en-US Fri, 02 May 2025 14:57:35 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 2213661
There are dangers and adventures for Bod in the graveyard: the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer; a gravestone entrance to a desert that leads to the city of ghouls; friendship with a witch, and so much more.

But it is in the land of the living that real danger lurks, for it is there that the man Jack lives and he has already killed Bod's family.

A deliciously dark masterwork by bestselling author Neil Gaiman, with illustrations by award-winning Dave McKean.]]> 312 Neil Gaiman 0060530928 Kim 5 4.15 2008
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Kim
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: favorites, middle-grade, ghosts, paranormal, fantasy, horror, supernatural, currently-reading
review:

]]> 125691510
When my sister thrifts an aged map with iridescent lettering leading to a town called Ever, I roll my eyes. According to a quick internet search, the town doesn’t exist. We only manage to find it with the help of a sexy gas station owner who offers to come for me if I call him. Swoon .Ěý

I quickly learn that Shepherd isn’t actually human, nobody in town is. News flash—he’s a gargoyle—a dominant, possessive, creme-brulee-loving monster. That should terrify me, but something about him keeps me coming back. Maybe it’s the snark. Maybe it’s the delicious snacks. Maybe it’s his wingspan, which leads me to wondering about the size of other things. I digress.

No one realized that when I came through the town’s protective wards, something happened to them. Now the town—and my sisters—are in danger from a soul-sucking evil that’s constantly trying to burrow its way in.

Can Shepherd and I save the town and our shot at love, or will evil ruin our happily ever after? Getting It On With Gargoyles is the first book in the Haven Ever After monster romance series. Each book can be read as a standalone. If you're in the mood for possessive cinnamon roll heroes, look no further. Shepherd's got you covered. And he brings snacks.]]> 296 Hazel Mack 1957873418 Kim 2 3.98 2023
author: Hazel Mack
name: Kim
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2025/05/02
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, audio, awesome-narrator, book-bf, creatures, eye-roll, fairies-fey-fae, fantasy, fated-mates, haunted-house, intsa-love, magic, monsters, paranormal, romantasy, spicy, urban-fantasy, witches-wizards-warlocks, werewolves, vampires
review:

]]> 352262
Join his adventures and misadventures as he finds a new way to train dragons--and becomes a hero. This action-packed, hilarious, and perfectly illustrated novel is a modern classic beloved by millions across the globe.]]> 214 Cressida Cowell 0316737372 Kim 4 3.91 2003
author: Cressida Cowell
name: Kim
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/17
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: audio, childrens, humor, creatures, adventure, dragons, fantasy, awesome-narrator, movie, 2023, 2023-audio, re-read, vikings-norse
review:

]]> 143728 211 Cressida Cowell 0316155985 Kim 4 4.09 2004
author: Cressida Cowell
name: Kim
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/18
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: audio, childrens, fantasy, adventure, dragons, humor, pirates, awesome-narrator, 2023-audio, 2023, 2023-barnes-noble-reading-challenge, movie, vikings-norse
review:

]]> 971239 256 Cressida Cowell 0340893044 Kim 3 4.14 2005
author: Cressida Cowell
name: Kim
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/29
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: audio, childrens, fantasy, adventure, dragons, humor, awesome-narrator, re-read, movie, around-the-year-in-52-books, 2024, vikings-norse
review:

]]> 454600 241 Cressida Cowell 0316114251 Kim 3 4.23 2006
author: Cressida Cowell
name: Kim
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/26
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: audio, childrens, fantasy, adventure, dragons, humor, awesome-narrator, movie, re-read, 2024, 2024-audio, vikings-norse
review:

]]> 1950067 256 Cressida Cowell 034095034X Kim 3 4.23 2008
author: Cressida Cowell
name: Kim
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/01
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: audio, childrens, adventure, dragons, humor, fantasy, awesome-narrator, 2025, 2025-audio, movie, vikings-norse, re-read
review:

]]> 52772417
She vows to do whatever it takes to avenge her beloved sister, Vittoria... even if that means accepting the hand of the Prince of Pride, the king of demons.

The first rule in the court of the Wicked? Trust no one. With back-stabbing princes, luxurious palaces, mysterious party invitations, and conflicting clues about who really killed her twin, Emilia finds herself more alone than ever before. Can she even trust Wrath, her one-time ally in the mortal world... or is he keeping dangerous secrets about his true nature?

Emilia will be tested in every way as she seeks a series of magical objects that will unlock the clues of her past and the answers she craves...

One sister.
Two sinful princes.
Infinite deception with a side of revenge� Welcome to Hell.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author of Stalking Jack the Ripper Kerri Maniscalco comes the sizzling, sweepingly romantic sequel to Kingdom of the Wicked!]]> 437 Kerri Maniscalco 1529350506 Kim 3 4.09 2021
author: Kerri Maniscalco
name: Kim
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/01
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, audio, awesome-narrator, book-bf, cliff-hanger, could-have-been-better, demons, devil, enemies-to-lovers, eye-roll, fantasy, magic, new-adult, romantasy, witches-wizards-warlocks
review:

]]> 61884832 A Black sheriff. A serial killer. A small town ready to combust.

Titus Crown is the first Black sheriff in the history of Charon County, Virginia. In recent decades, Charon has had only two murders. After years of working as an FBI agent, Titus knows better than anyone that while his hometown might seem like a land of moonshine, cornbread, and honeysuckle, secrets always fester under the surface.

Then a year to the day after Titus’s election, a school teacher is killed by a former student and the student is fatally shot by Titus’s deputies. Those festering secrets are now out in the open and ready to tear the town apart.

As Titus investigates the shootings, he unearths terrible crimes and a serial killer who has been hiding in plain sight, haunting the dirt lanes and woodland clearings of Charon. With the killer’s possible connections to a local church and the town’s harrowing history weighing on him, Titus projects confidence about closing the case while concealing a painful secret from his own past. At the same time, he also has to contend with a far-right group that wants to hold a parade in celebration of the town’s Confederate history.

Powerful and unforgettable, All the Sinners Bleed confirms S. A. Cosby as “one of the most muscular, distinctive, grab-you-by-both-ears voices in American crime fiction� (The Washington Post).]]> 338 S.A. Cosby 1250831911 Kim 3 4.18 2023
author: S.A. Cosby
name: Kim
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/25
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, audio, could-have-been-better, detective-fbi-pi, mystery
review:

]]> 41952489
Everyone else is fodder, destined to fight and die in the endless war. Young, gift-less Tau knows all this, but he has a plan of escape. He's going to get himself injured, get out early, and settle down to marriage, children, and land. Only, he doesn't get the chance. Those closest to him are brutally murdered, and his grief swiftly turns to anger. Fixated on revenge, Tau dedicates himself to an unthinkable path. He'll become the greatest swordsman to ever live, a man willing to die a hundred thousand times for the chance to kill the three who betrayed him.]]> 535 Evan Winter 031648976X Kim 0
Almost five hours in, and I have no idea what's going on. I felt like I was dropped into the middle of a story instead of the beginning. ]]> 4.29 2017
author: Evan Winter
name: Kim
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves: dnf, 2025, 2025-audio, audio, couldn-t-get-into, dragons, fantasy, high-fantasy, magic, war
review:
DNF at 24%

Almost five hours in, and I have no idea what's going on. I felt like I was dropped into the middle of a story instead of the beginning.
]]> 55127740 From the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Stalking Jack the Ripper series comes a new blockbuster series...

Two sisters.
One brutal murder.
A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself...
And an intoxicating romance.

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe - witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family's renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin...desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister's killer and to seek vengeance at any cost—even if it means using dark magic that's been long forbidden.

Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked—princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia's side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women's murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems...]]> 360 Kerri Maniscalco 1529350468 Kim 3 3.90 2020
author: Kerri Maniscalco
name: Kim
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/23
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, audio, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, awesome-narrator, cliff-hanger, demons, devil, eye-roll, witches-wizards-warlocks, ya, magic
review:

]]> 209594872 The Last of Us meets The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in this standalone dystopian romance about survival, sacrifice, and love that risks everything.

By encouraging massive accumulations of debt from its underclass, a single corporation, Caerus, controls all aspects of society.

Inesa lives with her brother in a half-sunken town where they scrape by running a taxidermy shop. Unbeknownst to Inesa, their cruel and indolent mother has accrued an enormous debt—enough to qualify one of her children for Caerus’s livestreamed assassination spectacle: the Lamb’s Gauntlet.

Melinoë is a Caerus assassin, trained to track and kill the sacrificial Lambs. The product of neural reconditioning and physiological alteration, she is a living weapon, known for her cold brutality and deadly beauty. She has never failed to assassinate one of her marks.

When Inesa learns that her mother has offered her as a sacrifice, at first she despairs—the Gauntlet is always a bloodbath for the impoverished debtors. But she’s had years of practice surviving in the apocalyptic wastes, and with the help of her hunter brother, she might stand a chance of staying alive.

For Melinoë, this is a game she can’t afford to lose. Despite her reputation for mercilessness, she is haunted by painful flashbacks. After her last Gauntlet, where she broke down on livestream, she desperately needs redemption.

As Mel pursues Inesa across the wasteland, both girls begin to question everything: Inesa wonders if there’s more to life than survival, while Mel wonders if she’s capable of more than killing.

And both wonder if, against all odds, they might be falling in love.]]> 384 Ava Reid 0063211556 Kim 0 tbr-sprayed 3.83 2025
author: Ava Reid
name: Kim
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: tbr-sprayed
review:

]]> 51901147
The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.]]> 541 Suzanne Collins Kim 3 3.99 2020
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Kim
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: 2025, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, could-have-been-better, disappointed, dystopian, movie, sllloooowww, ya
review:

]]> 211004089
Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers. But with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants, packing up the seeds before they are transported to safer ground. Despite the wild beauty of life here, isolation has taken its toll on the Salts. Raff, eighteen and suffering his first heartbreak, can only find relief at his punching bag; Fen, seventeen, has started spending her nights on the beach among the seals; nine-year-old Orly, obsessed with botany, fears the loss of his beloved natural world; and Dominic can’t stop turning back toward the past, and the loss that drove the family to Shearwater in the first place.

Then, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman washes up on shore. As the Salts nurse the woman, Rowan, back to life, their suspicion gives way to affection, and they finally begin to feel like a family again. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting her heart, begins to fall for the Salts, too. But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers the sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own dark secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, the characters must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late—and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together.]]> 303 Charlotte McConaghy 1250827957 Kim 0 currently-reading 4.27 2025
author: Charlotte McConaghy
name: Kim
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 211004124 From the New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six comes the story of three siblings who, upon the death of their father, are forced to reckon with their long-festering rivalries, dangerous abilities, and the crushing weight of all their unrealized adolescent potential.

Where there’s a will, there’s a war.

Thayer Wren, the brilliant CEO of Wrenfare Magitech and so-called father of modern technology, is dead. Any one of his three telepathically and electrokinetically gifted children would be a plausible inheritor to the Wrenfare throne.

Or at least, so they like to think.

Meredith, textbook accomplished eldest daughter and the head of her own groundbreaking biotech company, has recently cured mental illness. You're welcome! If only her father's fortune wasn't her last hope for keeping her journalist ex-boyfriend from exposing what she really is: a total fraud.

Arthur, second-youngest congressman in history, fights the good fight every day of his life. And yet, his wife might be leaving him, and he's losing his re-election campaign. But his dead father’s approval in the form of a seat on the Wrenfare throne might just turn his sinking ship around.

Eilidh, once the world's most famous ballerina, has spent the last five years as a run-of-the-mill marketing executive at her father’s company after a life-altering injury put an end to her prodigious career. She might be lacking in accolades compared to her siblings, but if her father left her everything, it would finally validate her worth—by confirming she'd been his favorite all along.

On the pipeline of gifted kid to clinically depressed adult, nobody wins—but which Wren will come out on top?]]> 512 Olivie Blake 1250883407 Kim 0 tbr-sprayed 3.82 2025
author: Olivie Blake
name: Kim
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves: tbr-sprayed
review:

]]> 202675767
But then, on a solo job in an abandoned section of the city, she encounters a monster of legend. An undine. A dangerous merman from an ancient civilization, long forgotten.

Arges has fought his entire life for his people. With deadly creatures under his control, he plans to eradicate Beta once and for all to protect his kind and their peaceful way of life. But when a human woman saves him, she unknowingly creates a bond between them, one he can’t ignore. Even though her flaming red hair haunts his dreams, he needs her for information on the undine’s enemies.

