a &#x1f52e;'s bookshelf: to-not-read-list en-US Wed, 21 Aug 2024 11:11:34 -0700 60 a &#x1f52e;'s bookshelf: to-not-read-list 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Hunting Adeline (Cat and Mouse, #2)]]> 59050133
The Diamond

Death walks alongside me,
But the reaper is no match for me.
I'm trapped in a world full of monsters dressed as men, and those who aren't as they seem.
They won't keep me forever.
I no longer recognize the person I've become,
And I'm fighting to find my way back to the beast who hunts me in the night.
They call me a diamond,
But they've only created an angel of death.

The Hunter

I was born a predator,
With ruthlessness ingrained in my bones.
When what's mine is stolen from me in the night,
Like a diamond hidden within a fortress,
I find that I can no longer contain the beast.
Blood will paint the ground as I tear apart this world to find her.
And bring her back to where she belongs.
No one will escape my wrath,
Especially not those who have betrayed me.

Warning: This is the second and final installment to the Duet. You must read Haunting Adeline first.]]>
702 H.D. Carlton a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.05 2022 Hunting Adeline (Cat and Mouse, #2)
author: H.D. Carlton
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/21
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[What the River Knows (Secrets of the Nile, #1)]]> 65213381
When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.

With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.

The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.]]>
404 Isabel Ibañez 1250803373 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.81 2023 What the River Knows (Secrets of the Nile, #1)
author: Isabel Ibañez
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/26
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Fangirl Down (Big Shots, #1) 150343880 #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey launches a super sexy sports romance series with a rom-com about a bad boy professional athlete who falls for his biggest fan...

Wells Whitaker was once golf’s hottest rising star, but lately, all he has to show for his “promising� career is a killer hangover, a collection of broken clubs, and one remaining supporter. No matter how bad he plays, the beautiful, sunny redhead is always on the sidelines. He curses, she cheers. He scowls, she smiles. But when Wells quits in a blaze of glory and his fangirl finally goes home, he knows he made the greatest mistake of his life.

Josephine Doyle believed in the gorgeous, grumpy golfer, even when he didn’t believe in himself. Yet after he throws in the towel, she begins to wonder if her faith was misplaced. Then a determined Wells shows up at her door with a wild proposal: be his new caddy, help him turn his game around, and split the prize money. And considering Josephine’s professional and personal life is in shambles, she could really use the cash�

As they travel together, spending days on the green and nights in neighboring hotel rooms, sparks fly. Before long, they’re inseparable, Wells starts winning again, and Josephine is surprised to find a sweet, thoughtful guy underneath his gruff, growly exterior. This hot man wants to brush her hair, feed her snacks, and take bubble baths together? Is this real life? But Wells is technically her boss and an athlete falling for his fangirl would be ridiculous� right?]]>
380 Tessa Bailey a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list
Absolutely not. ]]>
3.81 2024 Fangirl Down (Big Shots, #1)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/18
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:
A “badboy� GOLFER with “touch her and die� energy?

Absolutely not.
]]>
The Breakup Tour 139398906 A rising-star musician has a second chance at love with an old flame she remembers all too well in this swoony romance from the acclaimed authors of The Roughest Draft.

Riley Wynn went from a promising singer-songwriter to a superstar overnight, thanks to her breakup song concept album and its unforgettable lead single. When Riley’s ex-husband claims the hit song is about him, she does something she hasn’t in ten years and calls Max Harcourt, her college boyfriend and the real inspiration for the song of the summer.

Max hasn’t spoken to Riley since their relationship ended. He’s content with managing the retirement home his family owns, but it’s not the life he dreamed of filled with music. When Riley asks him to go public as her songwriting muse, he agrees on one condition: he’ll join her in her band on tour.

As they perform across the country, Max and Riley start to realize that while they hit some wrong notes in the past, their future could hold incredible things. And their rekindled relationship will either last forever or go down in flames.]]>
350 Emily Wibberley a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.25 2024 The Breakup Tour
author: Emily Wibberley
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.25
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/11
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Canadian Boyfriend 200300820
The fake Canadian boyfriend. It's a thing. The get out of jail free card for all kinds of sticky social situations. “I can't go to prom; I'm going to be out of town visiting my boyfriend in Canada.� It's all over pop culture. But Aurora Evans did it first. Once upon a time she met a teenage hockey player at the Mall of America. He was from Canada. He was a boy. She may have fudged the “friend� part a little, but it wasn't like she was ever going to see him again. It wasn't like she hurt anyone. Until she did—years later—on both counts.

When pro hockey player and recent widower Mike Martin walks into the dance studio where Aurora Evans teaches, he's feeling overwhelmed with the fact that his wife may not have been exactly who he thought she was and the logistics of going back to work. As one of the few people his angry, heartbroken daughter connects with, Aurora agrees to be a pseudo nanny to help him navigate the upcoming school year and hockey season. To his surprise, she turns out to be the perfect balm for him as well. Aurora gets him. The real him underneath his pro jersey. And yet, he still finds himself holding back, unable to fully trust again—especially when he finds out the secret Aurora’s been hiding from him.]]>
384 Jenny Holiday 1538724928 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.58 2024 Canadian Boyfriend
author: Jenny Holiday
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/22
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Don't Want You Like a Best Friend (Mischief & Matchmaking, #1)]]> 127823335 A swoon-worthy debut queer Victorian romance in which two debutantes distract themselves from having to seek husbands by setting up their widowed parents, and instead find their perfect match in each other—the lesbian Bridgerton/Parent Trap you never knew you needed!

Gwen has a brilliant beyond brilliant idea.

It’s 1857, and anxious debutante Beth has just one season to snag a wealthy husband, or she and her mother will be out on the street. But playing the blushing ingenue makes Beth’s skin crawl and she’d rather be anywhere but here.

Gwen, on the other hand, is on her fourth season and counting, with absolutely no intention of finding a husband, possibly ever. She figures she has plenty of security as the only daughter of a rakish earl, from whom she’s gotten all her flair, fun, and less-than-proper party games.

“Let’s get them together,� she says.

It doesn’t take long for Gwen to hatch her latest scheme: rather than surrender Beth to courtship, they should set up Gwen’s father and Beth’s newly widowed mother. Let them get married instead.

“It’ll be easy� she says.

There’s just…one, teeny, tiny problem. Their parents kind of seem to hate each other.

But no worries. Beth and Gwen are more than up to the challenge of a little twenty-year-old heartbreak. How hard can parent-trapping widowed ex-lovers be?

Of course, just as their plan begins to unfold, a handsome, wealthy viscount starts calling on Beth, offering up the perfect, secure marriage.

Beth’s not mature enough for this�

Now Gwen must face the prospect of sharing Beth with someone else, forever. And Beth must reckon with the fact that she’s caught feelings, hard, and they’re definitely not for her potential fiancé.

That’s the trouble with matchmaking: sometimes you accidentally fall in love with your best friend in the process.]]>
368 Emma R. Alban 006331200X a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.76 2024 Don't Want You Like a Best Friend (Mischief & Matchmaking, #1)
author: Emma R. Alban
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/13
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Addicted to You (Addicted, #1)]]> 61153020
No one would suspect shy Lily Calloway's biggest secret. While everyone is dancing at college bars, Lily stays in the bathroom. To get laid. Her compulsion leads her to one-night stands, steamy hookups, and events she shamefully regrets. The only person who knows her secret happens to have one of his own.

Loren Hale's best friend is his bottle of bourbon. Lily comes at a close second. For three years, they've pretended to be in a real relationship, hiding their addictions from their families. They've mastered the art of concealing flasks and random guys that filter in and out of their apartment.

But as they sink beneath the weight of their addictions, they cling harder to their destructive relationship and wonder if a life together, for real, is better than a lie. Strangers and family begin to infiltrate their guarded lives, and with new challenges, they realize they may not just be addicted to alcohol and sex.

Their real vice may be each other.]]>
400 Krista Ritchie 0593549473 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.80 2013 Addicted to You (Addicted, #1)
author: Krista Ritchie
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[The Deer and the Dragon (No Other Gods, #1)]]> 199423779 448 Piper C.J. 1728280176 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.55 2024 The Deer and the Dragon (No Other Gods, #1)
author: Piper C.J.
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/17
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Crown of Starlight 154276042 Greek mythology takes to the stars in this steamy, sci-fi reimagining of the tale of Ariadne and Dionysus—the first book in a snarky, queer, lushly romantic duology set in a galaxy of monstrous mortals, bloodthirsty gods, and love fierce enough to shatter the cosmos.

Raised amongst monsters, Ariadne Tholos, Crown Princess of the interstellar Cretan Empire, fears nothing more than becoming one herself. But trapped within the labyrinth of imperial politics and the puritanical restrictions of her father, King-Emperor Minos—and his totalitarian regime of militarized death cultists—she might not have another option. When the chance arises to take her fate into her own hands, Ariadne seizes it, only to find herself on the run—injured, alone, and in desperate need of a miracle.

Enter Dionysus—the exiled god of wine, madness, and revelry. He needs a Cretan royal to join his cult in order to end his banishment and return home to Olympus. Their meeting is the opportunity he’s been waiting for, but there’s just one problem: the Cretans are heretics, and Ariadne is no exception.

With a vengeful Minos closing in, Ariadne strikes a bargain. She’ll marry Dionysus and “join� his cult. In exchange, he’ll hide her away in the only corner of the galaxy beyond Minos’s reach: Olympus itself. But while Ariadne can handle the deadly politicking of the Olympians, a life of repression has left her unprepared for how powerfully Dionysus’s uninhibited debauchery will call to her darkest desires, and make her question parts of her identity she’s kept locked away her entire life.]]>
560 Cait Corrain 0593598547 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 1.51 Crown of Starlight
author: Cait Corrain
name: a 🔮
average rating: 1.51
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/06
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Witch King's Oath (Heirs to Eternity, Book 1)]]> 152020268 In a world of magic and politics, Prince Anryn of Ammar finds himself in the midst of a deadly conspiracy weeks before his wedding when royal assassins target him at a witch trial.

On the run, Anryn meets Maertyn Blackfire, an immortal witch cursed by the mages of Nynomath—Ammar's enemy. Together, they uncover a curse on Anryn that hides a woman's soul behind the facade of a man's body, leaving Anryn questioning everything he knows about himself� including the question of who might want him dead.

Stuck waiting for her missing prince, Beatrice feels she can do nothing but dance the nights away and dream of the day when she will be Queen. Then maybe she can do away with the repressive laws of Ammar. But her ambitions and her heart are pulled in another direction when she meets Ciamon Caelt—a mysterious man with a shared interest in discovering Prince Anryn's whereabouts.

When a brush with death awakens the witchcraft in Anryn's true soul, the prince vows to challenge the king's witch laws� by inviting a band of witches to attend as guests at the royal wedding.

With all eyes on Anryn and Beatrice, the two hope to flush out the assassins, and end Ammar's repressive rule—before Nynomath swallows the kingdom whole.

