Ash's bookshelf: all en-US Sat, 17 May 2025 18:15:25 -0700 60 Ash's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Trial of the Sun Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos, #1)]]> 194848627 A Court of Thorns and Roses meets The Fourth Wing? in this pulse-pounding, enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance—with fae magic, high-stakes trials, and a dark prince—from Booktok favorite author Nisha J. Tuli.?

Ten women. A deadly contest. Only one can win the Sun King's heart.
Lor has endured twelve long years of torment under the Aurora King’s rule. Her only desire is to escape and pay him back for every moment of misery she's endured.

When a surprise release finds her in the hands of the rival Sun King, Lor is thrust into the spotlight as she competes against nine other Tributes for the role of queen. If she wins his heart, she'll earn her freedom and finally get her revenge.

But Lor doesn't belong in the Sun Queen Trials. Not only does she not understand why she was freed, she isn’t a citizen of the Sun King’s court. The other Tributes resent her presence and will stop at nothing to ensure Lor is removed from the competition, permanently.

Now Lor must win, because if she loses, she dies. Or worse, she'll be returned to the evil—and now vengeful—Aurora King.]]> 407 Nisha J. Tuli Ash 0 currently-reading 4.12 2023 Trial of the Sun Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos, #1)
author: Nisha J. Tuli
name: Ash
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/17
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[City of Gods and Monsters (House of Devils, #1)]]> 59820919 Welcome to the city of Angelthene. We hope you survive.

Loren Calla has only ever been ordinary. As a human struggling to survive in a city that caters to the needs of vampires, werewolves, witches, and other supernatural creatures, she always assumed her life would remain simple, predictable, and as safe as her world would allow.

Until she barely escapes abduction at the hands of Darkslayers—supernatural bounty hunters that possess the Sight, a magical tracking ability that allows them to see a person’s aura—and one of her friends is taken in her place. The abductors are demanding a ransom: Loren's life in exchange for her friend's safe return. Loren will do whatever it takes to get her friend back—even if it means accepting help from Darien Cassel, the leader of the Seven Devils, the most feared Darkslaying circle in the city.

Darien specializes in tracking down demons and criminals that are better off dead than alive, so when he takes a job to track down Loren and finds out she is human—and couldn't hurt a fly if her life depended on it—he decides to protect her instead of turn her in for a reward. As much as Loren doesn't want to admit it, Darien is her best and only chance at finding her friend alive, if she can somehow manage to get along with him—and not fall head-over-heels in love with him in the process, which is far easier said than done.

When more women start disappearing, and some of them slowly turn up dead, Loren and Darien's search for answers takes them deep into Angelthene's corrupt underbelly, where they discover a dark secret that threatens to unravel their world. And when tragedy strikes, Loren learns that love can make an ordinary person do extraordinary things.

From the author of Dreams of Ice and Iron comes a new fantasy romance perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas, Ilona Andrews, and Cassandra Clare.

Please note: This book contains darker content that might be triggering for some readers, including violence, mature language, sexual content, drug abuse, death of an animal (with a HEA), sexual harassment, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and suicide. It is not intended for anyone under the age of 18.]]> 760 Kayla Edwards 1777880734 Ash 0 did-not-finish 3.67 2022 City of Gods and Monsters (House of Devils, #1)
author: Kayla Edwards
name: Ash
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/17
shelves: did-not-finish
review:
future ashley: pls stop trying
]]> Watch Over Me 50729853 Nina LaCour delivers another emotional knockout with Watch Over Me, the eagerly anticipated follow-up to the Printz Award-winning We Are Okay.

Mila is used to being alone. Maybe that’s why she said yes to the opportunity: living in this remote place, among the flowers and the fog and the crash of waves far below.

But she hadn’t known about the ghosts.

Newly graduated from high school, Mila has aged out of the foster care system. So when she’s offered a job and a place to stay at a farm on an isolated part of the Northern California Coast, she immediately accepts. Maybe she will finally find a new home, a real home. The farm is a refuge, but also haunted by the past traumas its young residents have come to escape. And Mila’s own terrible memories are starting to rise to the surface.

Watch Over Me is another stunner from Printz Award-Winning author Nina LaCour, whose empathetic, lyrical prose is at the heart of this modern ghost story of resilience and rebirth.]]> 264 Nina LaCour 0593108973 Ash 3 3.83 2020 Watch Over Me
author: Nina LaCour
name: Ash
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/14
date added: 2025/05/14
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Better Than the Movies (Better Than the Movies, #1)]]> 55710822 In this rom-com about rom-coms, in the spirit of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, a hopeless romantic teen attempts to secure a happily-ever-after moment with her forever crush, but finds herself reluctantly drawn to the boy next door.

Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar - and maybe snag him as a prom date - even befriend Wes Bennet.

The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic-comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.

But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love - and rethink her own ideas of what happily ever after should look like.]]> 356 Lynn Painter 1534467629 Ash 3 4.28 2021 Better Than the Movies (Better Than the Movies, #1)
author: Lynn Painter
name: Ash
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/13
date added: 2025/05/13
shelves:
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]]> Love Me, Love Me Not, Vol. 1 51086525 Ao Haru Ride!

Four friends share the springtime of their youth together.