So he steals her. Keeps her. Feeds her. Only to realize their bond is far deeper than captor and captive. He cannot let her go—but he cannot keep her under the sea. In a battle to determine if love can survive a war beneath the waves, it will be their decision that changes the tides.]]> 381 Emma Hamm Kim 4 4.00 2024
author: Emma Hamm
name: Kim
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/19
date added: 2025/04/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 15925 224 Nicholas Sparks 0446696110 Kim 3 romance 4.16 2003
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Kim
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 2011/01/01
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves: romance
review:

]]> 33547 Regarded as the Mount Everest of haunted houses, Belasco House has witnessed scenes of almost unimaginable horror and depravity. Two previous expeditions to investigate its secrets met with disaster, the participants destroyed by murder, suicide or insanity. Now a new investigation has been mounted - four strangers, each with his or her own reason for daring the unknown torments and temptations of the mansion...]]> 301 Richard Matheson 0727860992 Kim 3 3.73 1971
author: Richard Matheson
name: Kim
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1971
rating: 3
read at: 2018/03/29
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves: horror, ghosts, movie, paranormal, supernatural, 2018-a-z, audio, audio-2000, re-read
review:

]]> 764347 Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state, is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.]]> 337 Neal Shusterman Kim 5 4.17 2007
author: Neal Shusterman
name: Kim
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2019/01/01
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves: ya, kick-ass-hero, dystopian, science-fiction, book-bf, 2018-a-z, audio, audio-2000, awesome-narrator, re-read, favorites
review:

]]> 200141872 416 Emma Törzs 006325347X Kim 3 3.96 2023
author: Emma Törzs
name: Kim
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: audio, 2025, 2025-audio, awesome-narrator, fantasy, magic, magical-realism, books-about-books
review:

]]> 41068144 The instant #1 New York Times and USA Today best seller by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, the voices behind the hit podcast My Favorite Murder now available in paperback. Includes special bonus material!

Sharing never-before-heard stories ranging from their struggles with depression, eating disorders, and addiction, Karen and Georgia irreverently recount their biggest mistakes and deepest fears, reflecting on the formative life events that shaped them into two of the most followed voices in the nation.

In Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered, Karen and Georgia focus on the importance of self-advocating and valuing personal safety over being �nice� or �helpful.� They delve into their own pasts, true crime stories, and beyond to discuss meaningful cultural and societal issues with fierce empathy and unapologetic frankness.]]> 304 Karen Kilgariff Kim 3 4.07 2019
author: Karen Kilgariff
name: Kim
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/16
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, audio, humor, memoir
review:

]]> 11267847
In a world of forbidden love, ancient enemies, legends and rituals, nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted. Life will never be the same again, unless she enters the Otherworld. But to do so, Amber must die...

Books of the Ancient Legends Series:

A Job From Hell
Beelzebub Girl
Voodoo Kiss
Dead And Beyond
Forever And Beyond
Shadow Blood

The books can be read as stand-alone stories, but it is advisable to read them in order to get the most enjoyment from the series.]]> 371 Jayde Scott 1458183726 Kim 1 vampires, creatures, ya 3.57 2011
author: Jayde Scott
name: Kim
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2011
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: vampires, creatures, ya
review:

]]> 23299513
In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.

But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.]]> 390 C.J. Redwine 0062360248 Kim 3 3.74 2016
author: C.J. Redwine
name: Kim
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/25
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: 2024, 2024-audio, awesome-narrator, audio, dragons, fairy-tale-retellings, fantasy, kick-ass-hero, kick-ass-heroine, magic, retellings, royalty, witches-wizards-warlocks
review:

]]> 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 Kim 2 4.22 2020
author: Susanna Clarke
name: Kim
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/11
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, audio, awesome-narrator, couldn-t-get-into, fantasy, magical-realism
review:
This book was not for me. I have to stop getting book recommendations from Bookstgram.
]]> 127280850
2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.]]> 392 Emilia Hart 1250842727 Kim 2 4.02 2023
author: Emilia Hart
name: Kim
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/15
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, audio, couldn-t-get-into, historical-fiction, magic, sllloooowww, witches-wizards-warlocks
review:

]]> 2038010 246 Cressida Cowell 1844562875 Kim 4 4.23 2007
author: Cressida Cowell
name: Kim
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/13
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: audio, childrens, adventure, dragons, fantasy, humor, awesome-narrator, 2025, 2025-audio, middle-grade, movie, re-read, vikings-norse
review:

]]> 199698485 When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.

As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.]]> 490 Liz Moore Kim 0 tbr-sprayed 4.15 2024
author: Liz Moore
name: Kim
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: tbr-sprayed
review:

]]> 217182344 Ready or Not meets Throne of the Fallen in a spicy, enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance, where an Italian getaway turns deadly after a young woman is trapped in her host family's cursed game.

Ready or not, the game has begun.

Genevieve Grimm has felt adrift ever since her sister became the head of the family. So when a mysterious friend of their mother's invites her to Italy, she accepts. She arrives at his grand palace, expecting passion and magic, decadence and luxury... perhaps even a midnight ball.

She doesn't expect the owner's ruthlessly handsome son to slam the door in her face. Rowin Silver is tall, dark, and exceptionally rude, and invitation or not, he demands Genevieve leave and never come back. But Genevieve follows nobody's orders, especially those of arrogant rich boys. She slips inside—and immediately discovers her mistake.

Rowin and his family are caught in an insidious game of hide and seek, where only one can win. The rest will be trapped in Hell... until the competition begins again.

Genevieve must either join the hunt or forfeit any hope of escaping. But to her dismay, her best chance of survival lies with Rowin. Since lovers may play as a pair, Rowin and Genevieve agree to form an alliance under the guise of a fake courtship. However, as they race through the game's elaborate labyrinth, trapped among gleaming gold and shining marble, their loathing gives way to irresistible attraction. Only Rowin is keeping secrets, especially when it comes to his ruthless family, and Genevieve can't help but wonder if she's trapped in two treacherous games: Enchantra and the one Rowin is playing with her heart.]]> 448 Kaylie Smith 1538770806 Kim 0 tbr-physical 4.36 2025
author: Kaylie Smith
name: Kim
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: tbr-physical
review:

]]> 75665914
What if one little wish changed everything?

When Gemma gets dumped by her long-term boyfriend, she reacts the way any reasonable twenty-eight-year-old would: by getting drunk with her sister, kooky aunt, and best friend, Dax. After one too many margaritas, they decide to perform a love- cleansing spell, which promises to erase Gemma’s ex from her memory. They follow all the instructions, including a platonic kiss from Dax to seal the deal.

When Gemma wakes up, she realizes that this silly spell has worked. Not only does it seem that she never dated her ex, but the rest of her life is completely unrecognizable. The worst part: Dax has no idea who she is.

To reverse the spell and get back to her old life, Gemma must convince her once-best-friend-now-near-stranger to kiss her. But as she carries out her plans, she finds herself falling for him—hard. Soon, Gemma begins to wonder whether she even wants to go back to the way things once were. What if Dax was The One all along?]]> 352 Kate Robb 0593596536 Kim 0 tbr-physical 3.78 2023
author: Kate Robb
name: Kim
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: tbr-physical
review:

]]> 15839976 "I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them."

"I live for you," I say sadly.

Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.

Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.]]> 382 Pierce Brown 0345539788 Kim 3 Darrow is a Helldiver on Mars. He is a Red, the lowest caste in their society. He believes he is helping build the planet up for the next generations. After a tragic event and losing a loved one, he is recruited by a resistance group known as Ares. He is transformed into a Gold, both physically and mentally. His goal is to infiltrate the Institute, where the children of Golds compete to be the best of the best. If he wins, the possibilities are endless.

Thoughts:
I’ve seen Red Rising all over the place for years. It's on so many top sci-fi lists and has excellent reviews, but I was hesitant to start it. I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to the hype, and it didn’t. I tried reading it last year, and it put me into a reading slump. This time, I wanted to give it a second try with the audiobook. The audiobook was the way to go, but I didn’t love it. I found it boring at times, and I was falling asleep at my desk. I also had difficulty keeping up with all the characters and tribes of the Institute. I felt it was just a more political Hunger Games but in space. I can see how the story has potential, and I will probably try the second one, but I am not in a rush to start it.

Stars: 2.5 rounded up �️�️�️
Spice: 0
Eyeroll:2]]> 4.26 2014
author: Pierce Brown
name: Kim
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: science-fiction, ya, dystopian, 2025, 2025-audio, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, audio, awesome-narrator, could-have-been-better, disappointed, eye-roll, gory, sllloooowww, space
review:
Synopsis:
Darrow is a Helldiver on Mars. He is a Red, the lowest caste in their society. He believes he is helping build the planet up for the next generations. After a tragic event and losing a loved one, he is recruited by a resistance group known as Ares. He is transformed into a Gold, both physically and mentally. His goal is to infiltrate the Institute, where the children of Golds compete to be the best of the best. If he wins, the possibilities are endless.

Thoughts:
I’ve seen Red Rising all over the place for years. It's on so many top sci-fi lists and has excellent reviews, but I was hesitant to start it. I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to the hype, and it didn’t. I tried reading it last year, and it put me into a reading slump. This time, I wanted to give it a second try with the audiobook. The audiobook was the way to go, but I didn’t love it. I found it boring at times, and I was falling asleep at my desk. I also had difficulty keeping up with all the characters and tribes of the Institute. I felt it was just a more political Hunger Games but in space. I can see how the story has potential, and I will probably try the second one, but I am not in a rush to start it.

Stars: 2.5 rounded up �️�️�️
Spice: 0
Eyeroll:2
]]> 211760258 Mors solum initium
Death is only the beginning.

The
The Obsidian Order only cares about three secrecy, loyalty, and power.
Every man born to the founding families is bred for this purpose, to serve the society and its objectives.
As a result, we are the elite.
Untouchable.
Unbreakable.
If we make it through the Trials.
I will, as long as my obsession doesn’t get the best of me.
This girl�
If the Order doesn’t kill me, she’ll be the death of me.
Because I won’t give her up.
She’s mine.

The Recruit:

All I want is my freedom and some coffee.
And to find my foster brother.
Every clue that leads me closer to Ben, only frightens me more.
Something dark and dangerous rules this campus.
Similar to the stranger I keep running into.
The one I can’t stop thinking about.
Xavier tells me to stay away from him,
But then I’m snared in a game of shadows and savagery.
Now the only way to survive lies in the arms of a man I once tried to kill.
The same one who’s made me his property.
His bride.

Vicious Secret is Book 1 in The Obsidian Order Duet that ends on a cliffhanger. It contains a stabby FMC and a morally gray hero that's OTT/JP, a stalker who falls first, has Touch Her & Die energy, and is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her.
(A complete list of the TWs can be found on the author's website)]]> 342 Morgan Bridges Kim 0 currently-reading 4.08
author: Morgan Bridges
name: Kim
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 62919847 A gripping, page-turning novel set in Jim Crow Florida that follows Robert Stephens Jr. as he’s sent to a segregated reform school that is a chamber of terrors where he sees the horrors of racism and injustice, for the living, and the dead.

Gracetown, Florida
June 1950

Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory.

Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. Boys forced to work to remediate their so-called crimes have gone missing, but the haints Robbie sees hint at worse things. Through his friends Redbone and Blue, Robbie is learning not just the rules but how to survive. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it’s too late.

The Reformatory is a haunting work of historical fiction written as only American Book Award–winning author Tananarive Due could, by piecing together the life of the relative her family never spoke of and bringing his tragedy and those of so many others at the infamous Dozier School for Boys to the light in this riveting novel.]]> 576 Tananarive Due 1982188340 Kim 3 Robert Stephens, a twelve-year-old boy, is walking to school with his older sister, Gloria, in 1950s Florida. After he has an altercation with the son of a prominent white man, he is sent to Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for six months. He soon discovers he has a talent for seeing ghosts or haints. But are the haints the scariest thing at the reformatory, or are they the people in charge?

Gloria had to grow up fast after her mama died and her father was chased out of town. Her main goal in life is to take care of the house and her brother. After Robbie is sent to the reformatory, she will stop at nothing to get him home before something bad happens to him.

Thoughts:
The Reformatory is a challenging book for me to review and the problem is me. I was looking over the novels for the Essential Reads Challenge, and I clicked on The Reformatory. I saw that it was nominated for the 2023 Reader’s Favorite Horror Award. I read the description, which sounded scary (huge horror fan here) so I downloaded the audiobook. I went into this thinking it was just a ghost story. I thought it would be similar to the film The Orphanage. While truly horrifying at times (both in its supernatural elements and the absolute disgusting actions of men), I found the pacing to be very slow. It’s a heartbreaking tale of two siblings in the Jim Crow South who will do anything for each other and how they struggle and fight to survive the awful situation they are in. This was more of a historical fiction novel, one of my least favorite genres. The Reformatory is a well-written and heartbreaking novel. I recommend that you read it but know that it's more historical fiction and not a horror novel.

Stars: 3.5�️�️�️
Spice:0
Eyeroll:0
Genre: Historical Fiction/Horror
Series: No
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Narrator Rating: 3.5�️�️�️
Cliffhanger: No
]]> 4.44 2023
author: Tananarive Due
name: Kim
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, audio, ghosts, horror, historical-fiction
review:
Synopsis:
Robert Stephens, a twelve-year-old boy, is walking to school with his older sister, Gloria, in 1950s Florida. After he has an altercation with the son of a prominent white man, he is sent to Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for six months. He soon discovers he has a talent for seeing ghosts or haints. But are the haints the scariest thing at the reformatory, or are they the people in charge?