Full of magic, political intrigue, and forbidden romance, this epic fantasy is sure to captivate readers until the very last page.]]>
383 A.J. Glasser a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list
The email from ŷ is as follows:

“Your review of Witch King's Oath was brought to our attention. As stated in our Review Guidelines, we do not allow reviews that primarily focus on an author's behavior rather than the content of the book.

If you have concerns about the behavior of an author or another member, please bring the content to our attention or contact us so we can evaluate. Please refrain from posting reviews like this in the future.�



How about this, “I have absolutely no interest in reading this book by this author.�, is that better for you?]]>
3.52 Witch King's Oath (Heirs to Eternity, Book 1)
author: A.J. Glasser
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.52
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/06
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:
*Someone* reported/flagged my “to not read� reasoning (“review� without a rating) with ŷ, which was critiquing the authors choice to criticize ARC Readers and Reviewers.

The email from ŷ is as follows:

“Your review of Witch King's Oath was brought to our attention. As stated in our Review Guidelines, we do not allow reviews that primarily focus on an author's behavior rather than the content of the book.

If you have concerns about the behavior of an author or another member, please bring the content to our attention or contact us so we can evaluate. Please refrain from posting reviews like this in the future.�



How about this, “I have absolutely no interest in reading this book by this author.�, is that better for you?
]]>
Same Time Next Year 199334767 From New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey comes a steamy novella full of hope and humor tracking a couple’s fake marriage for a year after the wild New Year’s Eve when they first say “I do.�

Adored by all, Britta is an ambitious waitress working at Sluggers. The popular bar holds a special place in her heart and is a regular hangout for the Bridgeport Bandits, the local hockey club. With a half brother on the team, Britta has a strict no-dating policy for hockey boys. But she does have a soft spot for one particular player.

A beast on the ice, Sumner Mayfield is on the brink of breaking into the NHL. But time’s running out. With his work visa about to expire, Sumner’s only chance to stay in Bridgeport is to marry an American—and get a green card. Otherwise, it’s back to Canada for the defenseman.

On New Year’s Eve, the team begs Britta to marry Sumner that very night. Sum is embarrassed yet hopeful—he’s desperately in love. But Britta balks at first. Until something about Sumner’s soulful brown eyes and ripped physique makes her reconsider…]]>
144 Tessa Bailey 1662517912 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.40 2023 Same Time Next Year
author: Tessa Bailey
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/11/11
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Nightbane (Lightlark, #2) 58410355 The seductive and action-packed follow-up to Alex Aster’s instant #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and internationally bestselling novel, Lightlark

Isla Crown has secured the love of two powerful rulers and broken the curses that plagued the six realms for centuries, but few know the true origins of her powers.

Now, in the wake of a crushing betrayal, Isla finds herself struggling to win respect as the newly crowned leader of two separate realms. Worse, her fellow rulers haven’t ceded victory quietly, and there are others in Isla’s midst who don’t believe her ascent to power was earned.

As certain death races toward Lightlark and secrets from the past begin to unravel, Isla must weigh her responsibility to her people against the whims of the most dangerous traitor of all: her heart.

Alex Aster’s intricate world expands after the riveting culmination of the Centennial games, delving more deeply into Isla’s memories of her past, as her future hurtles toward two possible fates.]]>
432 Alex Aster a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.10 2023 Nightbane (Lightlark, #2)
author: Alex Aster
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/11/11
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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

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

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

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

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

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.]]>
623 Rebecca Yarros 1649374178 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.33 2023 Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/11/07
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Tangled in Tinsel (The More the Merrier, #1)]]> 62221702 Imagine being snowed in with four hot successful men.
P.S. they've all played the hero in too many of your naughtiest dreams.
Problem is, you work for them, and that makes them off-limits.
Except now they're looking at you like you're Santa's cookies.
And they definitely want to take a bite.
Talk about making you reconsider your life choices.
These four are aiming for Santa's naughty list, and I'm pretty sure I'm getting:
Jace
Reed
Alec
...and Cole
for Christmas.

It might've started as a decorating job.
But it ended Tangled in Tinsel.]]>
280 Trilina Pucci a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.87 2022 Tangled in Tinsel (The More the Merrier, #1)
author: Trilina Pucci
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/30
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Grimstone (Grimstone, #1) 199137820
Flipping Blackleaf Manor already feels impossible, even before Remi is blackmailed by Dane Covett, the dangerously hot doctor-next-door, and Grimstone’s most eligible bachelor—if you can ignore the fact that everyone in town thinks he murdered his wife.

Remi doesn’t want to believe it, especially after Dane sews up a gash in her thigh and steals a kiss in payment—a kiss that makes it hard to walk for reasons that have nothing to do with an injured leg.

But as the renovation takes a strange and violent turn, Remi must decide if Dane is the one haunting her nights, or if he’s trying to protect her from something much worse�

Lark Notes :
Halloween is my favorite! I get such a thrill out of writing a spooky, dark book at this time of year. Remi and Dane are two deeply damaged people with skeletons in their closets. It’s only when they meet each other that they finally find the connection and acceptance that allows them to move on from their dark pasts. I fell in love with the gothic beach town of Grimstone, and will be writing a dark romance set there each autumn. � Sophie

"Grimstone" is a deeply dark contemporary romance and a complete standalone. Reader it has extremely spicy scenes and triggering content not suitable for all.]]>
362 Sophie Lark a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.65 2023 Grimstone (Grimstone, #1)
author: Sophie Lark
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/22
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[The Cursed (Coven of Bones, #2)]]> 123219460 Betrayal.

He was the deception waiting in the night; the truth I never saw coming. After a lifetime of manipulation, I finally learned the truth. I was his puppet—even if I never saw my strings.

Even knowing how deep his betrayal runs, I can’t shake the undeniable connection between Gray and I—the way a single glance from him sets my soul on fire. We are not the same. We’re enemies, poised to battle for the future of the very thing I’d wanted to destroy.

With the Covenant gone, the revenge I thought I wanted is no longer my priority. The witches that remain played no role in my aunt’s death, and the only person standing in the way of righting those wrongs is the very man determined to keep me in his bed.

But the remaining members of the Coven will never forgive me for the role I played in their demise and subjugation, and the worst part of all is that I can’t even blame them for it. I’d been naive, believing my own delusions of grandeur when destiny clearly had other plans for me. Plans that had been set in motion centuries before my birth.

But even that had been a lie, and now it is my duty to do everything in my power to undo it.

To protect my Coven from my husband’s hatred—no matter what the cost.]]>
324 Harper L. Woods a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.57 2023 The Cursed (Coven of Bones, #2)
author: Harper L. Woods
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/22
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Kingdom of the Feared (Kingdom of the Wicked, #3)]]> 58470171
When a high-ranking member of House Greed is assassinated, Emilia and Wrath are drawn to the rival demon court. Damning evidence points to Vittoria as the murderer and she’s quickly declared an enemy of the Seven Circles. Despite her betrayal, Emilia will do anything to solve this new mystery and find out who her sister really is.

Together Emilia and Wrath play a sin-fueled game of deception as they work to stop the unrest that’s brewing between witches, demons, shape-shifters and the most treacherous foes of all: the Feared.

Emilia was warned that when it came to the Wicked nothing was as it seemed. But, have the true villains been much closer all along? When the truth is finally revealed, it just might end up costing Emilia her heart.

Two curses.
One prophecy.
A reckoning all have feared.

And a love more powerful than fate. All hail the king and queen of Hell.


From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stalking the Jack the Ripper series comes the steamy conclusion to Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy.]]>
417 Kerri Maniscalco 0316342084 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.85 2022 Kingdom of the Feared (Kingdom of the Wicked, #3)
author: Kerri Maniscalco
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/08
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Throne of the Fallen (Prince of Sin, #1)]]> 73071451 Sinner. Villain. Wicked.

The Prince of Envy has never claimed to be a saint. But when a cryptic note arrives, signaling the beginning of a deadly game, he knows it will take more than a hint of sin to win and save his falling demon court. Riddles, hexed objects, anonymous players, nothing will stand in his way, though none of his meticulous plans prepare him for her, the frustrating artist who ignites his sin like no other�

Virtuous. Darling. Liar.

The trouble with scoundrels and blackguards is that they haven’t a modicum of honor, a fact Miss Camilla Antonius learns after one desperate mistake allows Waverly Green’s most notorious rake to blackmail her. To avoid a ruinous scandal, Camilla is forced to enter a devil’s bargain with Envy, little expecting his game will awaken her true nature...

Together, Envy and Camilla must embark on a perilous journey through the Underworld—from glittering demon courts to the sultry vampire realm and beyond—while trying to avoid the most dangerous trap of all: falling in love.]]>
612 Kerri Maniscalco 031655751X a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.99 2023 Throne of the Fallen (Prince of Sin, #1)
author: Kerri Maniscalco
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/07
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[No Place for Devils (Diablos Locos Motorcycle Club #1)]]> 122959124 The country is falling, and it’s no place for devils.

In the Cártel, death was the only way out. I fought for a new life and bled for my freedom. Los Diablos Locos Motorcycle Club call me President now, and though they all bow to me, there’s one woman who won’t.

My wife.

Doctor Emory O’Connor.

As the government crumbles all around us, she’s come running to me for protection from her past. But the Irish snake I’ve caged isn’t willing to submit to the conditions of the safety I provide.

Our vows may have been a lie, but I’ll set us free with the bloody truth.

No Place for Devils is book 1 of the Diablos Locos Motorcycle club series. This is an M/F romance with marriage of convenience and high stakes while the world crumbles around them.]]>
339 Amy Oliveira a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.22 No Place for Devils (Diablos Locos Motorcycle Club #1)
author: Amy Oliveira
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.22
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/10
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[The Sun and the Void (The Warring Gods #1)]]> 60568206
Reina is desperate.

Stuck living on the edges of society, her only salvation lies in an invitation from a grandmother she’s never known. But the journey is dangerous, and prayer can’t always avert disaster.

Attacked by creatures that stalk the region, Reina is on the verge of death until her grandmother, a dark sorceress, intervenes. Now dependent on the Doña’s magic for her life, Reina will do anything to earn—and keep—her favor. Even the bidding of an ancient god who whispers to her at night.

Eva Kesare is unwanted.

Illegitimate and of mixed heritage, Eva is her family’s shame. She tries her best to be perfect and to hide her oddities. But Eva is hiding a secret: magic calls to her.

Eva knows she should fight the temptation. Magic is the sign of the dark god, and using it is punishable by death. Yet, it’s hard to deny power when it has always been denied to you. Eva is walking a dangerous path, one that gets stranger every day. And, in the end, she’ll become something she never imagined.]]>
511 Gabriela Romero Lacruz 0316336440 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.32 2023 The Sun and the Void (The Warring Gods #1)
author: Gabriela Romero Lacruz
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/02
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Pen Pal 60192737 A USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon Charts bestselling novel

The first letter arrived the day my husband was buried. It was postmarked from the state penitentiary, and contained a single sentence:

I’ll wait forever if I have to.

It was signed by Dante, a man I didn’t know.

Out of simple curiosity, I wrote back to ask him what exactly he was waiting for. His reply?

You.

I told the mystery man he had the wrong girl. He said he didn’t. I said we’d never met, but he said I was wrong.