Fast friends Yuna and Akari are complete opposites: Yuna is an idealist while Akari is a realist. When lady-killer Rio and the oblivious Kazuomi join their ranks, love and friendship become quite complicated!]]> 184 Io Sakisaka 1974713091 Ash 3 3.98 2015 Love Me, Love Me Not, Vol. 1
author: Io Sakisaka
name: Ash
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/12
date added: 2025/05/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Dragon King's Imperial Wrath: Falling in Love with the Bookish Princess of the Rat Clan Vol. 3 (The Dragon King's Imperial Wrath: Falling in Love with the Bookish Princess of the Rat Clan, #3)]]> 193388582
When Yuchun and Ruiying are kidnapped by the bird clan, they assume that Yuchan is the dragon king’s chosen bride-to-be and that Ruiying is worthless as a hostage. Meanwhile, Yawen is incensed that his beloved soulmate has been kidnapped. When he transforms into a dragon and loses control, will Ruiying be able to pull him back from the brink?! The fantasy romance between a weak but clever rat princess and the almighty dragon king reaches its climax in this final volume!]]> 170 Aki Shikimi Ash 3 3.51 2022 The Dragon King's Imperial Wrath: Falling in Love with the Bookish Princess of the Rat Clan Vol. 3 (The Dragon King's Imperial Wrath: Falling in Love with the Bookish Princess of the Rat Clan, #3)
author: Aki Shikimi
name: Ash
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/11
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Dragon King's Imperial Wrath: Falling in Love with the Bookish Princess of the Rat Clan Vol. 2 (The Dragon King's Imperial Wrath: Falling in Love with the Bookish Princess of the Rat Clan, #2)]]> 125078611
Ruiying, princess of the rat clan, has begun her formal training to become a worthy bride for dragon king Yawen. Much to her excitement, this comes with unconditional access to a treasure trove of knowledge! However, her teacher, Meiyu, informs her that being a “fated mate” holds special meaning in the dragon clan. Can the weak but clever rat princess handle the dragon king's unabashed love for her?]]> 162 Aki Shikimi 1685799302 Ash 3 3.94 2022 The Dragon King's Imperial Wrath: Falling in Love with the Bookish Princess of the Rat Clan Vol. 2 (The Dragon King's Imperial Wrath: Falling in Love with the Bookish Princess of the Rat Clan, #2)
author: Aki Shikimi
name: Ash
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/11
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Dragon King's Imperial Wrath: Falling in Love with the Bookish Princess of the Rat Clan Vol. 1]]> 75395382 196 Aki Shikimi 1685797032 Ash 4 4.00 2021 The Dragon King's Imperial Wrath: Falling in Love with the Bookish Princess of the Rat Clan Vol. 1
author: Aki Shikimi
name: Ash
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/11
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves:
review:
the red flags look green to me
]]> <![CDATA[Otaku Vampire's Love Bite, Vol. 3 (Otaku Vampire's Love Bite, #3)]]> 214151440 168 Julietta Suzuki 197475233X Ash 4 4.22 2023 Otaku Vampire's Love Bite, Vol. 3 (Otaku Vampire's Love Bite, #3)
author: Julietta Suzuki
name: Ash
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/11
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Otaku Vampire's Love Bite, Vol. 2 (Otaku Vampire's Love Bite, #2)]]> 214151560 168 Julietta Suzuki 1974751627 Ash 4 4.20 2023 Otaku Vampire's Love Bite, Vol. 2 (Otaku Vampire's Love Bite, #2)
author: Julietta Suzuki
name: Ash
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/11
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Otaku Vampire's Love Bite, Vol. 1 (Otaku Vampire's Love Bite, #1)]]> 207297638 176 Julietta Suzuki 197474728X Ash 4 4.32 2023 Otaku Vampire's Love Bite, Vol. 1 (Otaku Vampire's Love Bite, #1)
author: Julietta Suzuki
name: Ash
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/11
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Forbidden Scrollery, Vol. 1 (Volume 1) (Forbidden Scrollery, 1)]]> 35082271 ]]> 148 ZUN 0316511897 Ash 0 3.58 2013 Forbidden Scrollery, Vol. 1 (Volume 1) (Forbidden Scrollery, 1)
author: ZUN
name: Ash
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at: 2023/06/23
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[クールドジ男子 5 [Cool Doji Danshi 5] (Play It Cool, Guys, #5)]]> 59706808 152 Kokone Nata 4757581505 Ash 3 4.37 2022 クールドジ男子 5 [Cool Doji Danshi 5] (Play It Cool, Guys, #5)
author: Kokone Nata
name: Ash
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/11
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[クールドジ男子 4 [Cool Doji Danshi 4] (Play It Cool, Guys, #4)]]> 56595450 职业も年齢もバラバラな5人のクールなイケメンたち。そんな彼らの共通点は――全员ドジ!!!!その中の一人、専门学校生の四季苍真は、夏休みの间に自分の长所を见つけようと意気込んでいた。夏祭りや海などでのドジを経て、苍真が见つけた辉かしい长所とは――!?ドジさえクールにキマるイケメンたちのドジコメディ、第4巻!今巻も础尝尝フルカラーで、ここでしか読めない描き下ろし50辫超を収録!!闭闭> Kokone Nata 4757575858 Ash 3 4.40 2021 クールドジ男子 4 [Cool Doji Danshi 4] (Play It Cool, Guys, #4)
author: Kokone Nata
name: Ash
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/11
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[クールドジ男子 3 [Cool Doji Danshi 3] (Play It Cool, Guys, #3)]]> 53679059 职业も年齢もバラバラな4人のクールなイケメンたち。そんな彼らの共通点は――全员ドジ!!!!
ドジによる不思议な縁で仲良くなった4人だったが、その縁はさらに広がり……5人目现る!?
1巻発売直后に10万部を突破した大人気作!!
ドジさえクールにキマるイケメンたちのドジコメディ、第3巻!今巻も础尝尝フルカラーで、ここでしか読めない描き下ろし50辫超を収録!!闭闭> Kokone Nata 4757568215 Ash 3 4.42 2021 クールドジ男子 3 [Cool Doji Danshi 3] (Play It Cool, Guys, #3)
author: Kokone Nata
name: Ash
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/11
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[クールドジ男子 2 [Cool Doji Danshi 2] (Play It Cool, Guys, #2)]]> 52529110 クールでカッコイイ男子たちはーー全员ドジ!!!!
ドジで运命の出逢いを果たしたクールな男子たち。
ドジにドジが重なりクールな彼らの毎日はますます楽しくなる!
1巻発売后、すぐに10万部を突破した今、ホットけないクールな男子たちのドジコメディ、第2巻!
今巻も础尝尝フルカラーで、ここでしか読めない描き下ろし50辫超を収録!!闭闭> Kokone Nata 4757565445 Ash 4 4.36 2020 クールドジ男子 2 [Cool Doji Danshi 2] (Play It Cool, Guys, #2)
author: Kokone Nata
name: Ash
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/11
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves:
review:

]]> Play It Cool, Guys, Vol. 1 55278427 They’re so goofy, they’re cool.

Enter: a group of cool guys who seem like they’ve got that unapproachable swag. But look closer and you’ll find a bunch of dorks who’ve gotten the act down pat. So sit back, grab some popcorn, and enjoy watching these clumsy dudes try to look cool all day, every day.]]> 144 Kokone Nata 1975321529 Ash 4 4.17 2019 Play It Cool, Guys, Vol. 1
author: Kokone Nata
name: Ash
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/11
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lady of Darkness (Lady of Darkness Series #1)]]> 59112511
Owned by a ruthless Assassin Lord, Scarlett Monrhoe and her two sisters have been trained since they were children to torture and take life. They are the most feared trio on the continent, but they are also wild and unpredictable. A tragic night has Scarlett finding herself locked away in a noble's household, trapped and forgotten, until she's ready to fall into line.
A CHOICE.
Until the day she is presented with a job. If she completes the assignment, her payment will be something she has coveted for ten years. Revenge against the Fae Fire Prince who brutally killed her mother ten years ago. Is she willing to sacrifice her ideals for retribution?