Gloria had to grow up fast after her mama died and her father was chased out of town. Her main goal in life is to take care of the house and her brother. After Robbie is sent to the reformatory, she will stop at nothing to get him home before something bad happens to him.

Thoughts:
The Reformatory is a challenging book for me to review and the problem is me. I was looking over the novels for the Essential Reads Challenge, and I clicked on The Reformatory. I saw that it was nominated for the 2023 Reader’s Favorite Horror Award. I read the description, which sounded scary (huge horror fan here) so I downloaded the audiobook. I went into this thinking it was just a ghost story. I thought it would be similar to the film The Orphanage. While truly horrifying at times (both in its supernatural elements and the absolute disgusting actions of men), I found the pacing to be very slow. It’s a heartbreaking tale of two siblings in the Jim Crow South who will do anything for each other and how they struggle and fight to survive the awful situation they are in. This was more of a historical fiction novel, one of my least favorite genres. The Reformatory is a well-written and heartbreaking novel. I recommend that you read it but know that it's more historical fiction and not a horror novel.

Stars: 3.5�️�️�️
Spice:0
Eyeroll:0
Genre: Historical Fiction/Horror
Series: No
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Narrator Rating: 3.5�️�️�️
Cliffhanger: No

]]> 199261152 A professor of literature finds herself caught up in a work of fiction� literally.

Eileen Merriweather loves to get lost in a good happily-ever-after. The fictional kind, anyway. Because at least imaginary men don’t leave you at the altar. She feels safe in a book. At home. Which might be why she’s so set on going to her annual book club retreat this year—she needs good friends, cheap wine, and grand romantic gestures—no matter what.

But when her car unexpectedly breaks down on the way, she finds herself stranded in a quaint town that feels like it’s right out of a novel�

Because it is.

This place can’t be real, and yet� she’s here, in Eloraton, the town of her favorite romance series, where the candy store’s honey taffy is always sweet, the local bar’s burgers are always a little burnt, and rain always comes in the afternoon. It feels like home. It’s perfect—and perfectly frozen, trapped in the late author’s last unfinished story.

Elsy is sure that’s why she must be here: to help bring the town to its storybook ending.

Except there is a character in Eloraton that she can’t place—a grumpy bookstore owner with mint-green eyes, an irritatingly sexy mouth and impeccable taste in novels. And he does not want her finishing this book.

Which is a problem because Elsy is beginning to think the town’s happily-ever-after might just be intertwined with her own.]]> 368 Ashley Poston 0593640977 Kim 4 Eileen �Elsy� is a professor of literature and a sucker for a good romance novel. Romance novels always end in a happily ever after, rather than being left at the altar. When everyone in her annual book club retreat cancels, she decides to take the long trip by herself. A sudden rainstorm forces her to take a detour and she gets stranded in a quaint little town. She soon realizes this is the town of her favorite romance novel, Eloraton. Everything is exactly as she pictured it but the story is unfinished. The author died suddenly, leaving all the characters in limbo. Elsy believes she was sent there to finish the story but the handsome bookstore owner doesn’t want that to happen.

Thoughts:
Ashley Poston has become an auto-buy author for me. I absolutely loved Dead Romantics and The Seven-Year Slip. She has mastered the genre of magical realism in contemporary romances. So I was super excited to read A Novel Love Story. Its every book girlies dream to get sucked into their favorite series. I enjoyed A Novel Love Story but not as much as her other works. The pacing was a little slow in the beginning. Elsy came to terms with the fact that she was stuck in a fictional town way too quickly. I would have freaked out way more. [spoilers removed] I loved seeing the everyday lives of fictional characters, how they faced real-life problems, and that their lives weren’t as perfect as in the novels. Now, the reason this wasn’t a five-star read for me. [spoilers removed] Overall, I enjoyed the story and all the characters and would recommend it.

Stars: 4.5 �️�️�️�️
Spice: 1]]> 3.62 2024
author: Ashley Poston
name: Kim
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: 2025, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, contemporary, could-have-been-better, enemies-to-lovers, humor, magical-realism, predictable, romance
review:
Synopsis:
Eileen �Elsy� is a professor of literature and a sucker for a good romance novel. Romance novels always end in a happily ever after, rather than being left at the altar. When everyone in her annual book club retreat cancels, she decides to take the long trip by herself. A sudden rainstorm forces her to take a detour and she gets stranded in a quaint little town. She soon realizes this is the town of her favorite romance novel, Eloraton. Everything is exactly as she pictured it but the story is unfinished. The author died suddenly, leaving all the characters in limbo. Elsy believes she was sent there to finish the story but the handsome bookstore owner doesn’t want that to happen.

Thoughts:
Ashley Poston has become an auto-buy author for me. I absolutely loved Dead Romantics and The Seven-Year Slip. She has mastered the genre of magical realism in contemporary romances. So I was super excited to read A Novel Love Story. Its every book girlies dream to get sucked into their favorite series. I enjoyed A Novel Love Story but not as much as her other works. The pacing was a little slow in the beginning. Elsy came to terms with the fact that she was stuck in a fictional town way too quickly. I would have freaked out way more. [spoilers removed] I loved seeing the everyday lives of fictional characters, how they faced real-life problems, and that their lives weren’t as perfect as in the novels. Now, the reason this wasn’t a five-star read for me. [spoilers removed] Overall, I enjoyed the story and all the characters and would recommend it.

Stars: 4.5 �️�️�️�️
Spice: 1
]]> 44019067 The first rule of book club: You don't talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.]]> 352 Lyssa Kay Adams 1984806106 Kim 4 Gavin Scott is an MLB player at the height of his career. But his home life is a different story. He overreacts when he learns his wife has been faking the Big O for years. With their relationship already strained, Thea, his wife, asks for a divorce. Gavin realizes he let his ego get the better of him and is afraid he lost Thea forever. He finds help in the unlikeliest places: a secret book club made up of Nashville’s most prominent men. The men coach Gavin with all the lessons learned from their previous books and their current book, Courting the Countess. Can Gavin learn what he needs from his book club bros and regain his wife’s trust?

Thoughts:
The Bromance Book Club is an adorable contemporary romance with some laugh-out-loud moments. I loved the concept of men creating a romance book club to help their relationships. It was fun to see them explain everything they learned to Gavin, from how to flirt to the grand romantic gesture. My one issue with this book, and it’s a small one, was that I would have liked to see Gavin do a little more to win back Thea. It moved too quickly for me; I would have enjoyed a little more pushback from Thea and having Gavin learn more from Lord Benedict. I liked all the characters, and I am looking forward to their stories in the rest of the series.

Stars: 4 �️�️�️�️
Spice: 1.5 ]]> 3.86 2019
author: Lyssa Kay Adams
name: Kim
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, audio, awesome-narrator, book-bf, contemporary, romance, sports-romance
review:
Synopsis:
Gavin Scott is an MLB player at the height of his career. But his home life is a different story. He overreacts when he learns his wife has been faking the Big O for years. With their relationship already strained, Thea, his wife, asks for a divorce. Gavin realizes he let his ego get the better of him and is afraid he lost Thea forever. He finds help in the unlikeliest places: a secret book club made up of Nashville’s most prominent men. The men coach Gavin with all the lessons learned from their previous books and their current book, Courting the Countess. Can Gavin learn what he needs from his book club bros and regain his wife’s trust?

Thoughts:
The Bromance Book Club is an adorable contemporary romance with some laugh-out-loud moments. I loved the concept of men creating a romance book club to help their relationships. It was fun to see them explain everything they learned to Gavin, from how to flirt to the grand romantic gesture. My one issue with this book, and it’s a small one, was that I would have liked to see Gavin do a little more to win back Thea. It moved too quickly for me; I would have enjoyed a little more pushback from Thea and having Gavin learn more from Lord Benedict. I liked all the characters, and I am looking forward to their stories in the rest of the series.

Stars: 4 �️�️�️�️
Spice: 1.5
]]> 86497148 For a brilliant forensic linguist, crimes of the past hold clues to new series of murders in a twisting novel of suspense by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of A Familiar Sight.

The double murder of a married couple in a small Washington town draws FBI forensic linguist Raisa Susanto into an investigation that mirrors a decades-old crime. Twenty-five years ago—to the day—Alex Parker murdered his parents, then took his own life, leaving behind a note admitting everything.

Raisa, paired with forensic psychologist Callum Kilkenny, uses her skills to read between the lines. Especially now that paranoid postings on a conspiracy thread suggest that Alex was a victim himself—theories that have piqued the interest of a perceptive content moderator and a true-crime podcaster eager for a big break.

As old and new crimes converge, messages from the living and the confessions of the dead take on new meaning for Raisa. Something more sinister than a copycat crime is at play, and plundering the darkest corners of a killer’s mind leaves her vulnerable to a deadly twist even she never saw coming.]]> 350 Brianna Labuskes 1662511353 Kim 3 Raisa is an FBI forensic linguist; she is called to a small town to investigate a double murder that seems to be a copycat killing from exactly 25 years ago. But 25 years ago, the murderer confessed and committed suicide. She is working with a forensic psychologist, Callum Kilkenny, to try and figure out if this is really a copycat killer or if the original suspect was innocent. She also has the help of an odd content moderator and a quirky true-crime podcaster.

Thoughts:
The Lies You Wrote is an enjoyable thriller. I guessed two of the big plot twists very early on, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the story. There was some flip-flopping that I had a hard time understanding. I had the hardest time understanding the job of an FBI Linguist. It makes total sense to me at some points, and at others, I don’t understand it. Then there are Raisa and Callum. They work well together; at times, it feels like it might develop into something romantic; at others, it feels entirely professional.

There are some great side characters. I liked Delaney and all of her weirdness. She made some of the duller moments more entertaining. Overall, I would recommend checking this out, but note that it ends with a semi-cliffhanger and sets up the sequel. Also, don’t read the summary of Book 3, as it spoils the book's ending.

Stars: 3.5 �️�️�️
Spice: .0
Eyeroll: 1.5]]> 4.09 2024
author: Brianna Labuskes
name: Kim
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: 2025-audio, 2025, audio, detective-fbi-pi, serial-killers, thriller
review:
Synopsis:
Raisa is an FBI forensic linguist; she is called to a small town to investigate a double murder that seems to be a copycat killing from exactly 25 years ago. But 25 years ago, the murderer confessed and committed suicide. She is working with a forensic psychologist, Callum Kilkenny, to try and figure out if this is really a copycat killer or if the original suspect was innocent. She also has the help of an odd content moderator and a quirky true-crime podcaster.

Thoughts:
The Lies You Wrote is an enjoyable thriller. I guessed two of the big plot twists very early on, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the story. There was some flip-flopping that I had a hard time understanding. I had the hardest time understanding the job of an FBI Linguist. It makes total sense to me at some points, and at others, I don’t understand it. Then there are Raisa and Callum. They work well together; at times, it feels like it might develop into something romantic; at others, it feels entirely professional.

There are some great side characters. I liked Delaney and all of her weirdness. She made some of the duller moments more entertaining. Overall, I would recommend checking this out, but note that it ends with a semi-cliffhanger and sets up the sequel. Also, don’t read the summary of Book 3, as it spoils the book's ending.

Stars: 3.5 �️�️�️
Spice: .0
Eyeroll: 1.5
]]> 36662489
Now, years later, Dahlia is a tattooed paralegal suffering from PTSD, still haunted by that night. Until one day, a video surfaces online, and Dahlia sees her attack for the first time. Now she knows what happened to her. And she knows who to blame. Her rage is no longer cold, but burning, red hot.

And she is about to make everyone pay.]]> 352 Sandra Block 1492660299 Kim 0
[spoilers removed]]]> 3.87 2018
author: Sandra Block
name: Kim
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: dnf, 2025, 2025-audio, audio, awesome-narrator, couldn-t-get-into, icky, thriller
review:
DNF at 34%

[spoilers removed]
]]> 204787816 A merciless wilderness. A harrowing attack. A desperate escape.

When a tragic accident sidelines Miley's dreams of Olympic gold, she takes a summer job at a mountain guest lodge.

The Frank Church Wilderness is remote, but it’s the perfect place to train and recover. Local lore about a staffer who died years ago doesn’t scare her. But it should.

Miley’s plans take a terrifying detour when she’s abducted during a morning run. Held captive in a desolate off-grid cabin, she’ll have to use her athletic prowess, cunning mind, and courage to survive. But as the nightmare at the cabin escalates, Miley is forced to form an unlikely alliance and attempt a risky escape.

Can she outwit her captors and survive the wilderness before it’s too late?

