming from the woods, so she’d called the cops like any good human would do. How was she supposed to know it was just kids partying?

Except the next day, a body is found. And while the local sheriff might call it suicide, Freddie's instincts tell her otherwise. So, like the aspiring sleuth (and true X-Files aficionado) she is, Freddie sets out to prove there's a murderer at large.]]>
304 Susan Dennard 1250334667 Jaime 4 4.40 2025 The Executioners Three
author: Susan Dennard
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: 2025, galley-arc, mystery-suspense, paranormal, read-in-2025
review:

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<![CDATA[Nightshade (Sorrowsong University #1)]]> 224044336 *Book one of a duet*

When Ophelia Winters accepts a scholarship at a prestigious Scottish university to prove that her parents' death was the fault of Cain Green, an American aviation tycoon, her plan is simple; keep her grades up and her head down. The last thing she wants is to wind up in a mafia war or step on the toes of royalty.

Her plan gets off to a rocky start when the mysterious man that almost kills her on her first day turns out to be Cain's eldest son. As far as she’s concerned, Alex Corbeau-Green is a younger version of his billionaire father. A monster hiding beneath a beautiful facade.

Loneliness has been Ophelia’s only dependable companion for years, but when anonymous threats and mysterious occurrences start to haunt her time at Sorrowsong, she wonders if she really can survive there on her own.

Between being paired together for a project and ending up as each other’s alibi for a murder, avoiding Alex becomes increasingly impossible. She begins to fall for the soft heart that hides beneath his hard exterior.

Tormented by a malicious stalker and growing closer to Alex, Ophelia’s desperation for revenge wavers for the first time. Can she really bring herself to pull the trigger on Cain now that she knows the family it’ll split into two?
__________

Dark Academic Romance - Enemies to Lovers - Slow Burn - University Setting

This work is dark in places and contains several triggers throughout. Please heed the warnings before reading.]]>
342 Autumn Woods Jaime 0 to-read 4.16 2025 Nightshade (Sorrowsong University #1)
author: Autumn Woods
name: Jaime
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: to-read
review:

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What Fury Brings 220908944 #1 New York Times-bestselling author Tricia Levenseller makes her adult debut in What Fury Brings, a sexy, empowering romantasy featuring a warrior general who must kidnap and train a husband in order to take her rightful place as queen.

There's a shortage of men in the kingdom of Amarra. After a failed rebellion against the matriarchy, most noblemen in the country are dead. Now the women of Amarra must obtain their husbands (should they want one) by kidnapping them from other kingdoms.

Olerra, a warrior princess vying for the throne, is determined to prove her worth by kidnapping a husband. And not just any husband. To outmaneuver her treacherous cousin, she needs the best. Fortunately, the second-born prince of their greatest enemy is widely known for both his looks and his sweet, docile temperament. He's the perfect choice to secure her claim to the throne.

Sanos, heir to the Kingdom of Brutus, has nothing but contempt for the idea of a society run by women. Trained from birth to fight, lead, and follow in his father's overbearing footsteps, his path has always been set. Until he takes his younger brother's place in a drunken prank and finds himself kidnapped, carted off to the Amarran Palace, and informed that he is to become the husband of Queen Potential Olerra. Sanos needs to escape before anyone learns his real identity, but the more he gets to know his captor, the less sure he is of what he truly wants.]]>
368 Tricia Levenseller 1250379377 Jaime 0 to-read 3.96 2025 What Fury Brings
author: Tricia Levenseller
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Dealing with a Desperate Demon (The Sanctuary for Supernatural Creatures, #2)]]> 222376645
There’s just one his dream girl might have more than an issue with his dating skills. Because Jack isn’t just a little clueless; he’s actually the demonic son of Satan, from the deepest depths of hell. He’s spent his entire long underlife dragging evildoers to their fates, while really trying not to live up to his Dad’s expectations.

Now, it isn’t just about getting a date with his dream girl. He needs to become a better man to win over the woman he’s been cosmically bound to, in a Beauty and the Beast style pact. If he fails, everyone he cares for will face a terrible fate. Luckily for him, Nancy may well be the witch she’s always tried to pretend she wasn’t. She can save him, he knows it—and she’s starting to know it too. Even if every day spent with him is an agonising reminder that she isn’t the girl he’s fated for.

But as the deadline approaches she’s starting to wonder... Could it be that she’s finally found her Prince? Or is she about to lose her heart to hell?]]>
304 Charlotte Stein 1250352355 Jaime 0 to-read 3.60 Dealing with a Desperate Demon (The Sanctuary for Supernatural Creatures, #2)
author: Charlotte Stein
name: Jaime
average rating: 3.60
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: to-read
review:

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