A MYSTERY.
But when children begin disappearing from her home, all her plans are put on hold as she races to save the most innocent. With the help of old friends, a jilted lover, and a mysterious newcomer who claims the magic of the Fae is possible in the mortal lands, Scarlett delves into the darkest corners of the world. Forgotten secrets will come to light, and she will discover the darkness extends far beyond her own kingdom.


Lady of Darkness is a new adult, fantasy, enemies-to-lovers romance and adventure novel that will appeal to lovers of possessive Fae, wicked Witches, sexy Shifters, and arrogant Vampires. It may have triggers of love-hate themes, sexual scenes (both consensual and non), violence, and jealous/possessive themes.]]> 538 Melissa K. Roehrich Ash 0 did-not-finish 4.36 2020 Lady of Darkness (Lady of Darkness Series #1)
author: Melissa K. Roehrich
name: Ash
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/09
shelves: did-not-finish
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gold (The Plated Prisoner, #5)]]> 61314205 "Find me in another life. Find me in them all."

Every end is also a beginning.

I thought I was going to die, and would have if it weren’t for Slade. The only way he could save me was to open a rip between worlds. The only way for me to save myself was to go through it.

Sometimes, fleeing one dangerous place just brings you to another.

Annwyn.

The realm of the fae.

There is magic and beauty here, though around every corner, threats lurk.

But I’m a threat too.

I’m not a girl in a gilded cage anymore, and no one is going to stop me from finding my way back to Slade.

But returning home means facing danger and secrets. So I have to burn bright enough to light my own way…

Or else I might be swallowed by the dark.

Please note: This adult fantasy book includes dark elements that may be triggering, including violence, cruelty, death, adult language, and explicit romance. It is intended for ages 18 years and older. Read at your own discretion.]]> 646 Raven Kennedy Ash 3 4.09 2023 Gold (The Plated Prisoner, #5)
author: Raven Kennedy
name: Ash
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/06
date added: 2025/05/06
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Potions, Poisons, and Peril (Deepwood Witches Mysteries #1)]]> 51135569
Emory Chastain, owner of Healing Herbs, sells everything from love potions to herbal tea blends. She is also the most powerful witch of the modern era. When a stranger drops dead in her shop, Emory is left with no choice but to investigate.

Enlisting the help of her friends and the very handsome Noah, she soon discovers that someone is using magic to poison people, turning them stark raving mad. The clock is ticking, can Emory stop the killer? Or will time run out for the residents of Deepwood?

Potions, Poisons, and Peril is the first book in the paranormal cozy mystery series, Deepwood Witches Mysteries.]]> 201 Shéa MacLeod Ash 3 4.02 2019 Potions, Poisons, and Peril (Deepwood Witches Mysteries #1)
author: Shéa MacLeod
name: Ash
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/03
date added: 2025/05/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Rebel Witch (The Crimson Moth, #2)]]> 60217777 The stakes are even higher in this epic, romantic conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Crimson Moth duology.

A WITCH...
Rune Winters is on the run. Ever since the boy she loved, Gideon Sharpe, revealed who she was and delivered her into enemy hands, everyone wants her dead. If Rune hopes to survive, she must ally herself with the cruel and dangerous Cressida Roseblood, who’s planning to take back the Republic and reinstate a Reign of Witches—something Cressida needs Rune to accomplish.

A WITCH HUNTER...
Apparently it wasn’t enough for Rune to deceive Gideon; she’s now betrayed him by allying herself with the witch who made his life a living hell. Gideon won’t allow the Republic to fall to the witches and be plunged back into the nightmares of the past. In order to protect this new world he fought for, every last witch must die—especially Rune Winters.

AN IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE...
When Rune makes Gideon an offer he can’t refuse, the two must pair up to accomplish dangerous goals. The more they’re forced into each other’s company, the more Gideon realizes the feelings he had for Rune aren’t as dead and buried as he thought. Now he’s faced with a terrible choice: sacrifice the girl he loves to stop a monster taking back power, or let Rune live and watch the world he fought so hard for burn.

In Kristen Ciccarelli's Rebel Witch, the exciting conclusion to The Crimson Moth duology, love has never been so deadly.]]> 464 Kristen Ciccarelli Ash 3 4.22 2025 Rebel Witch (The Crimson Moth, #2)
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: Ash
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/03
date added: 2025/05/03
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[A Deal with the Elf King (Married to Magic, #1)]]> 55626358 The elves come for two things: war and wives. In both cases, they come for death.

Three-thousand years ago, humans were hunted by powerful races with wild magic until the treaty was formed. Now, for centuries, the elves have taken a young woman from Luella's village to be their Human Queen.

To be chosen is seen as a mark of death by the townsfolk. A mark nineteen-year-old Luella is grateful to have escaped as a girl. Instead, she's dedicated her life to studying herbology and becoming the town's only healer.

That is, until the Elf King unexpectedly arrives... for her.

Everything Luella had thought she'd known about her life, and herself, was a lie. Taken to a land filled with wild magic, Luella is forced to be the new queen to a cold yet blisteringly handsome Elf King. Once there, she learns about a dying world that only she can save.

The magical land of Midscape pulls on one corner of her heart, her home and people tug on another... but what will truly break her is a passion she never wanted.

A Deal with the Elf King is a complete, stand-alone novel, inspired by the tales of Hades and Persephone, as well as Beauty and the Beast, with a "happily ever after" ending. It's perfect for fantasy romance fans looking for just the right amount of steam and their next slow-burn and swoon-worthy couple. ]]> 340 Elise Kova 1949694267 Ash 0 did-not-finish 3.97 2020 A Deal with the Elf King (Married to Magic, #1)
author: Elise Kova
name: Ash
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: did-not-finish
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Scythe & Sparrow (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #3)]]> 127616032 Discover the serial killer romance series everyone is talking about!From the no.1 New York Times bestselling author of the genre-breaking international TikTok sensation Butcher & Blackbird and Leather & Lark comes the final book in the Ruinous Love Trilogy - a friends-with-benefits dark romantic comedy.

Murder.

Mayhem.

And spice.

Doctor Fionn Kane is running from a broken heart, one he hopes to mend in small-town Nebraska, far away from his almost-fiance and his derailed surgical career. It's a simpler head down, hard work, and absolutely no romantic relationships. He wants none of the circus he left behind in Boston.

But then the real circus finds him.

Motorcycle performer Rose Evans has spent a decade on the road with the Silveria Circus, and it suits her just fine, especially when she has the urge to indulge in a little murder when she's not in the spotlight. But when a kill goes awry and she ends up with an injured leg, Rose finds herself stuck in Nebraska, at the home of the adorably nerdy town doctor.