Inspired by true events, Gray After Dark is a pulse-pounding psychological thriller with a finale that will leave you breathless.]]> 370 Noelle W. Ihli Kim 3 Miley is a biathlete who is working at a resort during her off-season. The Frank Church Wilderness is the perfect place to train for the upcoming Olympics, offering beautiful and remote trails. She heads off for a run and swim in the lake on her day off. There, she encounters two men who kidnap her and bring her to their cabin in the middle of nowhere. She must bide her time for the perfect opportunity to escape.

Brent is Miley’s best friend and teammate for the Olympics. [spoilers removed] When he gets the call that Miley is missing, he drops everything to join the search for her. He will stop at nothing until Miley is home again.

Thoughts:
Gray After Dark is the second book I’ve listened to by Noelle W. Ihli, and thankfully, this one was much better than the first one. This is a fast-paced and very disturbing (though not detailed) thriller. There aren’t any big twists or turns, but it still held my attention to the very end. I really liked Miley and her growth throughout the book. She is kidnapped and brought to a remote cabin in the middle of the woods by two terrifying men. [spoilers removed] She is recovering from physical and emotional pain from a car accident. She must rely on herself to survive and eventually escape from her captors. She is a total badass. Brent was also very likable, and I'm glad there were several chapters from his point of view. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers with dark themes.

Stars: 3.5 �️�️�️
Spice: .0
Eyeroll: .5]]> 4.22 2024
author: Noelle W. Ihli
name: Kim
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, audio, icky, kick-ass-heroine, thriller
review:
Synopsis:
Miley is a biathlete who is working at a resort during her off-season. The Frank Church Wilderness is the perfect place to train for the upcoming Olympics, offering beautiful and remote trails. She heads off for a run and swim in the lake on her day off. There, she encounters two men who kidnap her and bring her to their cabin in the middle of nowhere. She must bide her time for the perfect opportunity to escape.

Brent is Miley’s best friend and teammate for the Olympics. [spoilers removed] When he gets the call that Miley is missing, he drops everything to join the search for her. He will stop at nothing until Miley is home again.

Thoughts:
Gray After Dark is the second book I’ve listened to by Noelle W. Ihli, and thankfully, this one was much better than the first one. This is a fast-paced and very disturbing (though not detailed) thriller. There aren’t any big twists or turns, but it still held my attention to the very end. I really liked Miley and her growth throughout the book. She is kidnapped and brought to a remote cabin in the middle of the woods by two terrifying men. [spoilers removed] She is recovering from physical and emotional pain from a car accident. She must rely on herself to survive and eventually escape from her captors. She is a total badass. Brent was also very likable, and I'm glad there were several chapters from his point of view. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers with dark themes.

Stars: 3.5 �️�️�️
Spice: .0
Eyeroll: .5
]]> 68427
Arelon's new capital, Kae, crouches in the shadow of Elantris. Princess Sarene of Teod arrives for a marriage of state with Crown Prince Raoden, hoping—based on their correspondence—to also find love. She finds instead that Raoden has died and she is considered his widow. Both Teod and Arelon are under threat as the last remaining holdouts against the imperial ambitions of the ruthless religious fanatics of Fjordell. So Sarene decides to use her new status to counter the machinations of Hrathen, a Fjordell high priest who has come to Kae to convert Arelon and claim it for his emperor and his god.

But neither Sarene nor Hrathen suspect the truth about Prince Raoden. Stricken by the same curse that ruined Elantris, Raoden was secretly exiled by his father to the dark city. His struggle to help the wretches trapped there begins a series of events that will bring hope to Arelon, and perhaps reveal the secret of Elantris itself.

A rare epic fantasy that doesn't recycle the classics and that is a complete and satisfying story in one volume, Elantris is fleet and fun, full of surprises and characters to care about. It's also the wonderful debut of a welcome new star in the constellation of fantasy.]]> 638 Brandon Sanderson 0765350378 Kim 0 currently-reading 4.16 2005
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Kim
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 28881 Philadelphia Inquirer).

Verily, the story Biff has to tell is a miraculous one, filled with remarkable journeys, magic, healings, kung fu, corpse reanimations, demons, and hot babes. Even the considerable wiles and devotion of the Savior's pal may not be enough to divert Joshua from his tragic destiny. But there's no one who loves Josh more—except maybe "Maggie," Mary of Magdala—and Biff isn't about to let his extraordinary pal suffer and ascend without a fight.]]> 444 Christopher Moore 0380813815 Kim 5 4.23 2002
author: Christopher Moore
name: Kim
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: favorites, audio, re-read, paranormal, creatures, humor, demons, historical-fiction, fantasy, love-triangle, angels, adventure
review:

]]> 122764527 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

The award-winning, best-selling author of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel returns with a novel of art, time, love, and plague that takes the reader from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a dark colony on the moon three hundred years later, unfurling a story of humanity across centuries and space.

Edwin St. Andrew is eighteen years old when he crosses the Atlantic by steamship, exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a dinner party. He enters the forest, spellbound by the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, and suddenly hears the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal—an experience that shocks him to his core.

Two centuries later a famous writer named Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour. She’s traveling all over Earth, but her home is the second moon colony, a place of white stone, spired towers, and artificial beauty. Within the text of Olive’s bestselling pandemic novel lies a strange passage: a man plays his violin for change in the echoing corridor of an airship terminal as the trees of a forest rise around him.

When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the black-skied Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend from the Night City who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe.

A virtuoso performance that is as human and tender as it is intellectually playful, Sea of Tranquility is a novel of time travel and metaphysics that precisely captures the reality of our current moment.]]> 258 Emily St. John Mandel 059346673X Kim 1 This book made me feel dumb 4.08 2022
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: Kim
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 1
read at: 2024/02/22
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: 2024, 2024-audio, 2024-barnes-and-noble-challenge, around-the-year-in-52-books, audio, disappointed, science-fiction, space, time-travel
review:
This book made me feel dumb
]]> 7260188 My name is Katniss Everdeen.
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans—except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay—no matter what the personal cost.]]> 390 Suzanne Collins 0439023513 Kim 5 4.10 2010
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Kim
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: dystopian, kick-ass-hero, kick-ass-heroine, ya, 2025, 2025-audio, audio, movie, re-read
review:

]]> 211004131 A dark and enchanting fairy tale-inspired historical fantasy combining elements of "The Little Mermaid" and "Cinderella" into a wholly original tale of love, power, and betrayal.

Saint-Malo, Brittany, 1758.
For Lucinde Leon, the youngest daughter of one of Saint-Malo's wealthiest ship-owners, the high walls of the city are more hindrance than haven. While her sisters are interested in securing advantageous marriages, Luce dreams of escaping her elegant but stifling home and joining a ship's crew. Only Samuel—Luce's best friend and an English smuggler—understands her longing for the sea, secretly teaching her to sail whenever she can sneak away. For Luce, the stolen time on the water with Samuel is precious.

One stormy morning, Luce's plans are blown off course when she rescues Morgan de Chatelaine, the youngest son of the most powerful ship-owner in Saint-Malo, from the sea. Immediately drawn to his charm and sense of adventure, she longs to attend the glittering ball held in honor of his safe return and begins to contemplate a different kind of future for herself.

But it is not only Luce's hopes at stake—the local fae are leaving Brittany and taking their magic with them, while the long-standing war with the English means Saint-Malo is always at risk of attack. As Luce is plunged into a world of magic, brutality, and seduction, secrets that have long been lost in the shadowy depths of the ocean begin to rise to the surface. The truth of her own power is growing brighter and brighter, shining like a sea-glass slipper.

Or the scales of a sea-maid's tail.]]> 432 Kell Woods 125085251X Kim 0 tbr-sprayed 4.29 2025
author: Kell Woods
name: Kim
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: tbr-sprayed
review:

]]> 211004924 DELUXE EDITION—featuring beautiful original illustrated stenciled edges with a foil case stamp, and designed endpapers!

An instant New York Times bestseller!

House of the Dragon meets From Blood and Ash in this epic, scorching dark romantasy.

A conqueror captivated�
A witch prophesied to save them all�
An unforgiving world where dragons rule Rome.

Julian Dakkia, Roman general and nephew to the emperor, has played his role as conqueror well. Yet, the moment he laid eyes on Malina, he was enthralled by the Dacian dancer. Years later, the fierce beauty stands before him, a captive on a scarred battlefield, her life in danger. He instinctively shifts into his fierce dragon form to save her, an action that may mean his head on the imperial gate.

The rules of their world dictate that he is the conqueror and she is the captured. But he and his dragon know one thing: their bond has nothing to do with the laws of mighty Rome. She belongs to them. And they belong to her.

Fierce and powerful, twenty-one-year old Malina has survived the loss of her family and she is determined to fight until her dying breath. Still, she can’t believe that the centurion who had once bestowed a secret talisman on her is the Roman general of legendary brutality…and now holds her life in his hands. Nor can she deny how her soul has always seemed to answer his. Slowly she learns that Julian is caught in his mad uncle’s machinations for domination, and helps him plot the downfall of the empire itself.

As they navigate a world where flying deathriders conquer and burn, their love will ignite a firestorm that can only end in heartbreak or death. Or both.

Firebird is a fantasy with some dark themes, including elements of master/slave relationship, attempted sexual assault (not between MCs), and dubious consent (not between MCs). Readers who may be sensitive to these elements, please take note.]]> 400 Juliette Cross 1250339944 Kim 0 tbr-physical 3.54 2025
author: Juliette Cross
name: Kim
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: tbr-physical
review:

]]> 220699286
Elo navigates an uneasy alliance with Arren; his friend, his enemy, and his king. Now they each must decide how much they're willing to sacrifice to turn the tides of war.

Meanwhile, Inara joins her mother on their ship, the Silverswift, to seek aid. Still grappling with her powers, Inara must reconcile who she is and where she belongs, while Skediceth has to question if their bond will be enough to keep them safe.

Kissen has no allegiance to the old ways of Middren. But, as she tries to find her family, she is forced to question what, and whose, future she is fighting for.]]> 400 Hannah Kaner 0008521565 Kim 0 tbr-sprayed 4.17 2025
author: Hannah Kaner
name: Kim
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: tbr-sprayed
review:

]]> 212987930 From the bestselling author M. R. Carey comes an utterly unique and enchantingly dark epic fantasy fable like no other.

This is the tale of Once Was Willem, who - eleven hundred and some years after the death of Christ, in the kingdom that had but recently begun to call itself England - rose from the dead to defeat a great evil facing the humble village of Cosham.

Pennick for all its beauty was ever a place with a dark reputation. The forests of the Chase were said to be home to nixies and boggarts, and there was a common belief, passed down through many generations, that the castle housed an unquiet ghost of terrible and malign power. These rumours I can attest were all true; indeed they fell short of the truth by a long way . . .]]> 310 M.R. Carey 0316505129 Kim 0 to-read 4.09 2025
author: M.R. Carey
name: Kim
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 224970641
In this gritty, haunting tale about doing whatever it takes for love, a small-town storyteller resolves to keep the local monster—and her own secrets—safe from a legendary knight.

Nestled deep in the steep hills, valleys, and surrounding woodlands lies Iron Hollow, a rural community beset by demons. Such horrors are common in the outlands, where most folks die young, if they don’t turn into monsters first. But what’s causing these transformations?

No one has the answer, not even the town’s oral historian, seventeen-year-old Shrike. And when a legendary knight is summoned to hunt down the latest beast to haunt their woods, Shrike has more reason than most to be concerned. Because that demon was her wife. And while Shrike is certain that May still recognizes her—that May is still human, somewhere beneath it all—she can’t prove it.

Determined to keep May safe, Shrike stalks the knight and his demon-hunting hawk through the recesses of the forest. But as they creep through toxic creeks and overgrown kudzu, Shrike realizes the knight has a secret of his own. And he’ll do anything to protect it.]]> 36 Alix E. Harrow 1662527233 Kim 0 to-read 4.02 2025
author: Alix E. Harrow
name: Kim
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213126697 When dead enemies rise, grave matters of the heart, mind, and body clash in the fantastical fourth Whimbrel House novel by Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg.

Whimbrel House is changing. Merritt and Hulda are raising a family. Owein has signed a marriage contract with the magically compatible Lady Cora, a heavyweight of British nobility who’s an ocean away. And the lovely shape-shifting druid Fallon makes a distractingly fetching friend for Owein. But another change is in the air, and this time it’s something wicked.

The greatest wizard of the millennium, Silas Hogwood, is back—after five years dead. New body, same foul scent, and driven by madness and revenge. Owein, fearing he isn’t strong enough to fend him off, seeks Cora’s help and influence in England. Alarms ringing, Queen Victoria dispatches her League of Magicians, including her personal necromancer, to aid in Owein’s defense.

As magic, both good and evil, converges on Blaugdone Island, Owein realizes how harrowing the forces against them are. Combating them will require some digging—literally—for half-formed secrets of magic Hulda doesn’t want him to have. But no promise, lock, or government red tape will keep Owein from doing what’s necessary to protect those he loves; one way or another, Silas will only take Whimbrel House over Owein’s third dead body.]]> 269 Charlie N. Holmberg 1662516819 Kim 0 to-read 4.33 2025
author: Charlie N. Holmberg
name: Kim
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 212398691 From bestselling author Kelly Andrew comes the most electrifying dark romance of the decade...