We went back and forth, exchanging letters every week that grew increasingly more intimate. Then one day, the letters stopped. When I found out why, it was already too late.

Dante was at my doorstep.

And nothing on earth could have prepared me for what happened next.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WARNING:

This novel contains content intended for a mature audience only. Due to explicit language, graphic sex, detailed depictions of death and grief, intense power play dynamics, and other possible triggers, it is not suitable for sensitive readers. (Full list of TWs on author's website.)]]>
320 J.T. Geissinger a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.10 2022 Pen Pal
author: J.T. Geissinger
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/18
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In the Gray 109364950 ATLAS

I know what they say. Grief makes you do things.
After the year I’ve had, I’m bathing in it.
Dad’s dead.
Mom is…mom.
My boyfriend and best friend are too busy screwing to comfort me.
When a letter arrives with no return address telling me where to go for a new start, I don’t hesitate.
I pack some clothes and what’s left of my life and run.
But I didn’t expect the fire waiting for me when I arrived. I didn’t count on the burn.
Rowdy Wray.
They call him the lion of Idlewild.
Me…I call him boss.
He’s the key to my past and the path to my future.
What happens next is our twisted secret.

ROWDY

Who is this girl?
Atlas Beck.
This damaged young thing shows up at my place of business and tells me she’s my new receptionist.
I should have fired her.
I would have fired her if she hadn’t begged so beautifully.
Atlas told me not to let her go, but she didn’t know what she was asking. And now?
It’s too late to put the crazy back in its cage.]]>
B.B. Reid a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.61 2023 In the Gray
author: B.B. Reid
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/12
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[A Lust for Blood (Realm of Curses, #1)]]> 60283689
When Oriana awakens in a field of blood and bodies, she is devastated to realize the patchwork of death was caused by her own hand. A curse lingers in the air, and there is only one option to save herself from further bloodshed. Oriana uses her magic to create an enchanted forest imprisoning the monster responsible for the massacre–herself.

Garren has built a career around slaying demons. When he learns of a centuries old creature locked away in the strange Phantom Wood, the opportunity is too great. He will stop at nothing to destroy the demon filth that lurks in those shadows if only to satisfy his own haunting memories.

Oriana soon finds herself caught in a cat and mouse game, fighting to keep her identity secret. As the two grow closer, secrets unravel. But could they each be the answer the other has been searching for?

The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde meets the Witcher in this debut Adult Dark Fantasy novel by K.C. Smith.]]>
354 K.C. Smith a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.62 A Lust for Blood (Realm of Curses, #1)
author: K.C. Smith
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.62
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/07
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Haunting Adeline (Cat and Mouse, #1)]]> 58763686
I can manipulate the emotions of anyone who lets me.
I will make you hurt, make you cry, make you laugh and sigh.
But my words don't affect him. Especially not when I plead for him to leave.
He's always there, watching and waiting.
And I can never look away.
Not when I want him to come closer.


The Shadow

I didn't mean to fall in love.
But now that I have, I can't stay away.
I'm mesmerized by her smile, by her eyes, and the way she moves.
The way she undresses...
I'll keep watching and waiting. Until I can make her mine.
And once she is, I'll never let her go.
Not even when she begs me to.]]>
583 H.D. Carlton a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.95 2021 Haunting Adeline (Cat and Mouse, #1)
author: H.D. Carlton
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/06
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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The Man Upstairs 177574613 There’s nothing more dangerous than someone who has nothing to live for�

The man upstairs in apartment six doesn’t belong here, in our rundown block on the slum side of the city.
High-class and educated, suited and booted, and at least thirty years my senior.
Yes. Thirty whole years.
But that doesn’t matter, he’s absolutely gorgeous.

What does matter is, they say he’s a disgraced teacher that preys on his college students. A filthy, sick man, who deserves prison.
Other residents are always repeating the same morbid mantra.
Rosie, don’t ever talk to that dirty freak upstairs, no matter what. Don’t you dare!
So, I did what I was told and stayed out of his way, and I never, ever talked to the man upstairs.

Not until one crazy bad night, in total desperation, when I had nowhere else to turn�
]]>
530 Jade West a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.64 The Man Upstairs
author: Jade West
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.64
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/08/06
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review:

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<![CDATA[Cast in Firelight (Wickery, #1)]]> 51630215 Adraa is the royal heir of Belwar, a talented witch on the cusp of taking her royal ceremony test, and a girl who just wants to prove her worth to her people.

Jatin is the royal heir to Naupure, a competitive wizard who's mastered all nine colors of magic, and a boy anxious to return home for the first time since he was a child.

Together, their arranged marriage will unite two of Wickery's most powerful kingdoms. But after years of rivalry from afar, Adraa and Jatin only agree on one thing: their reunion will be anything but sweet.

Only, destiny has other plans and with the criminal underbelly of Belwar suddenly making a move for control, their paths cross... and neither realizes who the other is, adopting separate secret identities instead.

Between dodging deathly spells and keeping their true selves hidden, the pair must learn to put their trust in the other if either is to uncover the real threat. Now Wickery's fate is in the hands of rivals..? Fiancées..? Partners..? Whatever they are, it's complicated and bound for greatness or destruction.

The first book in an epic, heart-pounding fantasy duology about two royal heirs betrothed to be married, but whose loyalties are torn, and a ruthless enemy who threatens their world, perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Susan Dennard, and Mary E. Pearson.]]>
433 Dana Swift 0593124219 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.91 2021 Cast in Firelight (Wickery, #1)
author: Dana Swift
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/19
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Under the Whispering Door 53205888 Welcome to Charon's Crossing.
The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.]]>
376 T.J. Klune 1250217342 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.10 2021 Under the Whispering Door
author: T.J. Klune
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/19
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Kiss the Sky (Calloway Sisters, #1)]]> 60690784 A virgin "ice queen" heiress & the arrogant god who wants to melt her...

Rose Calloway thought she had everything under control. At twenty-three, she's a Princeton graduate, an Academic Bowl champion, a fashion designer and the daughter of a Fortune 500 mogul. But not everything comes easy.

When Rose's fashion line is in peril, she plans an unconventional solution to save it. Making matters more intense, she agrees to be in a relationship with her "godly" college rival, Connor Cobalt.

At twenty-four, Connor Cobalt bulldozes weak men. Confident and smart-as-hell, Connor vows to help Rose outside of the bedroom and inside. But melting this ice queen is a challenge no one has been able to succeed at.

And now they're living together.]]>
443 Krista Ritchie a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.15 2014 Kiss the Sky (Calloway Sisters, #1)
author: Krista Ritchie
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/15
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Ricochet (Addicted, #2) 55475465 As a sex addict, Lily Calloway must do the impossible. Stay celibate for 90 days.

Cravings and fantasies become her new routine, but while Loren Hale recovers from his alcohol addiction, Lily wonders if he’ll realize what a monster she really is. After all, her sexual compulsions begin to rule her life the longer she stays faithful to him.

Progress. That’s what Lily’s striving for. But by trying to become closer to her family—people who aren’t aware of her addiction—she creates larger obstacles. When she spends time with her youngest sister, she learns more about her than she ever imagined and senses an unsettling connection between Daisy and Ryke Meadows.

With Lily and Lo’s dysfunctional relationship teetering and unbalanced, they will need to find a way to reconnect from miles apart. But the inability to “touch� proves to be one of the hardest tests on their road to recovery. Some love brushes the surface. Some love is deeper than skin.

Lily and Lo have three months to discover just how deep their love really goes.

------

Companion to the Sequel: A full-length New Adult Romance that continues where Addicted to You left off. It is highly recommended to be read before Addicted for Now.]]>
265 Krista Ritchie a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.70 2013 Ricochet (Addicted, #2)
author: Krista Ritchie
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/07/15
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<![CDATA[Addicted for Now (Addicted, #3)]]> 55475477 He's addicted to booze. She's addicted to sex...staying sober is only half the battle.

No. More. Sex.

Those are the three words Lily Calloway fears the most. But Loren Hale is determined to be with Lily without enabling her dangerous compulsions. With their new living situation—sleeping in the same bed, for real, together—Lily has new battles. Like not jumping Lo’s bones every night. Not being consumed by sex and his body.

Loren plans to stay sober, to right all of his wrongs. So when someone threatens to expose Lily’s secret to her family and the public, he promises that he’ll do anything to protect her. But with old enemies surfacing, Lo has more at stake than his sobriety.

They will torment Lily until Lo breaks.

And his worst fear isn’t relapsing. He hears the end. He sees it. The one thing that could change everything. Just three words.

No. More. Us.

New Adult Romance recommended for readers 18+ for mature content]]>
513 Krista Ritchie a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.13 2013 Addicted for Now (Addicted, #3)
author: Krista Ritchie
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/15
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Hothouse Flower (Calloway Sisters, #2)]]> 60690795 Ryke Meadows, meet Daisy Calloway ... she’s all grown up.

Twenty-five-year-old Ryke Meadows knows he’s hard to love. With a billion-dollar inheritance, a track-star resume, and an alpha-male personality—he redefines the term likable asshole. But he’s not living to make friends. Or enemies. He just wants to free climb three of the toughest mountains in Yosemite without drama or interruption.

And then he receives a distressed call from a girl in Paris—a girl that he has never been allowed to have.

Daisy Calloway is eighteen. Finally. With her newfound independence, she can say goodbye to her overbearing mother and continue her modeling career. Next stop, Paris. Fashion Week begins with a bang, and Daisy uncovers the ugly reality of the industry. She wants to prove to her family that she can live on her own, but when everything spirals out of control, she turns to Ryke to keep her secrets.

As Daisy struggles to make sense of this new world and her freedom, she pushes the limits and fearlessly rides the edge. Ryke knows there’s deep hurt beneath every impulsive action. He must keep up with Daisy, and if he lets her go, her favorite motto—�live as if you’ll die today”—may just come true.

New Adult Romance: recommended for readers 18+ for mature content

***Authors' Note***
Hothouse Flower is a spin-off of the Addicted series. Kiss the Sky is required before reading, and we strongly recommend reading the Addicted series before this spin-off.]]>
479 Krista Ritchie a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.19 2014 Hothouse Flower (Calloway Sisters, #2)
author: Krista Ritchie
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/15
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Fuel the Fire (Calloway Sisters, #3)]]> 60690809 Protect your family. At all costs.

It’d take the impossible to hurt Connor Cobalt, even for a moment.

Protect your family. At all costs.

At twenty-six, his narcissistic tendencies have made room for the people he loves.

Protect your family. At all costs.

And he loves Rose. But when his love is threatened, when his greatest dreams with her are compromised � what is the cost then?

Protect your family. At all costs.

Love will guide his choices.
For the first time in his life.


***Authors' Note***
It's possible to only read the Calloway Sisters spin-off series without reading the Addicted series, but you MUST read Hothouse Flower (Calloway Sisters #2) before reading Fuel the Fire (Calloway Sisters #3).

It's highly recommended to read the books in the recommended reading order, which is in tangent with the Addicted series. If you choose not to read Addicted After All before Fuel the Fire, there will be a time jump.