The problem is, not every broken heart can be sewn back together.

. . . And the longer you stay in one place, the more likely your ghosts are to catch up.

***


Friends with benefits
Small town romance
Fish out of water
Forced proximity
Hurt/care
Touch her and die]]> 416 Brynne Weaver Ash 3 4.09 2025 Scythe & Sparrow (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #3)
author: Brynne Weaver
name: Ash
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/02
date added: 2025/05/02
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]]> <![CDATA[The League of Gentlewomen Witches (Dangerous Damsels, #2)]]> 58395042 Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the teahouse...

Miss Charlotte Pettifer belongs to a secret league of women skilled in the subtle arts. That is to say—although it must never be said—witchcraft. The League of Gentlewomen Witches strives to improve the world in small ways. Using magic, they tidy, correct, and manipulate according to their notions of what is proper, entirely unlike those reprobates in the Wisteria Society.

When the long lost amulet of Black Beryl is discovered, it is up to Charlotte, as the future leader of the League, to make sure the powerful talisman does not fall into the wrong hands. Therefore, it is most unfortunate when she crosses paths with Alex O'Riley, a pirate who is no Mr. Darcy. With all the world scrambling after the amulet, Alex and Charlotte join forces to steal it together. If only they could keep their pickpocketing hands to themselves! If Alex's not careful, he might just steal something else—such as Charlotte's heart.

]]> 352 India Holton 0593200187 Ash 3 3.89 2022 The League of Gentlewomen Witches (Dangerous Damsels, #2)
author: India Holton
name: Ash
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/30
date added: 2025/04/30
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]]> Air Awakens (Air Awakens, #1) 23127048 A library apprentice, a sorcerer prince, and an unbreakable magic bond...

The Solaris Empire is one conquest away from uniting the continent, and the rare elemental magic sleeping in seventeen-year-old library apprentice Vhalla Yarl could shift the tides of war.

Vhalla has always been taught to fear the Tower of Sorcerers, a mysterious magic society, and has been happy in her quiet world of books. But after she unknowingly saves the life of one of the most powerful sorcerers of them all—the Crown Prince Aldrik—she finds herself enticed into his world.

Now she must decide her future: Embrace her sorcery and leave the life she’s known, or eradicate her magic and remain as she’s always been. And with powerful forces lurking in the shadows, Vhalla’s indecision could cost her more than she ever imagined.]]> 342 Elise Kova 1932549935 Ash 0 did-not-finish 3.96 2015 Air Awakens (Air Awakens, #1)
author: Elise Kova
name: Ash
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: did-not-finish
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Berserk Deluxe Edition, Vol. 2]]> 42454096 The reigning king of adult fantasy manga now in deluxe 7x10 hardcover editions! Born in tragedy, raised in abuse and neglect, young Guts is hardened into a warrior of fearsome prowess and fearless will, drawing the attention of the charismatic Griffith, commander of the elite mercenary legion, the Band of the Hawk. This crossroad will take Guts to fame and glory . . . and to damnation!

Kentaro Miura's Berserk has cast its enormous shadow for three decades, creating an international legion of acolytes and inspiring a parade of TV series, feature films, and video games. And now celebrating its thirtieth anniversary, the entire Berserk series is being released in handsome oversized bookshelf format, each collecting three volumes of the original manga.]]> 704 Kentaro Miura 1506711995 Ash 3 4.72 2019 Berserk Deluxe Edition, Vol. 2
author: Kentaro Miura
name: Ash
average rating: 4.72
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/27
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[An Offer From a Gentleman (Bridgertons, #3)]]> 9408584
Sophie Beckett never dreamed she'd be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton's famed masquerade ball—or that "Prince Charming" would be waiting there for her! Though the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.

Who was that extraordinary woman? Ever since that magical night, a radiant vision in silver has blinded Benedict to the attractions of any other—except, perhaps this alluring and oddly familiar beauty dressed in housemaid's garb whom he feels compelled to rescue from a most disagreeable situation. He has sworn to find and wed his mystery miss, but this breathtaking maid makes him weak with wanting her. Yet, if he offers his heart, will Benedict sacrifice his only chance for a fairy tale love?

Alternate cover for ISBN 0380815583 / 9780380815586]]> 390 Julia Quinn Ash 0 did-not-finish 3.89 2001 An Offer From a Gentleman (Bridgertons, #3)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Ash
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/26
shelves: did-not-finish
review:
“men are best when written by women” does not apply to julia quinn lmaooo
]]> <![CDATA[The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love (Love's Academic, #1)]]> 200555182
Beth Pickering is on the verge of finally capturing the rare deathwhistler bird when Professor Devon Lockley swoops in, capturing both her bird and her imagination like a villain. Albeit a handsome and charming villain, but that's beside the point. As someone highly educated in the ruthless discipline of ornithology, Beth knows trouble when she sees it, and she is determined to keep her distance from Devon.?

For his part, Devon has never been more smitten than when he first set eyes on Professor Beth Pickering. She's so pretty, so polite, so capable of bringing down a fiery, deadly bird using only her wits. In other words, an angel. Devon understands he must not get close to her, however, since they're professional rivals.?

When a competition to become Birder of the Year by capturing an endangered caladrius bird is announced, Beth and Devon are forced to team up to have any chance of winning.?Now keeping their distance becomes a question of one bed or two. But they must take the risk, because fowl play is afoot, and they can't trust anyone else—for all may be fair in love and war, but this is ornithology.]]> 384 India Holton Ash 4 3.90 2024 The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love (Love's Academic, #1)
author: India Holton
name: Ash
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/26
date added: 2025/04/26
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Berserk Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1]]> 42120580 Have you got the Guts? Kentaro Miura's Berserk has outraged, horrified, and delighted manga and anime fanatics since 1989, creating an international legion of hardcore devotees and inspiring a plethora of TV series, feature films, and video games. And now the badass champion of adult fantasy manga is presented in an oversized 7" x 10" deluxe hardcover edition, nearly 700 pages amassing the first three Berserk volumes, with following volumes to come to serve up the entire series in handsome bookshelf collections. No Guts, no glory!]]> 689 Kentaro Miura 1506711987 Ash 5 4.61 2019 Berserk Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1
author: Kentaro Miura
name: Ash
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/25
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves:
review:

]]> The Heart's Invisible Furies 33253215 real Avery or at least that’s what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he isn’t a real Avery, then who is he?

Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple via the intervention of a hunchbacked Redemptorist nun, Cyril is adrift in the world, anchored only tenuously by his heartfelt friendship with the infinitely more glamourous and dangerous Julian Woodbead.