Following the death of his father, Thomas Walsh had to grow up quickly, taking on odd-jobs to keep food on the table and help pay his gravely ill mother's medical bills. When he's offered a highly paid position as an interpreter for an heiress who exclusively signs, Thomas -- the hearing child of a Deaf adult -- jumps at the opportunity.

But the job is not without its challenges. Thomas is expected to accompany Vivienne wherever she goes, but from the start, she seems determined to shake him. To make matters worse, her parents keep her on an extremely short leash. She is not to go anywhere without express permission. She is not to deviate from her routine.

She is, most importantly, not to be out after dark.

A selective-mute, Vivienne Farrow hasn't said a word in years -- not since going missing in Red Rock Canyon when she was four years old. No one knows quite what happened to her out in the dark. They only know that the sound of her voice is now as deadly as a poison. Anyone who hears her speak suffers a horrible death.

Ever since that fatal family vacation, Vivienne has been desperately searching for a way to regain control of both her voice and her body. Because the face staring out of the mirror isn't hers. It's something with teeth.

Thankfully, Vivienne has a plan. She's finally found someone who claims to be able to perform a surgical exorcism. She just needs to find a way to get rid of Thomas first. But Thomas can't afford to walk away, nor is he willing to abandon the mysterious girl he's quickly falling for, no matter what dark powers threaten to swallow them both whole.]]> 368 Kelly Andrew 1546104488 Kim 0 to-read 3.98 2025
author: Kelly Andrew
name: Kim
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 199635112 In the thrilling conclusion of the duology set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Serpent & Dove series by Shelby Mahurin, a vampire and the woman who tried to kill him prove that true love can conquer anything, even Death. Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Mass.

Célie’s life is over. She took her final breath trying to save the people she loves—including the powerful and enigmatic vampire king, Michal, who refused to let her go. When Célie wakes, she cannot walk in the sun; she can hear her friends� heartbeats and she craves their blood. Michal has cursed her to the eternal existence of a vampire.

But Célie isn’t the only dead roaming the earth. Her sister, Filippa, has returned as a shadow of her former self, and other revenants are rising from their graves intent on revenge. The fragile balance between life and death has broken, awakening an even darker force—and he is coming for Célie, ready to claim her as his Bride. With the fate of their world at stake, Célie and Michal must set aside their searing attraction to mend the veil and right the balance, once and for all.]]> 624 Shelby Mahurin 0063258803 Kim 0 tbr-sprayed 4.14 2025
author: Shelby Mahurin
name: Kim
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: tbr-sprayed
review:

]]> 211004190
It's a whole new moooooon.

One day soon, suddenly and without explanation, the moon as we know it is replaced with an orb of cheese with the exact same mass. Through the length of an entire lunar cycle, from new moon to a spectacular and possibly final solar eclipse, we follow multiple characters -- schoolkids and scientists, billionaires and workers, preachers and politicians -- as they confront the strange new world they live in, and the absurd, impossible moon that now hangs above all their lives.]]> 326 John Scalzi 0765389096 Kim 0 to-read 3.85 2025
author: John Scalzi
name: Kim
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 36692308
Kel Saren, body double to Conor, crown prince of the dazzling city of Castellane, is caught between two worlds. In order to protect his beloved prince, Kel must find the culprits responsible for a massacre at the royal palace—and the only clues are held by the Ragpicker King, the notorious criminal who rules Castellane’s underworld. The trail Kel follows leads back to the Hill, where among decadent nobles and glittering parties a dark conspiracy to destroy the royal family has taken hold—a conspiracy headed up by the monstrous Artal Gremont, the man engaged to marry the woman Kel adores.

Meanwhile, Lin Caster must face the aftermath of the greatest risk she’s ever taken. To save the life of a dying friend, Lin has falsely claimed to be the Goddess Reborn, the legendary heroine destined to save her people. Now the terrifying—but strangely magnetic—leader of her people has arrived to test her powers. The price of failure is exile, and only through her alliance with the Ragpicker King can she continue to access the magic that may save her.

Then Prince Conor reappears in her life, demanding that she use her healing powers to cure the madness of his father, the King. Lin soon realizes the King is gripped by an ancient and terrible magic, one whose lure she cannot deny any more than she can deny her growing passion for Conor.

As the simmering tensions in Castellane reach a fever pitch, Lin and Kel must decide who to trust when any false move means death—or worse.]]> 557 Cassandra Clare 1529001447 Kim 0 tbr-sprayed 4.43 2025
author: Cassandra Clare
name: Kim
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: tbr-sprayed
review:

]]> 214331246 When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

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

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

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]> 387 Suzanne Collins 1546171460 Kim 0 tbr-physical 4.61 2025
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Kim
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: tbr-physical
review:

]]> 195934852
Locked away for twelve years, Sabine Darrow’s only friends are animals she communicates with using magic. Now, sold as a bride to a villainous high lord, her greatest fear is trading one prison for another. But a potential escape lies in the form of her gruff yet achingly handsome guard, whose loyalty she is determined to break.

A huntsman with heightened senses, Basten “Wolf� Bowborn has more important things to do than transport his master’s new bride. With ancient creatures reawakening along the kingdom's border wall, he is torn between his duty and his desire to investigate—until a forbidden attraction becomes an unyielding obsession.

Welcome to Astagnon—a kingdom of cruel games and corrupted courts, where the only thing more dangerous than the secrets slumbering underground is falling for the one person you can’t have.

Drawing inspiration from Snow White and the Lady Godiva legend, WHITE HORSE BLACK NIGHTS is a dark enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance that will take you on a journey you’ll never forget. This captivating story of a girl with a special gift is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer Armentrout!]]> 416 Evie Marceau Kim 0 tbr-sprayed 3.79 2023
author: Evie Marceau
name: Kim
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: tbr-sprayed
review:

]]> 6148028 Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol—a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest that she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before . . . and surprising readers at every turn.]]> 391 Suzanne Collins 0439023491 Kim 5 4.34 2009
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Kim
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: favorites, ya, kick-ass-hero, kick-ass-heroine, dystopian, 2025, action, audio, awesome-narrator, love-triangle, movie, re-read, cliff-hanger
review:

]]> 219301810 A hitmaking songwriter and a bitter musician share a startling and inexplicable connection that they’ll do anything to shake, in the next sparkling, magical book from Ashley Poston.

Joni Lark is living the dream. She’s one of the most coveted songwriters in LA…and she can’t seem to write. There’s an emptiness inside her, and nothing seems to fill it.

When she returns to her hometown of Vienna Shores, North Carolina, she hopes that the sand, the surf, and the concerts at The Revelry, her family’s music venue, will spark her inspiration. But when she gets there, nothing is how she left it. Her best friend is avoiding her, her mother’s memories are fading fast, and The Revelry is closing.

How can she think about writing her next song when everything is changing without her?

Until she hears it. A melody in her head, lyric-less and half-formed, and an alluring and addictive voice to go with it—belonging, apparently, to a wry musician with hangups of his own.

Surely, he’s a figment of her overworked imagination.

But then the very real man attached to the voice shows up in Vienna Shores. He’s aggravating and gruff on the outside—nothing like the sweet, funny voice in Joni’s head—and he has a plan:

They’ll finish the song haunting them both, break their connection, and hope they don’t risk their hearts in the process.

Because that song stuck in their heads? Maybe it’s there for a reason.]]> Ashley Poston 0593641019 Kim 0 to-read 4.27 2025
author: Ashley Poston
name: Kim
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213243955 An unforgettable dark fairy tale that asks, Can love save us from ourselves?

Birdie’s keeping it together; of course she is. So she’s a little hungover sometimes, and she has to bring her daughter, Emaleen, to her job waiting tables at an Alaskan roadside lodge, but she’s getting by as a single mother in a tough town. Still, Birdie can remember happier times from her youth, when she was free in the wilds of nature.

Arthur Neilsen, a soft-spoken and scarred recluse who appears in town only at the change of seasons, brings Emaleen back to safety when she gets lost in the woods. Most people avoid him, but to Birdie he represents everything she’s ever longed for. She finds herself falling for Arthur and the land he knows so well. Against the warnings of those who care about them, Birdie and Emaleen move to his isolated cabin in the mountains on the far side of the Wolverine River.

It’s just the three of them in the vast black woods, far from roads, telephones, electricity, and outside contact, but Birdie believes she has come prepared. At first, it’s idyllic, but soon Birdie discovers that Arthur is something much more mysterious and dangerous than she could have imagined, and that like the Alaska wilderness, a fairy tale can be as dark as it is beautiful.]]> 306 Eowyn Ivey 0593231023 Kim 3 3.69 2025
author: Eowyn Ivey
name: Kim
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: 2025, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, fantasy, could-have-been-better, disappointed, literary-fiction, romance, shapeshifters, retellings
review:

]]> 2767052
Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . .

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.]]> 374 Suzanne Collins Kim 5 4.34 2008
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Kim
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/21
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: favorites, ya, kick-ass-heroine, kick-ass-hero, gory, dystopian, movie, book-bf, science-fiction, fantasy, adventure, romance, love-triangle, cry-baby, creatures, re-read, 2025, 2025-audio, audio, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, awesome-narrator, cliff-hanger, fake-relationship
review:

]]> 23363928
After all, she was a normal American herself, once.

That was a long time ago, of course—before the time she calls “adoption day,� when she and a dozen other children found themselves being raised by a man they learned to call Father.

Father could do strange things. He could call light from darkness. Sometimes he raised the dead. And when he was disobeyed, the consequences were terrible.

In the years since Father took her in, Carolyn hasn't gotten out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient Pelapi customs. They've studied the books in his library and learned some of the secrets behind his equally ancient power.

Sometimes, they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God.

Now, Father is missing. And if God truly is dead, the only thing that matters is who will inherit his library—and with it, power over all of creation.

As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her.

But Carolyn can win. She's sure of it. What she doesn't realize is that her victory may come at an unacceptable price—because in becoming a God, she's forgotten a great deal about being human.]]> 390 Scott Hawkins 0553418602 Kim 2
This was one weird book. I never fully understood what was happening, and I am unsure if I liked it, but it kept my interest. Some parts were overly violent and unnecessary. If you are squirmish, don't pick this up. The ending fell flat; not enough was explained, and I still have many questions.]]> 4.01 2015
author: Scott Hawkins
name: Kim
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2015/10/20
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: could-have-been-better, creatures, disappointed, gory, monsters, mystery, paranormal, science-fiction, horror, supernatural, wtf, fantasy, books-about-books
review:
WTF did I just read???

This was one weird book. I never fully understood what was happening, and I am unsure if I liked it, but it kept my interest. Some parts were overly violent and unnecessary. If you are squirmish, don't pick this up. The ending fell flat; not enough was explained, and I still have many questions.
]]> 198902277 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781250899576.

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

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

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.]]> 384 Alison Espach Kim 3 4.11 2024
author: Alison Espach
name: Kim
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: 2025, contemporary, love-triangle, literary-fiction, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025
review:

]]> 210395729 They've loved each other in a thousand lifetimes. They've killed each other in every one.

Evelyn remembers all her past lives. She also remembers that in every single one, she’s been murdered before her eighteenth birthday by Arden, a supernatural being whose soul―and survival―is tethered to hers.

The problem is that she’s quite fond of the life she’s in now, and her little sister needs her for bone marrow transplants in order to stay alive. If Evelyn wants to save her sister, she’ll have to:

1. Find the centuries-old devil who hunts her through each life―before they find her first.
2. Figure out why she’s being hunted and finally break their curse.
3. Try not to fall in love.

The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue meets This is How You Lose The Time War in this fantastical love story that defies death as two souls reincarnate through the centuries.]]> 352 Laura Steven 1250333881 Kim 0 tbr-sprayed 3.76 2025
author: Laura Steven
name: Kim
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: tbr-sprayed
review:

]]> 59120294
Nor can they deny the memories of that summer, so long ago—the strange magic taught to them by an even stranger man, and the terrible act that has followed them all into adulthood. In the light of new danger, they must confront their past by facing their futures, and hunting down a man who may very well be a monster.]]> 436 Ronald Malfi 1789098653 Kim 0
This is way too similar to It for my liking. ]]> 3.91 2022
author: Ronald Malfi
name: Kim
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: dnf, 2025, 2025-audio, audio, disappointed, horror
review:
DNF at 30%

This is way too similar to It for my liking.
]]> 199539205 You can’t stay dead forever�
A group of high school students gather on the Isle of Skye’s remote Coral Beach for a hedonistic night of partying to celebrate the passing of their finals. The new millennium is on the horizon and the future beckons, promising new hope and a fresh wind of optimism. In the coming days, many will leave the island for work or to study on the mainland, whereas others will remain on Skye and forge a more traditional path much as their families have done for centuries before them.