Fuel the Fire picks up in the Addicted Timeline where Addicted After All ended. FTF will not retell past events from Addicted After All in Rose & Connor's POV. All new material.]]>
558 Krista Ritchie a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.29 2015 Fuel the Fire (Calloway Sisters, #3)
author: Krista Ritchie
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/15
shelves: to-not-read-list
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In the Likely Event 127152907
Then she spots her seatmate, who is anything but ordinary. Nate Phelan sports dark hair, blue eyes, and a deliciously rugged charm that Izzy can’t resist. Their connection is undeniable. Izzy never believed in destiny before, but she does now.

Just ninety seconds after takeoff, their plane goes down in the Missouri River.

Their lives change. They change. Nate goes on to a career in the military while Izzy finds her way into politics. Despite a few chance encounters over the years, the timing never feels right.

Then comes a high-stakes reunion in Afghanistan, where Nate is tasked with protecting Izzy’s life.

He’ll do anything to keep her safe. And everything to win her heart.]]>
348 Rebecca Yarros 1662511566 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.22 2023 In the Likely Event
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/15
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[The Dawn & Its Light (The Night & Its Moon, #4)]]> 59939700 Piper C.J. a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.94 The Dawn & Its Light (The Night & Its Moon, #4)
author: Piper C.J.
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/07/12
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<![CDATA[The Gloom Between Stars (The Night & Its Moon, #3)]]> 86175147 512 Piper C.J. 1728270766 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.01 The Gloom Between Stars (The Night & Its Moon, #3)
author: Piper C.J.
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.01
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/07/12
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<![CDATA[The Sun and Its Shade (The Night & Its Moon, #2)]]> 61075693 I love you...

Nox's tear-filled words echo across the sand as she and Amaris are torn apart. They've battled fiercely to find each other again, and have barely reunited when Amaris is taken away by the queen's dragon.

Injured and desperate, Amaris is forced to navigate her new surroundings with the help of Raascot's enigmatic general if she hopes to stay alive. At the same time, across the land and running out of options, Nox forms a partnership with the continent's league of peacekeeping assassins, begging their help to find Amaris and forge some stability between the kingdoms.

As wounds heal and new relationships blossom, Nox and Amaris must confront impossible obstacles and stretch their magic to its limits if they are ever to create a world that might finally reunite them for good. The odds are narrow, the stakes are high, and one question remains: Is it fate, love, or something else entirely that binds these two women together?

In the enthralling follow-up to The Night and Its Moon, bestselling author Piper CJ redefines love and trust through an authentic fantastical portrayal of queer experiences, found family, and the gray areas that define us all.]]>
538 Piper C.J. 1728270758 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.06 The Sun and Its Shade (The Night & Its Moon, #2)
author: Piper C.J.
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/07/12
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<![CDATA[The Phoenix King (The Ravence Trilogy, #1)]]> 63325333 El romantasy de inspiración hindú que triunfa en TikTok.

En un reino donde las llamas encierran magia y el desierto esconde incontables secretos, una antigua profecía enredará los destinos de una princesa, un rey y un asesino.

Para Elena Aadya Ravence, el fuego significa anhelo: es incapaz de blandir la magia del Fuego Eterno, y sin ella, jamás podrá ser reina.

Para Leo Malhari Ravence, el fuego significa control. Pero ese poder tiene un precio, y el rey está dispuesto a declarar la guerra a los mismísimos cielos para poder seguir pagándolo.

Para Yassen Knight, el fuego significa redención. Hará lo que sea para dejar atrás a sus fantasmas y su pasado como uno de los asesinos más mortíferos de Sayon, aunque para ello deba servir la princesa Elena... a cuyo linaje ha jurado eliminar.]]>
Aparna Verma 1668627981 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.77 2023 The Phoenix King (The Ravence Trilogy, #1)
author: Aparna Verma
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/10
shelves: to-not-read-list
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Check & Mate 60683957 done with chess. Every move counts nowadays. After the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory's focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious "Kingkiller" Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning bad boy of chess.

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

As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren't only on the board, the spotlight is hotter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce(-ly attractive. And intelligent...and infuriating...)]]>
347 Ali Hazelwood 0593619919 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.93 2023 Check & Mate
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/08
shelves: to-not-read-list
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<![CDATA[A Gentle Tyranny (Nedé Rising, #1)]]> 54025271 2022 Christy Award Finalist!

What if women unraveled the evils of patriarchy?

With men safely "gentled" in a worldwide Liberation, the matriarchy of Nedé has risen from the ashes. Seventeen-year-old Reina Pierce has never given a thought to the Brutes of old. Itching to escape her mother's finca—and desperate to keep her training and forbidden friendship a secret—her greatest worry is which Destiny she'll choose at her next birthday. But when she's selected as a candidate for the Succession instead, competing to become Nedé's ninth Matriarch, she discovers their Eden has come at a cost she's not sure she's willing to pay.

Jess Corban's debut novel presents a new twist to the dystopian genre, delivering heart-pounding action, thought-provoking revelations, and a setting as lush as the jungles of Central America.]]>
400 Jess Corban 1496448332 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 2.85 2021 A Gentle Tyranny (Nedé Rising, #1)
author: Jess Corban
name: a 🔮
average rating: 2.85
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/08
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Double Pucked (My Hockey Romance, #1)]]> 159002645
When I discover my boyfriend is cheating on me, I move out right away taking what I love most � my dog. As I fly out the door, I make sure to swipe the thing my ex loves best. The VIP tickets he won to a hockey game, complete with the chance to spend an evening with the city’s two biggest NHL stars.

I can’t wait to snap selfies with my ex’s idols and rub it in his face.

Except, when I head out with the two hockey studs, they have something else in mind besides sweet revenge. Would I like to spend the night…with both of them?

Talk about the VIP experience. That’s what I get for one knee-weakening, sheet-grabbing night. In the morning, I plan to return to my bestie’s house to crash on her couch with my dog.

But when they learn what happened with my awful ex, they ask me to be their temporary roomie for the week. Oh, and one of them needs my help with his grumpy reputation. The other? Well, he wants me to be his fake date at an upcoming wedding.

Looks like I’m about to get double pucked. Again.

Double Pucked is a roomies to lovers, fake dating, image makeover, super spicy hockey rom com with a guaranteed why-choose style HEA!]]>
384 Lauren Blakely a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.43 Double Pucked (My Hockey Romance, #1)
author: Lauren Blakely
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.43
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/07/08
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<![CDATA[The Sweetest Oblivion (Made, #1)]]> 39083635
In the murky waters of New York’s underworld, Elena’s sister is arranged to marry Nicolas Russo. A Made Man, a boss, a cheat—even measured against mafia standards. His reputation stretches far and wide and is darker than his black suits and ties. After his and Elena’s first encounter ends with an accidental glare on her part, she realizes he’s just as rude as he is handsome. She doesn’t like the man or anything he stands for, though that doesn’t stop her heart from pattering like rain against glass when he’s near, nor the shiver that ghosts down her spine at the sound of his voice. And he’s always near. Telling her what to do. Making her feel hotter than any future brother-in-law should. Elena may be the Sweet Abelli on the outside, but she’s beginning to learn she has a taste for the darkness, for rough hands, cigarettes, and whiskey-colored eyes. Having already escaped one scandal, however, she can hardly afford to be swept up in another. Besides, even if he were hers, everyone knows you don’t fall in love with a Made Man... Right?]]>
384 Danielle Lori 1721284443 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.98 2018 The Sweetest Oblivion (Made, #1)
author: Danielle Lori
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/07
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Tryst Six Venom 54661258
𝑨𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔, 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔... 𝑮𝒆𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚!

𝘾𝙇𝘼𝙔

Marymount girls are good girls. We’re chaste, we’re untouched, and even if we weren’t, no one would know, because we keep our mouths shut.

Not that I have anything to share anyway. I never let guys go too far. I’m behaved.

Beautiful, smart, talented, popular, my skirt’s always pressed, and I never have a hair out of place. I own the hallways, walking tall on Monday and dropping to my knees like the good Catholic girl I am on Sunday.

That’s me. Always in control.

Or so they think. The truth is that it’s easy for me to resist them, because what I truly want, they can never be. Something soft and smooth. Someone dangerous and wild.

Unfortunately, what I want I have to hide. In the locker room after hours. In the bathroom stall between classes. In the showers after practice. 𝑀𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑎� 𝑠𝑤𝑖𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝑀𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑛� 𝑢𝑝 ℎ𝑒� 𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑟𝑡.

For me, life is a web of secrets. No one can find out mine.

𝙊𝙇𝙄𝙄𝘼

I cross the tracks every day for one reason—to graduate from this school and get into the Ivy League. I’m not ashamed of where I come from, my family, or how everyone at Marymount thinks my skirts are too short and my lipstick is too red.

Clay Collins and her friends have always turned up their noses at me. The witch with her beautiful skin, clean shoes, and rich parents who torments me daily and thinks I won’t fight back.

At least not until I get her alone and find out she’s hiding so much more than just what’s underneath those pretty clothes.

The princess thinks I’ll scratch her itch. She thinks she’s still pure as long as it’s not a guy touching her.

I told her to stay on her side of town. I told her not to cross the tracks.

But one night, she did. And when I’m done with her, she’ll never be pure again.

*TRYST SIX VENOM is a standalone, new adult, bully romance suitable for readers 18+. It will release directly into Kindle Unlimited!]]>
589 Penelope Douglas a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.85 2021 Tryst Six Venom
author: Penelope Douglas
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/04
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Long Way Down (Calloway Sisters #4)]]> 44583611 646 Krista Ritchie 1950165140 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.58 2015 Long Way Down (Calloway Sisters #4)
author: Krista Ritchie
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/02
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[The Cursed And The Broken (The Cursed Blood, #1)]]> 60527571
Kitarni Barany, witch and shepherd of her flock, has always been different. There’s a darkness in her blood and a destiny beyond the border of her small village.

Corruption is spreading, and the whispers of cultists stir through the woods once again.

Betrothed to the heir of the Wolfblood Clan, she risks not only her life but her heart. United, they must stand against the cultists, or watch the Kingdom of Hungary fall.

Cursed by Death and controlled by Fate, Kitarni is forced to meet her demons � or die by them.

A story of succumbing to wicked desires, death, and the temptations of a deliciously dangerous love.