At the mercy of fortune and coincidence, he will spend a lifetime coming to know himself and where he came from – and over his three score years and ten, will struggle to discover an identity, a home, a country and much more.

In this, Boyne's most transcendent work to date, we are shown the story of Ireland from the 1940s to today through the eyes of one ordinary man. The Heart's Invisible Furies is a novel to make you laugh and cry while reminding us all of the redemptive power of the human spirit.]]> 582 John Boyne Ash 0 did-not-finish 4.51 2017 The Heart's Invisible Furies
author: John Boyne
name: Ash
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: did-not-finish
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Girl with All the Gifts (The Girl With All the Gifts, #1)]]> 17235026
Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh.

Melanie loves school. She loves learning about spelling and sums and the world outside the classroom and the children's cells. She tells her favorite teacher all the things she'll do when she grows up. Melanie doesn't know why this makes Miss Justineau look sad.

The Girl with All the Gifts is a sensational thriller, perfect for fans of Stephen King, Justin Cronin, and Neil Gaiman.]]> 461 M.R. Carey 0356500152 Ash 3 3.94 2014 The Girl with All the Gifts (The Girl With All the Gifts, #1)
author: M.R. Carey
name: Ash
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/14
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves:
review:

]]> Social Creature 34909789 For readers of Gillian Flynn and Donna Tartt, a dark, propulsive and addictive debut thriller, splashed with all the glitz and glitter of New York City.

They go through both bottles of champagne right there on the High Line, with nothing but the stars over them... They drink and Lavinia tells Louise about all the places they will go together, when they finish their stories, when they are both great writers-to Paris and to Rome and to Trieste...

Lavinia will never go. She is going to die soon.

Louise has nothing. Lavinia has everything. After a chance encounter, the two spiral into an intimate, intense, and possibly toxic friendship. A Talented Mr. Ripley for the digital age, this seductive story takes a classic tale of obsession and makes it irresistibly new.]]> 273 Tara Isabella Burton 0385543522 Ash 2 3.33 2018 Social Creature
author: Tara Isabella Burton
name: Ash
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/12
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Empire of the Vampire (Empire of the Vampire, #1)]]> 56269205 From holy cup comes holy light;
The faithful hand 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 could not 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.

From author Jay Kristoff comes Empire of the Vampire, the first illustrated volume of an astonishing new dark fantasy saga.]]> 739 Jay Kristoff 1250245281 Ash 4 4.29 2021 Empire of the Vampire (Empire of the Vampire, #1)
author: Jay Kristoff
name: Ash
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/16
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves:
review:
(if I hadn’t taken a month break halfway through this it probably would’ve been 5 stars??)
]]> Tress of the Emerald Sea 63068384 #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson brings us deeper into the Cosmere universe with a rollicking, riveting tale that will appeal to fans of The Princess Bride.

The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?]]> 369 Brandon Sanderson 1250899656 Ash 0 did-not-finish 4.27 2023 Tress of the Emerald Sea
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Ash
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: did-not-finish
review:
will return to: page 101, chapter 20
]]> <![CDATA[Duke of Pleasure (Maiden Lane, #11)]]> 29740747 IN THE ARMS OF DANGER

Bold. Brave. Brutally handsome. Hugh Fitzroy, the Duke of Kyle, is the king's secret weapon. Sent to defeat the notorious Lords of Chaos, he is ambushed in a London alley—and rescued by an unlikely ally: a masked stranger with the unmistakable curves of a woman.

IN THE HEAT OF DESIRE

Cocky. Clever. Courageously independent. Alf has survived on the perilous streets of St. Giles by disguising her sex. By day she is a boy, dealing in information and secrets. By night she's the notorious Ghost of St. Giles, a masked vigilante. But as she saves Hugh from assassins, she finds herself succumbing to temptation.

ONE KISS WILL CHANGE THEIR LIVES FOREVER

When Hugh hires Alf to investigate the Lords of Chaos, her worlds collide. Once Hugh realizes that the boy and the Ghost are the same, will Alf find the courage to become the woman she needs to be—before the Lords of Chaos destroy them both?]]> 337 Elizabeth Hoyt Ash 3 4.09 2016 Duke of Pleasure (Maiden Lane, #11)
author: Elizabeth Hoyt
name: Ash
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Duke of Sin (Maiden Lane, #10)]]> 27073530 A MAN OF SIN

Devastatingly handsome. Vain. Unscrupulous. Valentine Napier, the Duke of Montgomery, is the man London whispers about in boudoirs and back alleys. A notorious rake and blackmailer, Montgomery has returned from exile, intent on seeking revenge on those who have wronged him. But what he finds in his own bedroom may lay waste to all his plans.

A WOMAN OF HONOR

Born a bastard, housekeeper Bridget Crumb is clever, bold, and fiercely loyal. When her aristocratic mother becomes the target of extortion, Bridget joins the Duke of Montgomery's household to search for the incriminating evidence-and uncovers something far more dangerous.

A SECRET THAT THREATENS TO DESTROY THEM BOTH

Astonished by the deceptively prim-and surprisingly witty-domestic spy in his chambers, Montgomery is intrigued. And try as she might, Bridget can't resist the slyly charming duke. Now as the two begin their treacherous game of cat and mouse, they soon realize that they both have secrets—and neither may be as nefarious—or as innocent—as they appear . . .]]> 368 Elizabeth Hoyt 1455539074 Ash 4 3.97 2016 Duke of Sin (Maiden Lane, #10)
author: Elizabeth Hoyt
name: Ash
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sweetest Scoundrel (Maiden Lane, #9)]]> 25309274 368 Elizabeth Hoyt 1455529818 Ash 3 3.94 2015 Sweetest Scoundrel (Maiden Lane, #9)
author: Elizabeth Hoyt
name: Ash
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dearest Rogue (Maiden Lane, #8)]]> 23560810 HE CAN GUARD HER

Lady Phoebe Batten is pretty, vivacious, and yearning for a social life befitting the sister of a powerful duke. But because she is almost completely blind, her overprotective brother insists that she have an armed bodyguard by her side at all times-the very irritating Captain Trevillion.

FROM EVERY DANGER

Captain James Trevillion is proud, brooding, and cursed with a leg injury from his service in the King's dragoons. Yet he can still shoot and ride like the devil, so watching over the distracting Lady Phoebe should be no problem at all-until she's targeted by kidnappers.