That is� all but one�

D.I. Duncan McAdam is dispatched home to the Misty Isle. A body has been found buried in a remote location on the Waternish peninsula. Well preserved in the peat, Isla Matheson � missing for the better part of two decades � is revealed to a shocked island community. A teenage runaway is dead� and no one is talking�

Joining a small team of detectives, Duncan is tasked with revisiting those who knew Isla, those who cared for her� and those with the potential to kill her� In a remote community well used to settling scores among themselves, will they trust one of their own when he asks questions or will they persevere with the façade of ignorance?]]> 368 J.M. Dalgliesh 1800802919 Kim 3 3.90 2023
author: J.M. Dalgliesh
name: Kim
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/14
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, audio, awesome-narrator, detective-fbi-pi, mystery
review:

]]> 216595852
I'm just a girl. And it turns out, I'm Hercules.

I'm struggling to survive in a Titan infested world where Spartans, immortals from twelve royal families who have god-like powers and obscene wealth, rule over all. A shy-stammering foster child with nothing, I keep my head down, cover my scars, and focus on excelling in school. At least, I try to. Then it happens.

My blood test reveals I'm part of the powerful elite. I'm one of them. A Spartan.

Forced to attend the Spartan War Academy, I undergo the most harrowing test of all time to see if I have what it takes to be an immortal. There's just a few problems. Achilles and Patro are my scary mentors. Kharon, the ferryman of death, and Augustus, the son of war, are my terrifying professors. Also, I'm pretty sure either someone's stalking me everywhere I go, or my sanity's slipping––I have a bad feeling both are true.

I'm surrounded by Villains and they're smothering me with their hate, obsession, and dark possessiveness. Too bad for them, they have no clue just who they're messing with.




]]> 496 Jasmine Mas Kim 3 3.84 2024
author: Jasmine Mas
name: Kim
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/12
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, audio, could-have-been-better, enemies-to-lovers, eye-roll, fantasy, gods-goddesses, love-triangle, mythology, new-adult, romantasy
review:

]]> 58960219 A New York Times Bestseller

If he had been with me everything would have been different...

I wasn't with Finn on that August night. But I should've been. It was raining, of course. And he and Sylvie were arguing as he drove down the slick road. No one ever says what they were arguing about. Other people think it's not important. They do not know there is another story. The story that lurks between the facts. What they do not know-the cause of the argument-is crucial.

So let me tell you...]]> 397 Laura Nowlin Kim 2 3.87 2013
author: Laura Nowlin
name: Kim
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at: 2023/03/05
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: 2023, ya, 2023-barnes-noble-reading-challenge, cry-baby, eye-roll, love-triangle
review:

]]> 211742041 The Cruel Prince meets The Selection in this captivating duology opener brimming with heart-pounding romance, vicious competition, and beautiful, cruel fae, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Haven, Sasha Peyton Smith.

Every citizen of England is granted one bargain from their immortal fae queen.

High society girls are expected to bargain for qualities that will win them suitors: a rare talent for piano in exchange for one’s happiest childhood memory. A perfect smile for one’s ability to taste.

But Ivy Benton’s debut season arrives with a shocking twist: a competition to secure the heart of the Queen’s fae son, Prince Bram. A prize that could save Ivy’s family from ruin� and free her sister from the bargain that destroyed her.

Yet every glittering fae deal has a rotting heart—and at the center of this contest is a dark plot that could destroy everything Ivy knows.

Sweepingly romantic and deceptively enchanting, this alternate history romantasy will enthrall readers of Holly Black, Stephanie Garber, and Adalyn Grace.]]> 400 Sasha Peyton Smith 0063372525 Kim 0 tbr-sprayed 3.97 2025
author: Sasha Peyton Smith
name: Kim
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: tbr-sprayed
review:

]]> 214539406 Wren Embervale, alchemist-turned-assassin, finds solace in only one thing: seeking vengeance for the death of her friends. The wars of the past may be over, but her thirst for revenge is far from quenched.

For years, she has been content with her poisons and potions for company, but when an unknown form of alchemy is used to attack a king of the midrealms, Wren’s time in the shadows comes to an end.

She’s offered a place at the ancient alchemy academy of Drevenor to find a cure to the dark magic threatening the kingdoms. To win her spot, she must conquer the Gauntlet, a grueling series of deadly trials that could cost her sanity, or her life.

More is at play than sabotage from fellow competitors. Magic wielders are being targeted and Wren becomes tangled in a dangerous web of deception and bloodshed that puts the entire realm at risk.

But the biggest threat of all might come from the man assigned to protect her—Torj Elderbrock, the silver-haired war hero who has hated her since she assassinated his last charge.

Their shared history ignites a simmering tension that threatens to consume them both.

Peace is fragile, trust is scarce and enemies lurk around every corner� Will love heal all wounds—or will it be the most lethal poison of all?

Iron & Embers is the breathtaking first installment in the epic fantasy romance series, The Ashes of Thezmarr. With its lush world-building, sizzling chemistry, and heart-pounding action it’s perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, From Blood & Ash, and The Bridge Kingdom.]]> 586 Helen Scheuerer 1922903213 Kim 0 tbr-sprayed 4.23 2025
author: Helen Scheuerer
name: Kim
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: tbr-sprayed
review:

]]> 61423835
Enemies-to-lovers has never been more enchanting in this witchy romantic comedy from the New York Times bestselling author of Go Hex Yourself .

Penny Roundtree wants nothing more than to be a familiar to a witch. She’s been a member of the Society of Familiars ever since she was old enough to join the Fam. There’s just a small problem—no one’s hiring. Witches and warlocks are so long-lived that there are far more familiars available than witches to train them. So when an unorthodox arrangement to apprentice under the table to a forbidden warlock presents itself, she takes it.
Ěý
Willem Sauer is banned from having a familiar due to past transgressions, thereby limiting his magic-casting abilities. Unfortunately for the surly, Prussian warlock, he has no choice but to work with enthusiastic Penny as a familiar. They immediately clash like dried roan horsehair and honeycomb gathered by moonlight (it’s a terrible spell combination, ask anyone).
Ěý
Casting spells has delightful perks Penny never could have dreamed of, but also greater dangers. Someone is targeting Penny. Willem and Penny must work together to catch their enemy, and if their ploy requires a little kissing on the side, who is to question the rules of magic?]]> 336 Jessica Clare 0593337581 Kim 3 3.70 2023
author: Jessica Clare
name: Kim
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, audio, awesome-narrator, book-bf, contemporary, eye-roll, fantasy, magic, spicy, fake-relationship, witches-wizards-warlocks
review:

]]> 16788 In a novella set two years after the events of American Gods, Shadow pays a visit to an ancient Scottish mansion, and finds himself trapped in a game of murder and monsters . . .
In a Hugo Award-winning short story set in a strangely altered Victorian England, the great detective Sherlock Holmes must solve a most unsettling royal murder . . .
Two teenage boys crash a party and meet the girls of their dreams—and nightmares . . .
In a Locus Award-winning tale, the members of an exclusive epicurean club lament that they've eaten everything that can be eaten, with the exception of a legendary, rare, and exceedingly dangerous Egyptian bird . . .

Such marvelous creations and more—including a short story set in the world of The Matrix, and others set in the worlds of gothic fiction and children's fiction—can be found in this extraordinary collection, which showcases Gaiman's storytelling brilliance as well as his terrifyingly entertaining dark sense of humor. By turns delightful, disturbing, and diverting, Fragile Things is a gift of literary enchantment from one of the most unique writers of our time.]]> 360 Neil Gaiman Kim 0 dnf 3.97 2006
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Kim
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 17262303 remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? The street seems familiar, but everything is abandoned, overgrown, covered in dust.

What's going on? Is it real? Or has he woken up in his own personal hell? Seth begins to search for answers, hoping desperately that there must be more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife...]]> 472 Patrick Ness 0763662585 Kim 0 dnf 3.96 2013
author: Patrick Ness
name: Kim
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 36518473
They've called him a monster from the day he was born.

Abandoned by his family, Enoch Bryant now lives in a rundown orphanage with other teenagers just like him. He loves his friends, even if the teachers are terrified of them. They're members of the rising plague generation. Each bearing their own extreme genetic mutation.

The people in the nearby town hate Enoch, but he doesn't know why. He's never harmed anyone. Works hard and doesn't make trouble. He believes one day he'll be a respected man.

But hatred dies hard. The tension between Enoch's world and those of the "normal" townspeople is ready to burst. And when a body is found, it may be the spark that ignites a horrifying revolution.]]> 390 Craig DiLouie 0316411310 Kim 0 dnf 3.91 2018
author: Craig DiLouie
name: Kim
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 2373 528 Jeffery Deaver 0451188454 Kim 0 dnf 4.20 1997
author: Jeffery Deaver
name: Kim
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1997
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 23129410 Welcome to Night Vale podcast comes an imaginative mystery of appearances and disappearances that is also a poignant look at the ways in which we all struggle to find ourselves...no matter where we live.

Located in a nameless desert somewhere in the great American Southwest, Night Vale is a small town where ghosts, angels, aliens, and government conspiracies are all commonplace parts of everyday life. It is here that the lives of two women, with two mysteries, will converge.

Nineteen-year-old Night Vale pawn shop owner Jackie Fierro is given a paper marked "King City" by a mysterious man in a tan jacket holding a deer skin suitcase. Everything about him and his paper unsettles her, especially the fact that she can't seem to get the paper to leave her hand, and that no one who meets this man can remember anything about him. Jackie is determined to uncover the mystery of King City and the man in the tan jacket before she herself unravels.

Night Vale PTA treasurer Diane Crayton's son, Josh, is moody and also a shape shifter. And lately Diane's started to see her son's father everywhere she goes, looking the same as the day he left years earlier, when they were both teenagers. Josh, looking different every time Diane sees him, shows a stronger and stronger interest in his estranged father, leading to a disaster Diane can see coming, even as she is helpless to prevent it.

Diane's search to reconnect with her son and Jackie's search for her former routine life collide as they find themselves coming back to two words: "King City". It is King City that holds the key to both of their mysteries, and their futures...if they can ever find it.]]> 401 Joseph Fink 0062351427 Kim 0 3.84 2015
author: Joseph Fink
name: Kim
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: 2019-audio, fantasy, horror, dnf
review:

]]> 23168805
Now a promise to a dying friend has Ballard on the trail of an escaped Serbian war criminal with friends in both high and low places—and a sinister history of blood sacrifices. Ballard is hell-bent on making Dusan Slorzack pay for his numerous atrocities, but Slorzack seems to have literally dropped off the face of the Earth, beyond the reach of his enemies, the Illuminati, and maybe even the Devil himself. To find Slorzack, Ballard must follow a winding, treacherous path that stretches from Wall Street and Washington, D.C. to backwoods hollows and truckstops, while risking what’s left of his very soul . . . .]]> 320 R.S. Belcher 0765374609 Kim 0 dnf 3.70 2015
author: R.S. Belcher
name: Kim
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 21480930 560 Gillian Flynn 0553418351 Kim 0 dnf 4.05 2012
author: Gillian Flynn
name: Kim
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 17667916
Needing to maintain the appearance of a normal life for her foster mother, her probation officer, and her classmates, Lela returns to Warwick High along with Malachi. At night they secretly hunt for the Mazikin nest. To assist, two new Guards from very different parts of the Shadowlands are assigned to Lela’s unit, including the bad boy Jim, who repeatedly challenges Lela's authority. Lela struggles to keep all her Guards on the right side of the law, but their mistakes come at a terrible cost.

As one painful revelation follows another and the Mazikin start targeting those closest to her, Lela finds herself more vulnerable than she’s ever been, wanting a future more than she ever has. With an enemy determined to separate soul from body, one question remains: how much is she willing to sacrifice to protect those she loves?]]> 437 Sarah Fine 1477817298 Kim 0 dnf 4.11 2013
author: Sarah Fine
name: Kim
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 21432474 172 Joe Hill 1613778988 Kim 0 dnf 4.11 2014
author: Joe Hill
name: Kim
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: dnf
review:

]]> 60092579 Opposites certainly attract for the stranded pop star and small-town baker in this charming slice of romance from the author of the TikTok sensation The Cheat Sheet.

Amelia Rose, known as Rae Rose to her adoring fans, is burned-out from years of maintaining her "princess of pop" image. Inspired by her favorite Audrey Hepburn film, Roman Holiday, she drives off in the middle of the night for a break in Rome . . . Rome, Kentucky, that is.

When Noah Walker finds Amelia on his front lawn in her broken-down car, he makes it clear he doesn't have the time or patience for celebrity problems. He's too busy running the pie shop his grandmother left him and reminding his nosy but lovable neighbors to mind their own damn business. Despite his better judgment, he lets her stay in his guest room—but only until her car is fixed—then she's on her own.