The Cursed and the Broken is a steamy, enemies-to-lovers dark fantasy romance perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout and Kerri Maniscalco. No broomsticks or cauldrons here, only magic of the darkest kind and dimples to swoon over.]]>
380 Chloe Hodge a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.76 2022 The Cursed And The Broken  (The Cursed Blood, #1)
author: Chloe Hodge
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/01
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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

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

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

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.]]>
410 Ali Hazelwood a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.98 2024 Bride (Bride, #1)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/29
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Hideaway (Devil's Night, #2) 60129499 Hiding places, chases, and all the games are back...BANKS Buried in the shadows of the city, there’s a hotel called The Pope. Ailing, empty, and dark—it sits abandoned and surrounded by a forgotten mystery. But you think it’s true, don’t you, Kai Mori? The story about the hidden twelfth floor. The mystery of the dark guest who never checked in and never checks out. You think I can help you find that secret hideaway and get to him, don’t you? You and your friends can try to scare me. You can try to push me. Because even though I struggle to hide everything I feel when you look at me—and have ever since I was a girl—I think maybe what you seek is so much closer than you’ll ever realize. I will never betray him. So sit tight. On Devil’s Night, the hunt will be coming to you. KAI You have no idea what I seek, Little One. You don’t know what I had to become to survive three years in prison for a crime I would gladly commit again. No one can know what I’ve turned into. I want that hotel, I want to find him, and I want this over. I want my life back. But the more I’m around you, the more I realize this new me is exactly who I was meant to be. So come on, kid. Don’t chicken out. My house is on the hill. So many ways in, and good luck finding your way out. I’ve seen your hideaway. Time to see mine.
Hideaway is a romantic suspense suitable for ages 18+. While the romance is a stand-alone, the plot is a continuation of events that began in CORRUPT (Devil's Night, #1). It is strongly recommended that you have read Corrupt prior to reading this.]]>
522 Penelope Douglas a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.91 2017 Hideaway (Devil's Night, #2)
author: Penelope Douglas
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/27
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Minx 178794987

Lark Notes :
I often write about super-achievers because I’m fascinated by extreme personality types. What drives someone to become a billionaire? The back-and-forth between Blake and Ramses is my favorite. It’s like a fencing match where they can’t stop taking slashes at each other just to see how well the other person parries the strike. They’re on fire because they finally found someone worth fighting but they don’t understand partnership, they only know how to win. � Sophie

"Minx" is a dark contemporary romance and a complete standalone. It is intended for mature readers and contains spicy scenes not suitable for all.]]>
333 Sophie Lark a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.69 2023 Minx
author: Sophie Lark
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/22
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Everything's Fine 62919844
When Jess first meets Josh at their Ivy League college she dislikes him immediately: an entitled guy in chinos, ready to take over the world. Meanwhile Jess is almost always the only Black woman in their class. And Josh can’t accept that life might be easier for him because he’s white.

After graduating, Jess and Josh end up working together in the same investment bank. As they lunch, spar and pick each other’s brains, Jess begins to see Josh in a different light.

Soon, their tempestuous friendship turns into an electrifying romance that shocks them both, and Jess finds herself questioning who she really is and whether she's willing to compromise that for love.]]>
336 Cecilia Rabess 1982187700 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.48 2023 Everything's Fine
author: Cecilia Rabess
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/14
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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


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

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

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

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


Publisher's Note: Each book in the Windsors series features a different Windsor sibling, and as such, each book can be read as a standalone. The Unwanted Marriage contains a guaranteed happily-ever-after and no cheating.]]>
374 Catharina Maura a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.03 2023 The Unwanted Marriage (The Windsors, #3)
author: Catharina Maura
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Three Rivers 75570404
But it isn’t a dream. Two strangers take Stella from her bedroom in the middle of the night and haul her off to Three Rivers, a wilderness therapy program for troubled teens.

At the program, Stella puts up as much resistance to participating as she can. She’s not an “at-risk youth”―she’s not a felon or a druggie or an arsonist like the rest of the kids in her group. She’s a normal teenager who happens to star on a hit TV show. But slowly, despite herself, she starts to open up, make friends, and confront why she was really sent there.]]>
216 Sarah Stusek 1684632269 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 1.73 2023 Three Rivers
author: Sarah Stusek
name: a 🔮
average rating: 1.73
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/31
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle, #1)]]> 26114463
Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?]]>
427 Jay Kristoff 1250073022 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.19 2016 Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle, #1)
author: Jay Kristoff
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/03
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Charlie, Love and Clichés 45450189
A small advice from me to you: if you haven’t dated, touched *or* kissed a guy in years and *years*…do not try to crawl away or hide from the-one-who-got-away. It’s not a good look.

William Carter, the stranger I’d met six years ago was the last person I’d imagine ever seeing at my dad’s firm where I work. While I panic and fight off the butterflies in my stomach and in general struggle to act normal, I realize he doesn’t even remember me. I’m not sure if I should feel relieved or heartbroken. Things get worse when I learn we’ll need to work in close quarters to each other, but at least I let him know that I don’t have a crush on him anymore right away. Just in case he gets any ideas.

While I’m in the process of writing lists and making serious changes in my life, because I decide I’m ready to be the heroine in my own story; having William just a breath away is not helping things. Especially when things shift between us and we start to make eye contact in meetings. Then he shows up in places I least expect him to…as in blind dates and sex clubs. He also gives me cheese because he knows how much I like it and there are secret notes he leaves in my office. If you were wondering, I still don’t have a crush on him though. Nope.

Even though I’d promised myself I’d never wait around for another guy and postpone my own life, I’m afraid William Carter who looks at me as if I’m his and was always supposed to be his might ruin my hopeful plans. And quite possibly me for any other guy since I’m craving his touch like I’ve never craved anything in my life before. But we both know we’re a losing game so we keep admitting that neither one of us has a crush on the other.
Not anymore. Not at all. Not even a little bit.]]>
429 Ella Maise a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.59 2023 Charlie, Love and Clichés
author: Ella Maise
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/03
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Love, Theoretically 61326735
Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and broody older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And that same Jack who now sits on the hiring committee at MIT, right between Elsie and her dream job.

Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?]]>
389 Ali Hazelwood 1408725797 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.07 2023 Love, Theoretically
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/05/01
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Reborn Yesterday (Phenomenal Fate, #1)]]> 50609790 A timeless love story with bite.

It was a night like any other for funeral home director Ginny Lynn, until the exceptionally handsome—and unfortunately deceased—young man on her embalming table sat up, opened his emerald eyes and changed the course of her life forever, making her feel quite fluttery while he was at it.

Humans aren't supposed to know Jonas Cantrell, or any vampire, exists. It's kind of a major rule. Despite his instantaneous bond with perfectly peculiar Ginny, he has no choice but to erase her memories of their one and only meeting.

That was the plan. Before a reluctant Jonas can wipe Ginny's mind clean, she reveals a secret that brings their worlds crashing together. Human and vampire. Past and present. Darkness and light. And while their love is strictly forbidden, it might be the only thing that can save them�

Reborn Yesterday is a standalone paranormal romantic comedy with a happily ever after.

]]>
383 Tessa Bailey 108785752X a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.47 2020 Reborn Yesterday (Phenomenal Fate, #1)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/29
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Good Girl Complex (Avalon Bay, #1)]]> 57693481 She does everything right. So what could go wrong?

Mackenzie "Mac" Cabot is a people pleaser. Her demanding parents. Her prep school friends. Her long-time boyfriend. It's exhausting, really, always following the rules. Unlike most twenty-year-olds, all she really wants to do is focus on growing her internet business, but first she must get a college degree at her parents' insistence. That means moving to the beachside town of Avalon Bay, a community made up of locals and the wealthy students of Garnet College.

Mac's had plenty of practice suppressing her wilder impulses, but when she meets local bad boy Cooper Hartley, that ability is suddenly tested. Cooper is rough around the edges. Raw. Candid. A threat to her ordered existence. Their friendship soon becomes the realest thing in her life.

Despite his disdain for the trust-fund kids he sees coming and going from his town, Cooper soon realizes Mac isn't just another rich clone and falls for her. Hard. But as Mac finally starts feeling accepted by Cooper and his friends, the secret he's been keeping from her threatens the only place she's ever felt at home.]]>
368 Elle Kennedy 1250796733 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.54 2022 Good Girl Complex (Avalon Bay, #1)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/29
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Balance (Off Balance, #1) 22058103 One chance. That’s all I get when it comes to the Olympics.
I’ve given up everything for my chance to train under Konstantin Kournakova.
Kova is demanding. He only works with Elite gymnasts.
I follow his every command fifty hours a week.
He can’t break me. I thrive with the way he pushes me to my limits.
Whatever it takes to compete � before it’s too late.
He’s everything forbidden. Older. Taken. My father’s friend.
I shouldn’t want him � wish he was mine.
When I put my mind to it, there’s nothing I can’t do.


I’m her coach.
Fifty hours a week I tell her what to do.
Gymnastics isn’t for the weak and Adrianna is as strong as they come.
I’ll break her down so she can build herself up.
I know that she wants me, with every secret glance.
But I’ll lose everything if I give in.
I’m too old for her. I have someone else I love. I’m her father’s friend.
Adrianna Rossi is the sum of everything forbidden to me.
She makes me wish I could burn it all down just for her.]]>
610 Lucia Franco a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.84 2016 Balance (Off Balance, #1)
author: Lucia Franco
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/29
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Birthday Girl 39555142 JORDAN

He took me in when I had nowhere else to go. He doesn’t use me, hurt me, or forget about me. He listens to me, protects me, and sees me. I can feel his eyes on me over the breakfast table, and my heart pumps so hard when I hear him pull in the driveway after work.

I have to stop this. It can’t happen.

My sister once told me there are no good men, and if you find one, he’s probably unavailable. Only Pike Lawson isn’t the unavailable one.
I am.

PIKE

I took her in, because I thought I was helping. As the days go by, though, it’s becoming anything but easy. I have to stop my mind from drifting to her and stop holding my breath every time I bump into her in the house. I can’t touch her, and I shouldn’t want to.

But we’re not free to give into this. She’s nineteen, and I’m thirty-eight.

And her boyfriend’s father.

Unfortunately, they both just moved into my house.]]>
349 Penelope Douglas a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.85 2018 Birthday Girl
author: Penelope Douglas
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/18
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Drive (The Bittersweet Symphony Duet #1)]]> 36413250 Nominee for Best Contemporary Romance-GOODREADS. Named one of the Top 10 hottest romance reads of 2017 by Huffington Post and New York Daily News!From the bestselling author of The Ravenhood Trilogy, comes an angsty, steamy, white-knuckle ride full of love, loss, and self-discovery. Music . . . the heart’s greatest librarian.The average song is three and a half minutes long; those three and a half minutes could lead to a slow blink, a glimpse of the past, or catapult the soul into heart-shattering nostalgia.At the height of my career, I had the life I wanted, the life I’d always envisioned. I’d found my tempo, my rhythm. Then I received a phone call that left me off key. You see, my favorite songs had a way of playing simultaneously. I was in love with one man’s beats and another’s lyrics. But when it came to the soundtrack of a life, how could anyone choose a favorite song? So, to erase any doubt, I ditched my first-class ticket and decided to take a drive, fixed on the rearview.Two days.One playlist.And the long road home to the man who was waiting for me.Drive is BOOK #1 in The Bittersweet Symphony duet.The Bittersweet Symphony Duet#1 Drive#2 Reverse#2.5 Bittersweet Melody (A Bittersweet Novella)*Both books in the duet must be read in order. ]]> 412 Kate Stewart a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.53 2017 Drive (The Bittersweet Symphony Duet #1)
author: Kate Stewart
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/17
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[The Darkest Temptation (Made, #3)]]> 56250307 410 Danielle Lori a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.04 2020 The Darkest Temptation (Made, #3)
author: Danielle Lori
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/17
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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From Lukov with Love 37683751
After seventeen years—and countless broken bones and broken promises—she knows her window to compete in figure skating is coming to a close.