BUT PASSION ITSELF

Caught in a deadly web of deceit, James must risk life and limb to save his charge from the lowest of cads-one who would force Lady Phoebe into a loveless marriage. But while they're confined to close quarters for her safekeeping, Phoebe begins to see the tender man beneath the soldier's hard exterior . . . and the possibility of a life-and love-she never imagined possible.]]> 353 Elizabeth Hoyt 1455586331 Ash 4 3.98 2015 Dearest Rogue (Maiden Lane, #8)
author: Elizabeth Hoyt
name: Ash
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sanctuary of the Shadow (Elemental Emergence #1)]]> 154629957 A Refinery29 Most Anticipated Book of 2024

"Ascher's latest is a fantasy romance that has everything nice—a hot love interest, a relatable main character, female friendship—and plenty of (consensual) spice." ―Booklist

Some follow their destiny.
Others fall for it.

For humans, Salizar’s is a place of mystery and wonder. For Harrow, it’s a place to hide from those who slaughtered her entire clan. A haven where she can disguise both her abilities and who she really is.

Until he arrives.

He has no recollection of who—or even what—he is. He only knows that he’s a monster, with wings and powerful abilities never seen before. But beneath the layers of rage and isolation, one glimpse into those inky black eyes reveals a soul that calls out to the loneliness in Harrow.

And so she chooses him.

She is drawn to the mystery of him, her unquenchable need for his kiss. And as powerful enemies align and conspire against them, Harrow knows their only hope is escape.

Now, with every secret she unlocks from his past, a shadow from her own whispers free—luring enemies who will stop at nothing to get their final revenge on Harrow. And she’s given them the perfect weapon…because her winged beast is not what he seems.

But maybe it’s time they finally learn—neither is she.]]> 383 Aurora Ascher Ash 2 3.23 2024 Sanctuary of the Shadow (Elemental Emergence #1)
author: Aurora Ascher
name: Ash
average rating: 3.23
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/05
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated, #1)]]> 165940202
Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.

Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.

Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.]]> 419 Danielle L. Jensen 0593599837 Ash 2 3.91 2024 A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated, #1)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: Ash
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blood Beneath the Snow (Blood & Souls, #1)]]> 214537839 A heart-pounding romantasy following a rebellious princess who must compete to the death against her siblings for the crown to ensure justice, while fighting her feelings for her country's most powerful enemy by debut author Alexandra Kennington.

Revna is no stranger to struggle. As the only member of the royal family without a magical ability, she is seen as an embarrassing mistake to her kingdom and a blight on her family tree. Luckily, Revna has found family in other outcasts in her kingdom. But when her two closest friends’ lives are put in danger, she is determined to save them by any means necessary, no matter the cost. The Bloodshed Trials—a competition where the last sibling in the royal family standing takes the throne—might just be the ultimate price.

Revna turns down her arranged marriage and commits to competing for the throne only to be kidnapped by the mysterious and terrifyingly powerful Hellbringer, the general of her country’s greatest enemy. He has the ability to rend souls with the flick of his wrist and is every inch as intimidating as the war stories say he is. But Revna wonders if there may be some humanity left in him—especially when he reveals there are other parties who want her on the throne for their own furtive reasons.]]> 416 Alexandra Kennington 0593820118 Ash 0 did-not-finish 3.68 2025 Blood Beneath the Snow (Blood & Souls, #1)
author: Alexandra Kennington
name: Ash
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: did-not-finish
review:

]]> A Harvest of Hearts 210693153 In the beloved tradition of Howl’s Moving Castle, a whimsical and unforgettable story of fantastic adventure, common sense, and the power of love to overcome the greatest of obstacles . . .

Before Foss Butcher was Snagged, she thought no more of the magic-users than did anyone else in her tiny village. Sometimes gorgeous women in impossible carriages rolled into town and took bits of people’s hearts. Everyone knew hearts fueled their magic. But Foss, plain, clumsy, and practical as a boot, never expected anyone would want hers.

True enough, when the only sorcerer in the kingdom stepped from his glossy carriage, he didn’t intend to hook Foss. Sylvester’s riot of black curls and perfectly etched cheekbones caught her eye a moment too long, that was all. Suddenly, Foss is cursed and finds herself stomping toward the grand City to keep his enchanted House, where her only friend is a talking cat and the walls themselves have moods.

But as Foss learns the ways of magic, she realizes she’s far from its only unwilling captive. Even Sylvester is hemmed in by spells and threats. It’s said this sorcery protects king, country, and order for thousands. If Foss wants to free herself—and, perhaps, Sylvester—she’ll have to confront it all . . . and uncover the blight nestled in the heart of the kingdom itself.]]> 448 Andrea Eames 1645661881 Ash 3 3.57 2025 A Harvest of Hearts
author: Andrea Eames
name: Ash
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1)]]> 123471760 When old secrets catch fire, everything will burn.

In a mortal world colonized by the gods and ruled over by the Descended, their cruel offspring, Diem Bellator yearns to escape the insular life of her poor village.

Her mother’s sudden disappearance—and the discovery of a dangerous secret about her past—offer Diem an unexpected opportunity to enter the dark world of Descended royalty and unlock the web of mysteries her mother left behind.

With the dying King’s handsome, mysterious heir watching her every move, and a ruthless mortal alliance recruiting her to join the growing civil war, Diem will have to navigate the unwritten rules of love, power, and politics in order to save her family—and all of mortalkind.

Spark of the Everflame is the first book in The Kindred's Curse Saga, a four-book fantasy romance series. This slow burn, enemies-to-lovers epic is perfect for lovers of magic, dragons, angst, and banter and will appeal to fans of books like A Court of Thorns and Roses, From Blood and Ash, Gild, and The Serpent & the Wings of Night.]]> 438 Penn Cole Ash 4 4.19 2023 Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1)
author: Penn Cole
name: Ash
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Sky Beyond the Storm (An Ember in the Ashes, #4)]]> 213075289 Prepare for the jaw-dropping finale of Sabaa Tahir's beloved New York Times bestselling An Ember in the Ashes fantasy series, and discover: Who will survive the storm?

Picking up just a few months after A Reaper at the Gates left off...

The long-imprisoned jinn are on the attack, wreaking bloody havoc in villages and cities alike. But for the Nightbringer, vengeance on his human foes is just the beginning.

By his side, Commandant Keris Veturia declares herself Empress, and calls for the heads of any and all who defy her rule. At the top of the list? The Blood Shrike and her remaining family.

Laia of Serra, now allied with the Blood Shrike, struggles to recover from the loss of the two people most important to her. Determined to stop the approaching apocalypse, she throws herself into the destruction of the Nightbringer. In the process, she awakens an ancient power that could lead her to victory--or to an unimaginable doom.