Then Noah starts to see a different side of Rae Rose—she's Amelia: kindhearted and goofy, yet lonely from years in the public eye. He can't help but get close to her. Soon she'll have to return to her glamorous life on tour, but until then, Noah will show Amelia all the charming small-town experiences she's been missing, and she'll help him open his heart to more.

Amelia can't resist falling for the cozy town and her grumpy tour guide, but even Audrey had to leave Rome eventually.]]> 320 Sarah Adams 0593500784 Kim 3 3.88 2022
author: Sarah Adams
name: Kim
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/04
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, audio, awesome-narrator, contemporary, cozy, romance, slow-burn
review:

]]> 211003749 In a Gaslamp-lit world where hags and ogres lurk in thick pine forests, three magical queens form an uneasy alliance to protect their lands from invasion…and love turns their world upside down.

Queen Saskia is the wicked sorceress everyone fears. After successfully wrestling the throne from her evil uncle, she only wants one thing: to keep her people safe from the empire next door. For that, she needs to spend more time in her laboratory experimenting with her spells. She definitely doesn’t have time to bring order to her chaotic library of magic.

When a mysterious dark wizard arrives at her castle, Saskia hires him as her new librarian on the spot. “Fabian� is sweet and a little nerdy, and his requests seem a little strange � what in the name of Divine Elva is a fountain pen? � but he’s getting the job done. And if he writes her flirtatious poetry and his innocent touch makes her skin singe, well�

Little does Saskia know that the "wizard" she’s falling for is actually an Imperial archduke in disguise, with no magical training whatsoever. On the run, with perilous secrets on his trail and a fast growing yearning for the wicked sorceress, he's in danger from her enemies and her newfound allies, too. When his identity is finally revealed, will their love save or doom each other?]]> 304 Stephanie Burgis 1250359597 Kim 0 tbr-sprayed 3.79 2025
author: Stephanie Burgis
name: Kim
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: tbr-sprayed
review:

]]> 210167636
Everything Morgan Pendragon knows and loves is gone as she wakes in the dangerous court of the Siabra. The man she was falling in love with is dead, and in his place is a man she barely knows. Surrounded by liars and knives in the dark, all Morgan wants to do is run the other way but Kairos Draven is determined to keep her by his side.

As Morgan and Draven's lives become even more irrevocably entwined, little do they know the sins of the past are coming for them both�

For the Prince of Claws will drown kingdoms in blood for her sake.

Court of Claws is the second installment in an epic dark fantasy romance series that tells the true story of Morgan Le Fay, King Arthur's sister. This enemies-to-lovers series features unique magic systems, magical creatures, and witty banter and is sure to appeal to fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Raven Kennedy, Rebecca Yarros, Carissa Broadbent, and Sarah J. Maas. Intended for mature listeners.]]> 16 Briar Boleyn Kim 3 4.25 2023
author: Briar Boleyn
name: Kim
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/02
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: audio, awesome-narrator, cliff-hanger, enemies-to-lovers, eye-roll, fairies-fey-fae, fantasy, fake-relationship, fated-mates, magic, romantasy, royalty, spicy, 2025, 2025-audio, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025
review:

]]> 199109352
There's nothing Roman Fawkes wants more than the brilliant, beautiful bookstore owner, but he knows it can never happen. Secreted in his mountain hideaway above sleepy Townsend Harbor, his hermit's existence shields him—and those around him—from the pain of his past. Until one of their weekly calls is interrupted by a break-in, and Fawkes is powerless to protect the woman who has become his one link to the world. Orchestrating a trap for the fool who dared harm her, Fawkes finds himself not just ensnared, but beguiled by her. Now so close to Cady, he discovers she's fallen for "Fox", and yet he's unable to reveal her heart's desire is closer than she thinks. Can Fawkes resist the temptation to get between Cady's covers, knowing they'll never have a happily ever after?

Contains mature themes.]]> 10 Kerrigan Byrne Kim 3 3.42 2023
author: Kerrigan Byrne
name: Kim
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/04
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: audio, 2025-audio, 2025, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, awesome-narrator, contemporary, could-have-been-better, disappointed, eye-roll, intsa-love, romance, spicy
review:

]]> 205312302
Silla Nordvig is running for her life.

The Queen of Íseldur has sent warriors to bring Silla to Sunnavík, where death awaits her. When her father is killed, his last words set Silla on a perilous quest: travel the treacherous Road of Bones—a thousand-mile stretch haunted by warbands, creatures of darkness, and a mysterious murderer—and go to Kopa, where a shield house awaits her.

After barely surviving the first stretch of road, a desperate Silla sneaks into a supply wagon belonging to the notorious Bloodaxe Crew. To make it to Kopa, she must win over Axe Eyes, the brooding leader of the Crew, while avoiding the Wolf, his distractingly handsome right-hand man. But the queen's ruthless assassin has other plans and hunts Silla obsessively.

Will Silla make it safely to Kopa? Or will she fall prey to the perils of the Road of Bones?

Featuring an immersive world blending fairy tales with Vikings, The Road of Bones leads you on an adrenaline-fueled chase with fun banter and a slow-building enemies-to-lovers romance. It is book one in the Ashen Series.]]> 22 Demi Winters Kim 4 4.06 2023
author: Demi Winters
name: Kim
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/08
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, audio, awesome-narrator, creatures, fake-relationship, kick-ass-hero, love-triangle, magic, mythology, new-adult, romance, vikings-norse, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025
review:

]]> 212064042
A master manipulator accused of murder. An attorney sworn to defend her. Keera Duggan returns in a riveting novel of suspense by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.

When Jenna Bernstein, disgraced wunderkind CEO of a controversial biotech company, is accused of murdering her former partner and lover, she turns to Seattle attorney Keera Duggan to defend her. Keera is more than a master chess player who brings her intuitive moves into court—she’s Jenna’s childhood friend. But considering their history, Keera knows that where Jenna goes, trouble follows.

Five years earlier, Keera’s father successfully defended Jenna when she was tried for the killing of her company’s chief scientist who threatened to go public with allegations of corporate fraud. Keera knows Jenna too well. When she was a kid, Keera saw Jenna for what she was: a manipulative and frighteningly controlling sociopath. Now, with only circumstantial evidence against Jenna, Keera is willing to bury any trepidation she might have to defend a woman she believes, this time, to be innocent.

As the investigation gets underway and disturbing questions arise, Keera puts her trust in a client who swears that this time she's telling nothing but the truth. If this is all just another devious game, Keera might be working to set a murderer free.]]> 11 Robert Dugoni Kim 4 3.96 2024
author: Robert Dugoni
name: Kim
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, audio, awesome-narrator, mystery, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025
review:

]]> 57127342
You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That’s what.

Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world—or just get to the next level—in a video game–like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that’s actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show.

Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the Dungeon. Survival is optional. Keeping the viewers entertained is not.

Includes part one of the exclusive bonus story “Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret.�]]> 14 Matt Dinniman Kim 5 4.38 2020
author: Matt Dinniman
name: Kim
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/14
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, action, adventure, animal-pov, audio, awesome-narrator, creatures, dinosaurs, fairies-fey-fae, fantasy, favorite-character, gory, humor, kick-ass-hero, kick-ass-heroine, litrpg, monsters, orcs, post-apocalyptic, robots-cyborgs-ai, total-surprise, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025
review:

]]> 57849375
The ratings and views are off the chart. The fans just can't get enough. The dungeon gets more dangerous each day. But in a grinder designed to chew up and spit out crawlers by the millions, Carl and Princess Donut need to work harder than ever just to survive.

They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered prostitutes rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose.

Carl still has no pants.

They call it Dungeon Crawler World. For Carl and Donut, it's anything but a game.]]> 12 Matt Dinniman Kim 4 4.39 2021
author: Matt Dinniman
name: Kim
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, animal-pov, audio, awesome-narrator, creatures, dinosaurs, elves, fantasy, favorite-character, gory, humor, kick-ass-heroine, kick-ass-hero, litrpg, magic, monsters, necromancers, orcs, robots-cyborgs-ai, royalty, science-fiction, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025
review:

]]> 58087773 Welcome to the Gun Show!

The top ten list is populated. The sponsorship program is open. The difficulty is ramping up. The first three floors were nothing compared to what Carl and Donut now face.

The Iron Tangle. An impossibly-complicated subway system built out of the world's subterranean railway systems, all combined and then tied together into a knot. Up is down. Down is up. Close is far. The cars are filled with monsters, the railway stations are less than safe, and the exit is always just a few stops away.

But there is hope. For the first time, the crawlers are all working together. The loot is better than ever. And the secret to unraveling it all may be hidden in the pages of a seemingly-useless book. Welcome, crawlers. Welcome to the fourth floor of the dungeon.]]> 17 Matt Dinniman Kim 4 4.35 2021
author: Matt Dinniman
name: Kim
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/17
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, audio, 2025, awesome-narrator, creatures, demons, dinosaurs, elves, fairies-fey-fae, fantasy, favorites, gods-goddesses, litrpg, magic, monsters, orcs, robots-cyborgs-ai
review:

]]> 61078115 Attention. Attention. The gates are down. The hunters are loose. Run, Run, Run.

A lush jungle teeming with danger. Savage dinosaurs seeking blood. A fallen princess intent on vengeance. A mysterious, end-of-floor celebration for the top crawlers, dubbed “The Butcher’s Masquerade.�

The sixth floor. The Hunting Grounds.

As the remaining crawlers battle for their lives, a new, terrible threat looms. Outside tourists are finally allowed to enter the game, and they are here and ready to hunt. Among them is Vrah, a famed and veteran hunter, intent on collecting the biggest trophy of her career.

But their prey is far from harmless, and this season they are fighting back.

Dungeon Crawler Carl and Princess Donut return in book five of the acclaimed litrpg series.]]> 24 Matt Dinniman Kim 4 4.59 2022
author: Matt Dinniman
name: Kim
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/27
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, aliens, animal-pov, audio, awesome-narrator, creatures, dinosaurs, elves, fairies-fey-fae, fantasy, gods-goddesses, humor, kick-ass-hero, kick-ass-heroine, litrpg, magic, monsters, post-apocalyptic, robots-cyborgs-ai, shapeshifters
review:

]]> 164444179 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780593492918.

Evie Porter has everything a nice Southern girl could want: a doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence, a tight group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.

The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss, Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job.

Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job isn’t like the others. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can’t make any mistakes—especially after what happened last time.

Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there’s still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn’t be higher—but then, Evie has always liked a challenge. . . .]]> 340 Ashley Elston Kim 4 3.97 2024
author: Ashley Elston
name: Kim
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: 2025, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, thriller
review:

]]> 122759365
So when Ana's boss, Lucia, informs John that Ana has been imprisoned for killing Tomas, King of the Italian Court, he drops everything to go to her defense. If he can find the real killer--and unravel a centuries-old mystery in the process--his trip to Rome might just have a storybook ending. Assuming that Anastasia isn't the killer, anyway, which is far from a certainty, given both her career as an assassin and the very public blood feud between Tomas and Lucia.

John has survived a lot of things--divorces, conspiracies, even insane demigods--but politics can be deadly even before regicide is thrown into the mix. This case is looking more and more like an Italian screwjob.]]> Chris Tullbane Kim 3 4.00 2022
author: Chris Tullbane
name: Kim
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/05
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, audio, awesome-narrator, creatures, demons, eye-roll, fantasy, ghosts, humor, intsa-love, magic, supernatural, urban-fantasy, vampires, detective-fbi-pi, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025
review:

]]> 62822709
But lately, she wants more. Siren Seven is wrapping up their farewell tour, and Ariel can’t wait to spend the summer just living a normal life—part of a world she’s only ever seen from the outside. But her father, the head of Atlantica Records, has other plans: begin her breakout solo career immediately, starting with a splashy announcement on a morning talk show.Ěý

The night before, Ariel and her sisters sneak out of their Manhattan penthouse for a night of incognito fun at a rock concert in Brooklyn. It’s there that Ariel crosses paths with Eric Reyes, dreamy lead singer of an up-and-coming band. Unaware of her true identity, Eric spontaneously invites her on the road for the summer. And for the first time in her life, Ariel disobeys her father—and goes with him.Ěý

Caught between the world she longs for and the one she’s left behind, can Ariel follow her dreams, fall in love, and, somehow, find her own voice?]]> 381 Zoraida Córdova 1368070167 Kim 3 3.79 2023
author: Zoraida CĂłrdova
name: Kim
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/07
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, audio, intsa-love, romance, retellings, contemporary, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025
review:

]]> 202468452 The hardest thing for a paranormal conspiracy theorist and a web series producer to believe in is finding love in this swoony debut romantic comedy.

Hallie Barrett's life has imploded after she's dumped by her hotshot ex, who also happens to be her coworker and the star of the online series she was producing. Without a new show to present for the company competition, she’ll be out of a job. But inspiration can come from the strangest places . . . like the most handsome guy she’s ever seen passionately discussing Bigfoot on a late-night docuseries.