But when the offer of a lifetime comes in from an arrogant idiot she’s spent the last decade dreaming about pushing in the way of a moving bus, Jasmine might have to reconsider everything.

Including Ivan Lukov.]]>
493 Mariana Zapata a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.19 2018 From Lukov with Love
author: Mariana Zapata
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/17
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Wreck the Halls 75663741 #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey delivers a sexy, hilarious standalone holiday rom-com about the adult children of two former rock stars who team up to convince their mothers to play a Christmas Eve concert...

Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother's band on live tv, Mel begins to wonder if it's time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life... and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.

Beat Dawkins, the lead singer's son, is Melody's opposite--the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it's nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.

While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she's never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything--the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.]]>
368 Tessa Bailey 0063308290 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.50 2023 Wreck the Halls
author: Tessa Bailey
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/09
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Cruel Beauty 110704718
Growing up as the eldest child of Scarlet Dulca and The Triad, there were rules I learned to live my life by.

The family comes first. Don’t show your weaknesses. Take what you want.

Yet, I can’t have the one thing I want most—my dads� right-hand man. He’s twice my age and off limits.

But when my bodyguard retires, I see an opportunity and snatch it, putting Niko’s name up for consideration.

When a new threat arises, he tries to act uninterested—to treat me like his job. But as long days turn into long nights, lines begin to blur, and boundaries get pushed to their limits.

Nothing will stop me from getting what I want. I’m eighteen, which means I’m fair game.

And so is he.

Niko

I’ve worked for her family for the past two decades, grinding and fighting my way to the top.

I’ve done unspeakable things to gain their respect, and nothing could make me jeopardize that trust.

Except for one night, when I nearly throw it all away. For her. She’s temptation wrapped up in a tight, forbidden package just for me.

This one mistake could cost me everything, but I refuse to let it happen again. Despite being assigned as her security detail, ensuring we’ll be alone together every day and night.

My number one priority is to keep her safe, and I’ll protect her with my life.

But I will not fall for her. I will not take what I want.

No matter how badly I need it.]]>
196 Dana Isaly a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.00 Cruel Beauty
author: Dana Isaly
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/06
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Lavender Moon (Lavender Moon, #1)]]> 123592173
This is a standalone, why choose, omegaverse romance.]]>
209 Sarah Blue a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.92 2023 Lavender Moon (Lavender Moon, #1)
author: Sarah Blue
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/05
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Magnolia Parks (Magnolia Parks Universe, #1)]]> 58527403 423 Jessa Hastings 1737281198 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.67 2021 Magnolia Parks (Magnolia Parks Universe, #1)
author: Jessa Hastings
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/04
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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A Little Life 22822858
Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride.Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever.]]>
720 Hanya Yanagihara 0385539258 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.27 2015 A Little Life
author: Hanya Yanagihara
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/01
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Unfortunately Yours (A Vine Mess, #2)]]> 62365891
After losing her job and her fiancé in one fell swoop, Natalie Vos returned home to lick her wounds. A few months later, she's sufficiently drowned her sorrows in cabernet and she's ready to get back on her feet. She just needs her trust fund to finance her new business venture. Unfortunately, the terms require she marry before she can have the money. And well, dumped, remember? But Natalie is desperate enough to propose to a man who makes her want to kill him--and kiss him, in equal measure.

August Cates may own a vineyard, but he doesn't know jack about making wine. He's determined to do his late best friend proud, no matter what it takes. Except his tasting room is empty, his wine is disgusting (seriously, he once saw someone gag), and his buddy's legacy is circling the drain. No bank will give him the loan he needs to turn the business around... and then the gorgeous, feisty heiress knocks on his door. Natalie has haunted his dreams since the moment they met, but their sizzling chemistry immediately morphed into simmering insults.

Now, a quickie marriage could help them both. A sham wedding, a few weeks living under the same roof, and then they can go their separate ways--assuming they make it out alive. How hard could it be? There's just one thing they didn't account for: their unfortunate, unbearable, undeniable attraction.]]>
384 Tessa Bailey 0063239035 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.74 2023 Unfortunately Yours  (A Vine Mess, #2)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/01
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[What Lurks Between the Fates (Of Flesh & Bone, #3)]]> 61937339
For weeks, we retraced our steps back to Mistfell and the lingering shadow of the Veil at the boundary between realms. Traveling through the kingdom, I denied the evidence in front of me, unable to fathom that I wasn’t the lost princess of Faerie. Instead, it is Fallon who must fear the consequences of her heritage. Which leaves me with a single, unanswered question.

Then, I awoke, caged high above the throne of the Queen of Air & Darkness.

Mab is the Queen who keeps all of Alfheimr held squirming within her clawed grasp. She uses the children of Faerie to sustain the magic granted to her by the cursed gem atop her crown, which has carved her from the girl she once was into a dark vessel, obsessed with power. She thrives on cruelty, and wields our love as an instrument for pain.

Now, I’ll play the games of the Fae.

I’m a curiosity, my presence an enigma that was never foreseen. I may not be Mab’s daughter, yet she still keeps me close, as she forges me into a weapon against humans and Fae alike. Mab may not own me yet, but she controls the life of the man I love. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to see him freed.

Even if I have to become the villain to do it.

What Lurks Between the Fates is book three in a series and ends in a cliffhanger. It features content that may be offensive or triggering to some readers.]]>
455 Harper L. Woods a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.74 2023 What Lurks Between the Fates (Of Flesh & Bone, #3)
author: Harper L. Woods
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/04/01
shelves: to-not-read-list
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Sea of Ruin (Sea of Ruin, #1) 51416396 Bennett Sharp is on the run.
Wanted for piracy, she fears neither God nor death nor man.
Except Priest Farrell.

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

Two gorgeous captains stand on opposite sides of the law. When they collide in a battle to protect her, the lines blur between enemies and lovers.
Passion heats, secrets unravel, and hearts entangle until they break.
Can love prevail in the sea of ruin?]]>
467 Pam Godwin a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.91 2020 Sea of Ruin (Sea of Ruin, #1)
author: Pam Godwin
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/01
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Highest Bidder (Salacious Players Club, #5)]]> 62322599 filthy rich.

When I started working at Salacious Players� Club, I never expected to end up on the auction block ready to grant a date to the highest bidder.

This club is not really my scene. I’m not the kind of girl rich guys take home. I’m more a piano playing, van-living, free spirit kind of girl.

So when Ronan Kade, the richest man at the club, puts down over a hundred grand for my time, how can I tell him no?

But he’s too old. Too rich. Too cocky.

And oh yeah…he once dated my mother.

Except he doesn’t know that. He has no idea who I am.

One date turns into a trip to Paris. And an offer to live with him in his penthouse. Then a promise to take care of me.

Before I know it, I’m calling this silver fox my daddy.

Ronan Kade only bid on one date, but I think he’s winning much more than that.

Can we overcome the years between us to find happiness?

And will he find it in him to forgive me when he learns the secret I’ve been keeping?]]>
336 Sara Cate a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.04 2023 Highest Bidder (Salacious Players Club, #5)
author: Sara Cate
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/27
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Credence 49084724
And when they suddenly pass away, she knows she should be devastated. But has anything really changed? She’s always been alone, hasn’t she?

Jake Van der Berg, her father’s stepbrother and her only living relative, assumes guardianship of Tiernan who is still two months shy of eighteen. Sent to live with him and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, in the mountains of Colorado, Tiernan soon learns that these men now have a say in what she chooses to care and not care about anymore. As the three of them take her under their wing, teach her to work and survive in the remote woods far away from the rest of the world, she slowly finds her place among them.

And as a part of them.

She also realizes that lines blur and rules become easy to break when no one else is watching.

One of them has her.

The other one wants her.

But he�

He’s going to keep her.

*Credence is a new adult standalone novel suitable for readers 18+.]]>
470 Penelope Douglas 1660089050 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.58 2020 Credence
author: Penelope Douglas
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/21
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[The Coven (Coven of Bones, #1)]]> 75396525
There are no whispered words here. No condemnation for the blood that flows through my veins. The only animosity I face comes from the beautiful and infuriating Headmaster, Alaric Grayson Thorne, a man who despises me just as much as I loathe him and everything he stands for.

But that doesn’t mean secrets don’t threaten to tear the school in two. No one talks about the bloody massacre that forced it to close decades prior, only the opportunity it can afford to those fortunate enough to attend.

Because for the first time in fifty years, the Coven will open its wards to the Thirteen: thirteen promising students destined to change the world.

If the ghosts of Hollow’s Groves� victims don’t kill them first...

The Coven is book one in the Coven of Bones series and ends on a cliffhanger. This is a gothic, dark-academia, paranormal romance and includes elements that may be triggering to some listeners.]]>
298 Harper L. Woods a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.72 2023 The Coven (Coven of Bones, #1)
author: Harper L. Woods
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/17
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[The Maddest Obsession (Made, #2)]]> 40613322 He rules it.

Her dresses are too tight, her heels too tall. She laughs too loudly, eats without decorum, and mixes up most sayings in the book. Little do most know it’s just a sparkly disguise, there to hide one panic attack at a time.

Nobody can crack Gianna’s facade . . . no one anyway, until he comes along.

Most see a paragon of morality; a special agent upholding the law. In the New York underworld, others know him as a hustler, a killer, his nature as cold as the heart of ice in his chest. Christian Allister has always followed the life plan he’d envisioned in his youth, beneath the harsh lights of a frigid, damp cell. With a proclivity for order and the number three, he’s never been tempted to veer off course. But perhaps one should never say never . . .

One winter night and their lives intertwine. She hates him—his stone-cold demeanor, his arrogance and too-perceptive eye—but over the years, even as their games consist of insulting each other’s looks and intelligence, she begins to live to play with him.

Nowhere in Christian’s plans had he ever prepared for Gianna. She’s chaos embodied, not his type, and married, but none of that can stop his eyes from following her wherever she goes.

All along, she doesn’t even know that she’s his—his frustration, his fascination.

His maddest obsession.]]>
333 Danielle Lori a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.22 2019 The Maddest Obsession (Made, #2)
author: Danielle Lori
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/16
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Carrie Soto Is Back 60435878 Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular.

By the time Carrie retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Slam titles. And if you ask her, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach.

But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning, British player named Nicki Chan.

At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked the 'Battle-Axe' anyway. Even if her body doesn't move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever.

In spite of it all: Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season. In this riveting and unforgettable novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a story about the cost of greatness and a legendary athlete attempting a comeback.]]>
384 Taylor Jenkins Reid 0593158687 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.19 2022 Carrie Soto Is Back
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/10
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime (Lancaster Prep)]]> 60606198
Wren Beaumont is many things. Beautiful. Smart. Sweet. Innocent. At Lancaster Prep, the girls love her. They all want to be her friend. Only I see Wren for who she really is. A repressed little virgin who keeps her feelings locked up so tight she’s probably close to bursting. She thinks she’s above us all. Even me. I shouldn’t be drawn to her. She’s not my type. Until we’re forced to work together in class and realize we might have more things in common than we originally thought. Soon enough I find myself completely obsessed. I will do anything for this girl to make her fall in love with me. Anything.]]>
552 Monica Murphy a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.09 2022 A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime (Lancaster Prep)
author: Monica Murphy
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/09
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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<![CDATA[Empire of the Vampire (Empire of the Vampire, #1)]]> 56386317 From holy cup comes holy light;
The faithful hands sets world aright.
And in the Seven Martyrs� sight,
Mere man shall end this endless night.