And deep in the Waiting Place, the Soul Catcher seeks only to forget the life--and love--he left behind. Yet doing so means ignoring the trail of murder left by the Nightbringer and his jinn. To uphold his oath and protect the human world from the supernatural, the Soul Catcher must look beyond the borders of his own land. He must take on a mission that could save--or destroy--all that he knows.]]> 544 Sabaa Tahir 044849454X Ash 3 4.23 2020 A Sky Beyond the Storm (An Ember in the Ashes, #4)
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: Ash
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Reaper at the Gates (An Ember in the Ashes, #3)]]> 213075365 BOOK THREE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES
An Entertainment Weekly Summer Reads pick and New York Times bestseller!

Beyond the Martial Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger.
Helene Aquilla, the Blood Shrike, is desperate to protect her sister's life and the lives of everyone in the Empire. But she knows that danger lurks on all sides: Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable and violent, while Keris Veturia, the ruthless Commandant, capitalizes on the Emperor's volatility to grow her own power--regardless of the carnage she leaves in her path.

Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But in the hunt to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would help her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she'd have to fight.

And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that demands his complete surrender--even if that means abandoning the woman he loves.]]> 480 Sabaa Tahir 0448494515 Ash 3 4.04 2018 A Reaper at the Gates (An Ember in the Ashes, #3)
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: Ash
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Vows & Ruins (The Legends of Thezmarr, #2)]]> 123007281
But Thea’s world is turned upside down as she struggles to navigate her newfound magic and uncover the secrets of her past. Slowly, she begins to untangle the truth about her family, her powers and the evil that threatens to engulf the kingdom.

When Wilder Hawthorne returns to be her official mentor, everything changes. Dark forces are gathering, and he will stop at nothing to prepare her for the challenges to come, even if it means breaking her.

As war looms and their quest for answers leads master and apprentice deeper into danger, the undeniable connection between them intensifies – defying all odds, but also threatening to tear them apart.

With secrets unravelling and evil closing in, Thea and Wilder fight to save the world, and each other. The fate of the realms rests in their hands – will they emerge victorious, or will the darkness consume them both?

Full of action, adventure and steamy romance, Vows & Ruins is the second book in the spellbinding epic romantic fantasy series, The Legends of Thezmarr and is perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom, From Blood and Ash and The Witcher.]]> 536 Helen Scheuerer 1922903051 Ash 0 did-not-finish 4.05 2023 Vows & Ruins (The Legends of Thezmarr, #2)
author: Helen Scheuerer
name: Ash
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: did-not-finish
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes, #2)]]> 213075405 Elias and Laia are running for their lives.

After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire.

Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars' survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom.

But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike.

Bound to Marcus's will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape...and kill them both.]]> 460 Sabaa Tahir 110199889X Ash 4 4.18 2016 A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes, #2)
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: Ash
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes, #1)]]> 36506218 ?
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
?
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.
?
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
?
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

From the Hardcover edition.]]> 456 Sabaa Tahir Ash 4 I missed so much the first time

7/27/20 review:
This felt like it had the potential to be so much more. I enjoyed our hero the most, the constant turmoil of wanting freedom but also needing to help others. Our heroine's single-minded need to rescue her brother led her to make some decisions that I wanted to scream at her for. The world-building could've used some bolstering. I am all for continuing the series.]]> 4.28 2015 An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes, #1)
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: Ash
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves:
review:
3/25/25 review:
I missed so much the first time

7/27/20 review:
This felt like it had the potential to be so much more. I enjoyed our hero the most, the constant turmoil of wanting freedom but also needing to help others. Our heroine's single-minded need to rescue her brother led her to make some decisions that I wanted to scream at her for. The world-building could've used some bolstering. I am all for continuing the series.
]]> <![CDATA[The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi, #1)]]> 61294937 Shannon Chakraborty, the bestselling author of The City of Brass, spins a new trilogy of magic and mayhem on the high seas in this tale of pirates and sorcerers, forbidden artifacts and ancient mysteries, in one woman’s determined quest to seize a final chance at glory—and write her own legend.

Amina al-Sirafi should be content. After a storied and scandalous career as one of the Indian Ocean’s most notorious pirates, she’s survived backstabbing rogues, vengeful merchant princes, several husbands, and one actual demon to retire peacefully with her family to a life of piety, motherhood, and absolutely nothing that hints of the supernatural.

But when she’s tracked down by the obscenely wealthy mother of a former crewman, she’s offered a job no bandit could refuse: retrieve her comrade’s kidnapped daughter for a kingly sum. The chance to have one last adventure with her crew, do right by an old friend, and win a fortune that will secure her family’s future forever? It seems like such an obvious choice that it must be God’s will.

Yet the deeper Amina dives, the more it becomes alarmingly clear there’s more to this job, and the girl’s disappearance, than she was led to believe. For there’s always risk in wanting to become a legend, to seize one last chance at glory, to savor just a bit more power…and the price might be your very soul.]]> 483 Shannon Chakraborty Ash 5 4.25 2023 The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi, #1)
author: Shannon Chakraborty
name: Ash
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)]]> 214331246 When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

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

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

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]> 387 Suzanne Collins 1546171460 Ash 5 4.59 2025 Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Ash
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heavenly Bodies (Heavenly Bodies, #1)]]> 58650445
In a world where no entities exist but the Stars, cruel and merciless gods that watch over the world, Elara has been cursed by fate. A prophecy that promises she will fall for a Star, and it will kill them both.

But when one descends to wreak havoc on Elara's Kingdom, she is forced to flee into the arms of her enemy in the neighbouring country.

As she learns more about her own magic, and the depth of the Stars' deceit, she also finds herself learning more about the country she is forced to take refuge in, and the enemy prince forced to train her into a weapon.

Something dark brews within her, a power made of night and shadows that begs to be broken free.]]> 619 Imani Erriu Ash 0 did-not-finish can i have my $8 back? 3.97 2022 Heavenly Bodies (Heavenly Bodies, #1)
author: Imani Erriu
name: Ash
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: did-not-finish
review:
can i have my $8 back?
]]> Dark Kiss (Nightwatchers, #1) 13060609 I don't do dangerous. ?

Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha-that's me. But I just couldn't pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me...something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It's like part of me is missing-and I don't know if I can get it back.?

Then there's Bishop. At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he's keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. If he's what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me....?

NIGHTWATCHERS?

When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising...]]> 352 Michelle Rowen 0373210477 Ash 0 did-not-finish 3.83 2012 Dark Kiss (Nightwatchers, #1)
author: Michelle Rowen
name: Ash
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: did-not-finish
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blood & Steel (The Legends of Thezmarr, #1)]]> 63905241
Women are forbidden to wield blades, so she has trained in secret her entire life. Now racing against the clock, she fights to secure her place in the elite guild charged with the protection of the five kingdoms.

The sparring and hazing of the new trainees border on deadly, but even more dangerous is her growing attraction to Wilder Hawthorne, her unwilling warrior chaperone.