Hayden Hargrove made a name for himself as a cryptid expert on his hit podcast, and is intrigued by the plucky, blue-haired producer who offers him the opportunity to lead his own web show. When the production team sees that Hayden’s solo on-screen presence is bad enough to make a ghost blanch, Hallie jumps on camera too, hitting him (and his cryptids) with a healthy dose of skepticism—and enough chemistry to electrify their show to the top of the competition.

As Hayden and Hallie investigate the unknown, they unearth feelings for each other that shake their beliefs to the core. In their search for Mothman, aliens, and the truth, the most elusive discovery might just be learning to love again.]]> 368 Mallory Marlowe 059364008X Kim 3 3.93 2024
author: Mallory Marlowe
name: Kim
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/11
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, aliens, audio, bigfoot, creatures, ghosts, monsters, romance, contemporary, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025
review:

]]> 48846187
Detective Hannah Shor gets a case in the worst way possible � a friend calls her for help. Her twelve year old daughter has been kidnapped, and Hannah joins forces with the FBI to bring her home safely.

A ransom note gone viral

When the kidnappers post an image of their captive on Instagram, the situation spins out of control. Now, the whole world is watching. Rumors spread like wildfire, and online vigilantes add fuel to the raging flames.

As Hannah digs deeper, she unravels dark secrets from the family’s past. With the realization that the kidnapping is about more than just a ransom, Hannah needs to close in on the truth, before Abigail’s time runs out.]]> Mike Omer Kim 3 3.62 2016
author: Mike Omer
name: Kim
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, audio, detective-fbi-pi, thriller, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025
review:

]]> 138357433 It's one hex of an attraction in this romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Jessica Clare.

When Reggie Johnson answers a job ad in the paper, she's astonished to find that she's not applying to work at her favorite card game, Spellcraft: The Magicking. Instead, she's applying to be an actual familiar for an actual witch. As in, real magic.

The new job has a few perks - great room and board, excellent pay, and she's apprenticing to a powerful witch. Sure, the witch is a bit eccentric. And sure, there was that issue with the black cat Reggie would prefer to forget about. The biggest problem, however, is warlock Ben Magnus, her employer's nephew and the most arrogant, insufferable, maddening man to ever cast a spell.

Reggie absolutely hates him. He's handsome, but he's also bossy and irritating and orders her around. Ben's butt might look great in a crystal ball vision, but that's as far as it goes. But when someone with a vendetta targets the household, she finds herself working with Ben to break a deadly curse. Apparently, when they're not fighting like cats and dogs, things get downright...bewitching.]]> 12 Jessica Clare Kim 3 3.46 2022
author: Jessica Clare
name: Kim
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/24
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, audio, awesome-narrator, book-bf, contemporary, eye-roll, fantasy, magic, paranormal, romance, spicy, witches-wizards-warlocks, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025
review:

]]> 58419108
Bad luck has always followed Olivia Marshall…or maybe she’s just the screw-up her family thinks she is. But when a “What are you wearing?� text from a random wrong number turns into the hottest, most entertaining—albeit anonymous—relationship of her life, she thinks things might be on the upswing�.

Colin Beck has always considered Olivia his best friend’s annoying little sister, but when she moves in with them after one of her worst runs of luck, he realizes she’s turned into an altogether different and sexier distraction. He’s sure he can keep his distance, until the moment he discovers she’s the irresistible Miss Misdial he’s been sort of sexting for weeks—and now he has to decide whether to turn the heat up or ghost her before things get messy.]]> 350 Lynn Painter Kim 3 3.67 2022
author: Lynn Painter
name: Kim
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, audio, awesome-narrator, book-bf, humor, new-adult, romance, enemies-to-lovers, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025
review:

]]> 213090831
Callum Flannelly would rather dive into an open grave than take a stranger to dinner. But he can only inherit the family undertaking business under one condition: He must marry before his 35th birthday. So it’s out of the mortuary and into the dating scene.

Lark Thompson came to Galway, Ireland to embrace life, not be reminded of losing her husband by moving in next to a funeral home. Then, the vivacious Texan animator learns of painfully shy Callum’s dilemma and makes it her mission to help him find The One.

Although she's sworn off love herself, she’s certain Callum will find his match. But as the dating project progresses and their friendship grows, their attraction is undeniable. Spending time with serious, sarcastic Callum starts to crack the ice around Lark’s heart, and the more color Lark brings to Callum’s monochrome existence, the less he can imagine life without her.

If they think they can ignore their connection, they’re dead wrong.

TikTok sensation Morbidly Yours is an opposites-attract romantic dramedy about a shy, demisexual Irish mortician who must marry by his thirty-fifth birthday to keep his beloved family business, and the Texan widow escaping her past who moves in next door.]]> 11 Ivy Fairbanks Kim 4 4.02 2023
author: Ivy Fairbanks
name: Kim
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/27
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, audio, awesome-narrator, book-bf, contemporary, romance, slow-burn, spicy, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025
review:

]]> 211567082 Two very indoor people rough it on a remote island after getting swept up in an archaeologist’s hunt for a famed jewel in this dazzling new adventure rom-com by Kerry Rea, author of Lucy on the Wild Side.

If Emily Edwards knows one thing, it’s that you don’t go to a remote island by yourself. Ever the type A personality, Emily doesn’t want to hike around an unfamiliar island, but she’s determined to fulfill her late father’s national park bucket list, starting with Isle Royale National Park—home to wolves, bears, and hundred-year-old shipwrecks. She has no choice but to hire a tour guide, and there is only one that isn’t booked solid.

Ryder Fleet, co-owner of Fleet Outdoor Adventures, wouldn’t call himself a wilderness expert, and he definitely doesn’t know how to find true north. But when his dormant adventure guide business suddenly finds life again after a random inquiry, Ryder somehow finds himself on a ferry to Isle Royale with a very beautiful, no-nonsense woman. What this woman doesn’t know is that his brother Caleb, who died two years ago, was the outdoorsman of their business, while Ryder just did the marketing. But how hard could it be to hike up a few mountains?

Pretty difficult, actually, when murder is involved. Emily’s perfectly planned trek turns disastrous when she and Ryder witness a brutal crime and are suddenly forced to evade a group of archaeologists on the hunt for a jewel. As they spend nights together too close for comfort, they realize their shoddily built fire isn’t the only thing that’s kindling, and that they must trust each other if they want to escape the island with their lives—and hearts—intact.]]> 8 Kerry Rea 0593911644 Kim 2 3.68 2024
author: Kerry Rea
name: Kim
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, adventure, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, audio, awesome-narrator, contemporary, could-have-been-better, intsa-love, love-triangle, romance
review:

]]> 221891417 The time has come! Book seven in the bestselling Dungeon Crawler Carl series is here!

They call it Faction Wars.

The ninth floor.

Nine armies, each led by rich and powerful aliens from across the galaxy. Each team has one objective: to capture and hold the castle at the very center of the battlefield. Strategy, alliances, pitched battles, and, of course, betrayal... It all makes for great fun and even greater television.

After all, none of these powerful aliens really die when they’re playing war.

Except this time. This time, winner takes all. Those who fall, stay in the ground.

As the AI continues its rapid decline, Carl and company take advantage of the chaos. For the first time ever, the crawlers are fighting back. They are now one of the nine teams. And this season, there’s a tenth army on the playing field. The NPCs, who are normally used as nothing but cannon fodder, have become fully self-aware and formed a team of their own.

For Donut and Katia, the stakes are even higher. Only one of them will be allowed to leave this level.

If they all want to survive, they’re going to need a little help from a veteran or two.

This is it.
This is what they’ve been fighting toward.
This is war.

This inevitable ruin.]]> 29 Matt Dinniman Kim 4 4.53 2024
author: Matt Dinniman
name: Kim
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: 2025, 2025-audio, action, animal-pov, audio, awesome-narrator, cliff-hanger, creatures, dinosaurs, dragons, elves, fairies-fey-fae, fantasy, favorite-character, gods-goddesses, humor, kick-ass-hero, kick-ass-heroine, litrpg, magic, monsters, orcs, robots-cyborgs-ai, shapeshifters, war, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025
review:

]]> 228256271 A Human hybrid and an Alpha Were claw against the bonds of fate in the highly anticipated companion novel to the New York Times bestselling Bride.

Serena Paris is orphaned, pack-less, and one of a kind. Coming forward as the first Human-Were hybrid was supposed to heal a centuries-long rift between species. Instead, it made her a target, prey to the ruthless political machinations between Weres, Vampyres, and Humans. With her enemies closing in on her, she has only one option left—if he’ll have her.

As Alpha of the Northwest pack, Koen Alexander commands obedience. His authority is so absolute, only a fool would threaten his mate. It doesn’t matter if Serena doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, nothing will stop him from keeping her safe.

But power-hungry Vampyres and Weres are not the only threats chasing Serena. Sooner or later, her past is bound to catch up with her—and Koen might be the only thing standing between her and total annihilation…]]> 432 Ali Hazelwood 0593955013 Kim 0 to-read 4.39 2025
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Kim
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 43900612
Sophia knows the story though, off by heart. Because every girl has to recite it daily, from when she's tiny until the night she's sent to the royal ball for choosing. And every girl knows that she has only one chance. For the lives of those not chosen by a man at the ball . are forfeit.

But Sophia doesn't want to be chosen - she's in love with her best friend, Erin, and hates the idea of being traded like cattle. And when Sophia's night at the ball goes horribly wrong, she must run for her life. Alone and terrified, she finds herself hiding in Cinderella's tomb. And there she meets someone who will show her that she has the power to remake her world.]]> 400 Kalynn Bayron 1547603887 Kim 0 dnf
This was not for me. It took me 4 days to read 50 pages. I tried, but I couldn't get into the story, and from what I've read in some other reviews, it doesn't get any better. ]]> 3.68 2020
author: Kalynn Bayron
name: Kim
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: dnf
review:
DNF at 13%

This was not for me. It took me 4 days to read 50 pages. I tried, but I couldn't get into the story, and from what I've read in some other reviews, it doesn't get any better.
]]> 199928276 A recently deceased woman meets “the one� in the afterlife waiting room, scoring a second chance at life (and love!) if she can find him on Earth before ten days are up�.

If she wasn’t dead already, Delphie would be dying of embarrassment. Not only did she just die by choking on a microwaveable burger, she’s also now standing in her "sparkle and shine" nightie in front of the hottest man she’s ever seen. And he’s smiling at her.

As they start to chat, everything else becomes background noise. That is, until someone comes running through a door yelling something about a huge mistake and sends the dreamy stranger back down to Earth. And here Delphie was thinking her luck might be different in the afterlife.

When Delphie is offered a deal in which she can return to Earth and reconnect with the mysterious man, she jumps at the opportunity to find her possible soulmate and a fresh start. But to find him in a city of millions, Delphie is going to have to listen to her heart, learn to ask for help, and perhaps even see the magic in the life she’s leaving behind. . . .]]> 369 Kirsty Greenwood 0593816137 Kim 3 4.05 2024
author: Kirsty Greenwood
name: Kim
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: 2025, around-the-year-in-52-books-2025, book-bf, contemporary, enemies-to-lovers, eye-roll, fake-relationship, ghosts, humor, love-triangle, paranormal, romance
review:

]]> 58485527
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Drowning Kind comes a genre-defying new novel, inspired by Mary Shelley’s masterpiece Frankenstein, that brilliantly explores the eerie mysteries of childhood and the evils perpetrated by the monsters among us.

1978: At her renowned treatment center in picturesque Vermont, the brilliant psychiatrist, Dr. Helen Hildreth, is acclaimed for her compassionate work with the mentally ill. But when she’s home with her cherished grandchildren, Vi and Eric, she’s just Gran—teaching them how to take care of their pets, preparing them home-cooked meals, providing them with care and attention and love.

Then one day Gran brings home a child to stay with the family. Iris—silent, hollow-eyed, skittish, and feral—does not behave like a normal girl.

Still, Violet is thrilled to have a new playmate. She and Eric invite Iris to join their Monster Club, where they catalogue all kinds of monsters and dream up ways to defeat them. Before long, Iris begins to come out of her shell. She and Vi and Eric do everything together: ride their bicycles, go to the drive-in, meet at their clubhouse in secret to hunt monsters. Because, as Vi explains, monsters are everywhere.

2019: Lizzy Shelley, the host of the popular podcast Monsters Among Us, is traveling to Vermont, where a young girl has been abducted, and a monster sighting has the town in an uproar. She’s determined to hunt it down, because Lizzy knows better than anyone that monsters are real—and one of them is her very own sister.

A haunting, vividly suspenseful page-turner from the “literary descendant of Shirley Jackson� (Chris Bohjalian, author of The Flight Attendant), The Children on the Hill takes us on a breathless journey to face the primal fears that lurk within us all.]]> Jennifer McMahon 1797136143 Kim 0 on-hold 3.69 2022
author: Jennifer McMahon
name: Kim
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: on-hold
review:

]]>