It has been twenty-seven long years since the last sunrise. For nearly three decades, vampires have waged war against humanity; building their eternal empire even as they tear down our own. Now, only a few tiny sparks of light endure in a sea of darkness.

Gabriel de León is a silversaint: a member of a holy brotherhood dedicated to defending realm and church from the creatures of the night. But even the Silver Order couldn’t stem the tide once daylight failed us, and now, only Gabriel remains.

Imprisoned by the very monsters he vowed to destroy, the last silversaint is forced to tell his story. A story of legendary battles and forbidden love, of faith lost and friendships won, of the Wars of the Blood and the Forever King and the quest for humanity’s last remaining hope:

The Holy Grail.]]>
725 Jay Kristoff 125024529X a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.44 2021 Empire of the Vampire (Empire of the Vampire, #1)
author: Jay Kristoff
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/09
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Where the Crawdads Sing 43323704
But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world–until the unthinkable happens.

In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming of age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the child within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

The story asks how isolation influences the behavior of a young woman, who like all of us, has the genetic propensity to belong to a group. The clues to the mystery are brushed into the lush habitat and natural histories of its wild creatures.]]>
370 Delia Owens 1472154665 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.26 2018 Where the Crawdads Sing
author: Delia Owens
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/02
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Love Unexpected 54566424 - Forbidden Romance/Taboo⠀
- Age Gap ⠀
- Stepfather/Stepdaughter ⠀
- Enemies to lovers⠀
- Interracial Couple

I’d only wanted one kiss.

One kiss, under the dark of night, in a city where no one knew us.

One kiss fueled by my hormones and alcohol and the blinding grief over losing my mother.

One kiss from the man I told myself was untouchable.

But, it didn’t stop at one kiss.

And now we are running full speed down a road with no intention of stopping.

His touch disarms me.
His kiss revives me.
But, our love, could destroy me.

*This is a taboo novel and is intended for mature audiences only.]]>
292 Q.B. Tyler a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.64 2020 Love Unexpected
author: Q.B. Tyler
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/02/28
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Not the stepdad as the love interest. Nope.
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The Chase (Briar U, #1) 34851664
And that his best friend has a crush on me.

And that I just moved in with them.

Oh, did I not mention we’re roommates?

I suppose it doesn’t matter. Fitzy has made it clear he’s not interested in me, even though the sparks between us are liable to burn our house down. I’m not the kind of girl who chases after a man, though, and I’m not about to start. I’ve got my hands full dealing with a new school, a sleazy professor, and an uncertain future. So if my sexy brooding roomie wises up and realizes what he’s missing?

He knows where to find me.]]>
368 Elle Kennedy 0994054459 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.83 2018 The Chase (Briar U, #1)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/11
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Wrong (Heaven & Hell, #5) 58905097
Everlee likes to torment me, to enrapture me with her innocence at every turn. The games we play skirt the lines of what is appropriate, but I’d never allow myself to cross them. Her father would kill me if I did.

He’s my oldest friend, and I’ve watched his daughter blossom into the woman she’s becoming. My tastes are too deviant for her shining light, and I need an outlet even if she’s all I see when I close my eyes.

Enter Purgatory � the club that caters to every manner of taste. Arranging a meeting with a stranger to fill my needs, the last thing I expect when I look in the window of our meeting place is to find Everlee sitting and waiting for me at the table marked with a single red rose. I should walk away, end the agreement that never should have happened in the first place, but I can’t resist her. She chose a game with the devil.

I hope she’s ready to play.

Wrong is part of the Black Heart Romance presents Heaven & Hell series, but can also be read as a standalone. Wrong is a dark, daddy’s best friend romance with questionable consent.]]>
162 Adelaide Forrest a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.29 Wrong (Heaven & Hell, #5)
author: Adelaide Forrest
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.29
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/02/11
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<![CDATA[Stuck with You (The STEMinist Novellas, #2)]]> 59651555 Nothing like a little rivalry between scientists to take love to the next level.

Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn�

Logically, Sadie knows that civil engineers are supposed to build bridges. However, as a woman of STEM she also understands that variables can change, and when you are stuck for hours in a tiny New York elevator with the man who broke your heart, you earn the right to burn that brawny, blond bridge to the ground. Erik can apologize all he wants, but to quote her rebel leader—she’d just as soon kiss a Wookiee.

Not even the most sophisticated of Sadie’s superstitious rituals could have predicted such a disastrous reunion. But while she refuses to acknowledge the siren call of Erik’s steely forearms or the way his voice softens when he offers her his sweater, Sadie can’t help but wonder if there might be more layers to her cold-hearted nemesis than meet the eye. Maybe, possibly, even burned bridges can still be crossed�.

To read Mara and Hannah’s stories look for the novellas Under One Roof, available now, and Below Zero, coming soon from Berkley!]]>
127 Ali Hazelwood a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.56 2022 Stuck with You (The STEMinist Novellas, #2)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/10
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Love on the Brain 59571699 From the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis comes a new STEMinist rom-com in which a scientist is forced to work on a project with her nemesis—with explosive results.

Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project - a literal dream come true - Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.

Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school - archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.

But when her equipment starts to go missing and the staff ignore her, Bee could swear she sees Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas... devouring her with those eyes. The possibilities have all her neurons firing.

But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there's only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do?]]>
368 Ali Hazelwood 1408725789 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.88 2022 Love on the Brain
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/09
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Capturing Tess 71957050 A woman taken captive by an alluring billionaire...

Tess Bennett has never dared to dream of a better life. With no family and working a dead-end diner job to make ends meet, she’s just another twenty-something struggling to get by.

Until she’s kidnapped one night by a mysterious older woman. Ava is seductive, commanding, beautiful as sin. She takes Tess to her secluded island mansion, insisting it’s to keep her safe.

Ava provides her with every luxury she could ever dream of, but all Tess wants is answers. In a gilded cage, she must place her trust in a woman as cold and distant as she is irresistible. A forbidden kiss is all it takes for the spark between them to ignite.

Her protector, torn between a promise and desire...

A long time ago, Ava Vidal made a vow. She intends to keep it. Rescuing Tess was only the beginning. Now, Ava must keep her safe from those who mean her deadly harm.

But what’s even harder is keeping her hands off the woman she swore to protect. Especially with Tess determined to tempt her. She thinks she can handle Ava’s twisted tastes. With every tantalizing moment spent in Tess’s presence, Ava’s iron will unravels.

A secret that binds their hearts...

But the truths Ava hides could shatter them both. Because their lives have always been connected. As danger looms, can the two women risk everything for each other?]]>
236 Anna Stone a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.92 Capturing Tess
author: Anna Stone
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/02/06
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<![CDATA[Kingdom of the Star Queen (Queen Ishtar's Academy #1)]]> 57607283 -Ishtar, Goddess of Creation, Star Queen of the Lesser Kingdom

Humans have lived in ignorance for thousands of years. With the rising of the Second Moon, truth is revealed.

The original gods, the Annunaki of Nibiru, seeded our race here on earth for one purpose only—to mine the golden substance that keeps them immortal.

Throughout history, cultures took the meaning literally, considering gold a sacred treasure. They never imagined that the life-giving substance our creators referred to resides in human blood.

Chieko lives in a future where everyone has a purpose: to serve our Nibiruan creators, who look down on us from their home in the heavens. In return, they gave us peace, stability, and safety. In this new world, everyone had a job, a task, a goal—everyone, that is, except for Chieko.

Daughter to a mixed-race union in the Lesser Kingdom where the Star Queen rules with an iron fist, her very existence is treasonous.

She is a mistake, a shameful result of thoughtless action, and something to be hidden away until the day she dies.
Or at least that’s what she thought�

Dive into a world that mixes the science fiction of our past with the paranormal of our future.]]>
273 S.L. Harpel a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.71 Kingdom of the Star Queen (Queen Ishtar's Academy #1)
author: S.L. Harpel
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.71
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/30
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Punk 57 32766597 "We were perfect together. Until we met."

Misha

I can’t help but smile at the words in her letter. She misses me.

In fifth grade, my teacher set us up with pen pals from a different school. Thinking I was a girl, with a name like Misha, the other teacher paired me up with her student, Ryen. My teacher, believing Ryen was a boy like me, agreed.

It didn’t take long for us to figure out the mistake. And in no time at all, we were arguing about everything. The best take-out pizza. Android vs. iPhone. Whether or not Eminem is the greatest rapper ever�

And that was the start. For the next seven years, it was us.

Her letters are always on black paper with silver writing. Sometimes there’s one a week or three in a day, but I need them. She’s the only one who keeps me on track, talks me down, and accepts everything I am.

We only had three rules. No social media, no phone numbers, no pictures. We had a good thing going. Why ruin it?

Until I run across a photo of a girl online. Name’s Ryen, loves Gallo’s pizza, and worships her iPhone. What are the chances?

F*ck it. I need to meet her.

I just don’t expect to hate what I find.

Ryen

He hasn’t written in three months. Something’s wrong. Did he die? Get arrested? Knowing Misha, neither would be a stretch.

Without him around, I’m going crazy. I need to know someone is listening. It’s my own fault. I should've gotten his number or picture or something.

He could be gone forever.

Or right under my nose, and I wouldn’t even know it.]]>
371 Penelope Douglas 1539427765 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.89 2016 Punk 57
author: Penelope Douglas
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/01/30
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Blind Fate (Blind Chance #1) 76753128
Briana

Growing up poor won’t stop me from becoming the CEO of my own multimedia company. I’ll do anything to grow my business, including beta testing my blind date matchmaking app, Blind Chance Romance, on local television.

My old flame, Ryan Smith, isn’t supposed to be part of the equation. When the app matches us together, I’m mortified, but I have to hold it together.

I promise the Savannah viewing audience that I’ll go on a date with Ryan. One date. And then it’s over.

Ryan

After a successful stint on the West Coast, I’m back in Savannah to support local businesses. When I learned Briana Davis developed a matchmaking app, I might have secretly invested. Oh, and I might have played with the algorithm a little.

I can’t blame Briana for hating me. I did cheat on her. But I’m not that guy anymore. California changed me.

One thing hasn’t changed, though. I’ll still do anything to get what I want.

Blind Fate is a Savannah-inspired Sweet Romantic Comedy about second chances that’s guaranteed to give you all the feels along with a ton of laughs.]]>
Jessica Tescher a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 1.13 Blind Fate (Blind Chance #1)
author: Jessica Tescher
name: a 🔮
average rating: 1.13
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/28
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Courting Fate 63902873
Grateful as she is, she can't shake the feeling she knows him from somewhere. Their lives become intertwined as she learns more about him and more about herself.

Is she ready to face the truth? Will it answer her questions or break her in the process? Ana must find her strength and become who she was born to be, before it’s too late.]]>
445 A.R. Kaufer a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.73 Courting Fate
author: A.R. Kaufer
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.73
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/01/24
shelves: to-not-read-list
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<![CDATA[Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout, #1)]]> 60060431 Bearded, bad-boy barber Knox prefers to live his life the way he takes his coffee: Alone. Unless you count his basset hound, Waylon.
Knox doesn’t tolerate drama, even when it comes in the form of a stranded runaway bride.

Naomi wasn’t just running away from her wedding. She was riding to the rescue of her estranged twin to Knockemout, Virginia, a rough-around-the-edges town where disputes are settled the old-fashioned way…with fists and beer. Usually in that order.

Too bad for Naomi her evil twin hasn’t changed at all. After helping herself to Naomi’s car and cash, Tina leaves her with something unexpected. The niece Naomi didn’t know she had. Now she’s stuck in town with no car, no job, no plan, and no home with an 11-year-old going on thirty to take care of.

There’s a reason Knox doesn’t do complications or high-maintenance women, especially not the romantic ones. But since Naomi’s life imploded right in front of him, the least he can do is help her out of her jam. And just as soon as she stops getting into new trouble he can leave her alone and get back to his peaceful, solitary life.

At least, that’s the plan until the trouble turns to real danger.]]>
572 Lucy Score 1945631848 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.14 2022 Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout, #1)
author: Lucy Score
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/19
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Youngblood 58183492
Kat Finn en haar moeder kunnen nauwelijks rondkomen van leven onder de mensen. Net als alle vampieren moeten ze Haema drinken, een dure synthetische bloedvervanger, om te overleven. Dit omdat bijna de hele mensheid is besmet met een virus dat dodelijk is voor vampieren. Kat kijkt niet uit naar een onsterfelijk leven waarin ze amper geld heeft, maar als ze hoort dat ze is toegelaten tot Harcote, een prestigieuze school die in het geheim alleen voor vampieren is, weet ze dat haar leven op het punt staat te veranderen...
Taylor Sanger is opgegroeid in de rijke vampierwereld, maar ze heeft genoeg van hun conservatieve waarden. Vooral als het gaat om seksualiteit, want ze is openlijk lesbisch. Ze hoeft nog maar twee jaar Harcote te doorstaan voordat ze vrij is. Maar als ze ontdekt dat haar nieuwe kamergenoot Kat Finn is, schrikt ze enorm. Want lang geleden waren zij en Kat beste vriendinnen, en dat is niet goed afgelopen.
Wanneer Taylor vervolgens op het dode lichaam van een vampier stuit en Kat een schokkende ontdekking doet in de archieven van de school, realiseren de twee zich dat er duistere geheimen zijn op Harcote � geheimen die hen verbinden met de machtigste figuren in het vampierrijk én met het synthetische bloed waar ze allemaal van afhankelijk zijn.]]>
416 Sasha Laurens 059335320X a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.25 2022 Youngblood
author: Sasha Laurens
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.25
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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The Ones We Burn 60320573 Monster. Butcher. Bloodwinn.

Ranka is tired of death. All she wants now is to be left alone, living out her days in Witchik’s wild north with the coven that raised her, attempting to forget the horrors of her past. But when she is named Bloodwinn, the next treaty bride to the human kingdom of Isodal, her coven sends her south with a single directive: kill him. Easy enough, for a blood-witch whose magic compels her to kill.

Except the prince is gentle, kind, and terrified of her. He doesn’t want to marry Ranka; he doesn’t want to be king at all. And it’s his sister—the wickedly smart, infuriatingly beautiful Princess Aramis—who seems to be the real threat.

But when witches start turning up dead, murdered by a mysterious, magical plague, Aramis makes Ranka an offer: help her develop a cure, and in return, she’ll help Ranka learn to contain her deadly magic. As the coup draws nearer and the plague spreads, Ranka is forced to question everything she thought she knew about her power, her past, and who she’s meant to fight for. Soon, she will have to decide between the coven that raised her and the princess who sees beyond the monster they shaped her to be.

But as the bodies pile up, a monster may be exactly what they need.]]>
480 Rebecca Mix 1534493514 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.74 2022 The Ones We Burn
author: Rebecca Mix
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/19
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<![CDATA[We All Fall Down (The River City Duology, #1)]]> 56978184 The first book in a dark fantasy YA duology by the author of What Big Teeth, about the power and danger of stories and the untold costs of keeping magic alive, perfect for fans of Aiden Thomas and Marie Rutkoski.

In River City, where magic used to thrive and is now fading, the witches who once ruled the city along with their powerful King have become all but obsolete. The city's crumbling government is now controlled primarily by the new university and teaching hospital, which has grown to take over half of the city.

Moving between the decaying Old City and the ruthless New, four young queer people struggle with the daily hazards of life―work, school, dodging ruthless cops and unscrupulous scientists―not realizing that they have been selected to play in an age-old drama that revives the flow of magic through their world. When a mysterious death rocks their fragile peace, the four are brought into each other's orbits as they uncover a deeper magical conspiracy.

Devastating, gorgeous, and utterly unique, We All Fall Down examines the complex network of pain created by power differentials, even between people who love each other―and how it is possible to be queer and turn out just fine.]]>
406 Rose Szabo 0374314322 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 2.52 2022 We All Fall Down (The River City Duology, #1)
author: Rose Szabo
name: a 🔮
average rating: 2.52
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/19
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Lies We Sing to the Sea 59470553
But when that fate comes for Leto, death is not what she thought it would be. Instead, she wakes on a mysterious island and meets a girl with green eyes and the power to command the sea. A girl named Melantho, who says one more death can stop a thousand.

The prince of Ithaca must die—or the tides of fate will drown them all.

Sarah Underwood weaves an epic tapestry of lies, love, and tragedy, perfect for fans of Madeline Miller, Alexandra Bracken, and Renée Ahdieh.]]>
432 Sarah Underwood a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.41 2023 Lies We Sing to the Sea
author: Sarah Underwood
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/19
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<![CDATA[Lords of Pain (Royals of Forsyth University, #1)]]> 56986379 I never claimed to be a good girl, but I definitely never asked for this.

Killian, Tristian, and Rath.

These three men are a part of my past--one that I'd rather never look in the eye again. In high school, they knew my secrets and I knew theirs. They had power and I had nothing. The night everything fell apart, my stepbrother allowed his two best friends to take their rage out on me while he watched. While they laughed.

But what happened that night wasn’t my biggest secret. So I ran, planning on never coming back.


Three years later I’m standing on their doorstep like a stray. They’re more powerful than ever now, having risen to the rank of Lords at Forsyth University. But I’m still on the run and there's another monster chasing me down.

What could bring me back into their lives, their homes, and ultimately, their beds?

Fear.
Shame.
Desperation.

Killian, Rath, and Tristian aren’t the only ones who want me. There’s someone far more dangerous out there who's been stalking me since I left town the first time. Someone who makes the evil I know feel less dangerous than the evil I don’t.

But being their Lady is more than just fancy clothes and reputation.

I might be under their protection, but I’m also at their mercy.

And there's nothing a Lord loves more than taking control.]]>
356 Angel Lawson a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.01 2021 Lords of Pain (Royals of Forsyth University, #1)
author: Angel Lawson
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/19
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Dear Aaron 35404657
The guidelines were simple: one letter or email a week for the length of his or her deployment. Care packages were optional.

Been there, done that. She thought she knew what to expect.

What she didn’t count on was falling in love with the guy.]]>
500 Mariana Zapata a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.90 2017 Dear Aaron
author: Mariana Zapata
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/18
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Hands Down 54370827
Bianca Brannen knows time--mostly--heals all wounds. Including those your once loved ones might have unintentionally given you. (Those just take longer.)

She thinks she’s ready when a call has her walking back into her old friend’s life. Or at least as prepared as possible to see the starting quarterback in the National Football Organization. Before the lights, the fans, and the millions, he’d been a skinny kid with a heart of gold.

Waltzing out of Zac Travis’s life should be easy. Just as easy as he walked out of hers.]]>
550 Mariana Zapata a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.89 2020 Hands Down
author: Mariana Zapata
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/18
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The Best Thing 51045313
Lenny DeMaio made herself a promise: she was done.

Done thinking about him.

Done worrying about him.

Done reaching out to a man who clearly didn’t want to be found.

Too bad no one gave Jonah Collins the memo.]]>
480 Mariana Zapata a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.96 2019 The Best Thing
author: Mariana Zapata
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/18
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All Rhodes Lead Here 57605091 572 Mariana Zapata a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.24 2021 All Rhodes Lead Here
author: Mariana Zapata
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/18
shelves: to-not-read-list
review:

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Wait for It 33288638
Diana Casillas can admit it: she doesn't know what the hell she's doing half the time. How she's made it through the last two years of her life without killing anyone is nothing short of a miracle. Being a grown-up wasn’t supposed to be so hard.

With a new house, two little boys she inherited the most painful possible way, a giant dog, a job she usually loves, more than enough family, and friends, she has almost everything she could ever ask for.

Except for a boyfriend.

Or a husband.

But who needs either one of those?]]>
418 Mariana Zapata a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.29 2016 Wait for It
author: Mariana Zapata
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/18
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Luna and the Lie 42883009
Luna Allen has done some things she would rather no one ever know about. She also knows that, if she could go back in time, she wouldn’t change a single thing.

With three sisters she loves, a job she (mostly) adores, and a family built up of friends she’s made over the years, Luna figures everything has worked out the way it was supposed to.

But when one of those secrets involves the man who signs her paycheck, she can’t find it in her to regret it. Despite the fact that he’s not the friendliest man in the world. Or the most patient.

Sometimes there are things you’re better off keeping to yourself.]]>
580 Mariana Zapata a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.01 2018 Luna and the Lie
author: Mariana Zapata
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/18
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When Gracie Met the Grump 62603994
For most people, finding a half-naked superbeing in their yard might be a dream come true.

Unfortunately for Gracie Castro, it’s the exact opposite.

Especially when he’s grouchy, rude, and shows no signs of leaving anytime soon.

But when a hero of mankind needs you, you do what you have to.

Even if it compromises everything you know.

And totally changes your life.]]>
570 Mariana Zapata 1953262023 a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 3.95 2022 When Gracie Met the Grump
author: Mariana Zapata
name: a 🔮
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/18
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Kulti 24044596
When the man you worshipped as a kid becomes your coach, it’s supposed to be the greatest thing in the world. Keywords: supposed to.

It didn't take a week for 27-year-old Sal Casillas to wonder what she'd seen in the international soccer icon - why she'd ever had his posters on her wall or ever envisioned marrying him and having super-playing soccer babies.

Sal had long ago gotten over the worst non-break-up in the history of imaginary relationships with a man who hadn't known she'd existed. So she isn't prepared for this version of Reiner Kulti who shows up to her team's season: a quiet, reclusive shadow of the explosive, passionate man he'd once been.]]>
570 Mariana Zapata a 🔮 0 to-not-read-list 4.22 2015 Kulti
author: Mariana Zapata
name: a 🔮
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/01/18
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