All around them, schemes are afoot and darkness looms.

Will Althea pass the perilous initiation test and take her place as a champion of Thezmarr – or will the invading evil snatch away her dream before it starts?]]> 550 Helen Scheuerer 1922903027 Ash 3 4.20 2023 Blood & Steel (The Legends of Thezmarr, #1)
author: Helen Scheuerer
name: Ash
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ruin (The Infernis Duology #1)]]> 217101858
King Renwick rules the rival kingdom of Infernis, the land of the dead. When Oralia flees the palace of Aethera after her power is let loose with deadly results, he recognizes her potential as a weapon and aids her escape.

Oralia finds herself the prisoner of the man she has been taught to fear most, and Renwick is surprised to find there is more to this princess than her untamed powers. Despite the gulf of secrets and magic between them, Renwick can’t deny the pull he feels towards her, and Oralia struggles to resist the one person who cannot only survive her touch, but craves it.

As Oralia uncovers the truth of her parentage and masters her magic, she will discover that the power to raze or save either Aethera or Infernis lies in her hands. War between the two kingdoms looms and she must decide who she can trust and which she wants power or love.

Ruin is a true slow burn romance, with enemies to lovers, nods to multiple mythological stories reimagined into new lore, LGBTQIA+ representation (supporting characters). ]]> 387 Gillian Eliza West Ash 3 3.93 Ruin (The Infernis Duology #1)
author: Gillian Eliza West
name: Ash
average rating: 3.93
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Throne of Secrets (Prince of Sin, #2)]]> 204593559 A wicked prince determined to save his kingdom.

Gabriel Axton—infamous as the Prince of Gluttony, the self-proclaimed rake of rakes—has always lived for indulgence: in delicious food, in tantalizing women, and most of all, in the thrill of the hunt, where his love of danger can take over. But when his favorite adventure takes a deadly turn, he realizes something is very wrong in his demon court. With the clock ticking, he must turn to the only one who might uncover the truth: a journalist he has spent a decade avoiding…

A reporter hell-bent on finding the truth.

Adriana Saint Lucent has been on the hunt for years—if she could just report something damning enough about that no-good scoundrel Gabriel Axton, she knows others would finally see the demon as she does. But she never expected to turn up a rumor too terrifying to be believed: could the ice dragons to the north be growing restless? Drawn into the secrets of the Underworld, Adriana’s investigation leads her into the place she dreads most… Axton’s infamous court.

A dangerous rivalry—and deliciously twisted fairy tale.

To stop darkness from falling over their kingdom, Axton and Adriana will have to unite against an escalating danger. But with each holding tight to their own secrets, can they find the truth before it’s too late? And what will they do with an equally troubling rumor: that they might not actually hate one another, after all?

Two rivals torn apart by a dark memory reunite on a deadly hunt—and in an irresistibly twisted fairy tale—in the next steamy standalone fantasy romance from New York Times bestselling sensation Kerri Maniscalco.]]> 502 Kerri Maniscalco 0316557544 Ash 4 3.88 2024 Throne of Secrets (Prince of Sin, #2)
author: Kerri Maniscalco
name: Ash
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/11
date added: 2025/03/05
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]]> Other Birds 59807954 An enchanting tale filled with magical realism and moments of pure love that won’t let you go.

Between the real and the imaginary, there are stories that take flight in the most extraordinary ways.

Right off the coast of South Carolina, on Mallow Island, The Dellawisp sits—a stunning old cobblestone building shaped like a horseshoe, and named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy.

When Zoey comes to claim her deceased mother’s apartment at the Dellawisp she meets her quirky and secretive neighbors, including a young woman with a past, two estranged middle-aged sisters, and a lonely chef, and three ghosts. The sudden death of one of Zoey's new neighbors sets off a search that leads to the island's famous author and to a long-estranged relative of the sisters.
Each of them has a story, and each story has an ending which hasn't yet been written.]]> 290 Sarah Addison Allen 1250019869 Ash 4 4.00 2022 Other Birds
author: Sarah Addison Allen
name: Ash
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/03
date added: 2025/03/03
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]]> Faebound (Faebound, #1) 157981739
When a fatal mistake leads to Yeeran’s exile from the Elven lands, they are both forced into the terrifying wilderness beyond their borders. There they encounter the the fae court.

The fae haven’t been seen for a millennium. But now Yeeran and Lettle are thrust into their seductive world – torn between their loyalty to each other, their elven homeland, and their hearts. . .]]> 386 Saara El-Arifi 0593723007 Ash 4 3.53 2024 Faebound (Faebound, #1)
author: Saara El-Arifi
name: Ash
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/03
date added: 2025/03/03
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]]> <![CDATA[The Wren in the Holly Library (The Oak & Holly Cycle, #1)]]> 199625930 She stole from a monster . . . now she must pay the price.

Street thief Kierse should have known something wasn’t right. Now she’s trapped in a library — with a monster. She can’t run. She can’t hide. And this man – this being, filled with terrible power and darkness — is well within his rights to kill her.

By trespassing, Kierse has broken the fragile peace treaty between monsters and humans. But instead of killing her, Graves does the unexpected: he offers her a job. A chance to find out who she really is.

Kierse has always known she’s different. That she can do things a little better, a little faster. And there’s that sense she has when danger is only a breath away. But if the old tales are true, there are worse things in the world than monsters.

Like a threat more ancient than legend. Like Graves. Or like Kierse herself . . .]]> 377 K.A. Linde 1035044870 Ash 0 did-not-finish 3.73 2024 The Wren in the Holly Library (The Oak & Holly Cycle, #1)
author: K.A. Linde
name: Ash
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: did-not-finish
review:

]]> Rewitched 210847393 In this spellbinding warm and cozy debut novel, a burned-out witch will need to turn to her friends and trust in herself to find the magic in her own life again.

Belladonna Blackthorn hasn’t lost her magical spark, precisely . . . but she hasn’t seen it in a while either.

With her witchcraft under wraps and a toxic boss making her days miserable, Belle is struggling to keep her beloved Lunar Books afloat and just make it through the day. The last thing she has time for is perfecting her magic.?

So when her thirtieth birthday brings a summons from her coven and a trial that tests her worthiness as a witch, Belle fears the worst.?With only the month of October left to prove herself or risk losing her magic forever, Belle will need all the help she can get—from the women in her life, from an unlikely mentor figure and even from an infuriating coven watchman who’s sworn to protect her...]]> 382 Lucy Jane Wood 0593820088 Ash 0 did-not-finish 3.81 2024 Rewitched
author: Lucy Jane Wood
name: Ash
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: did-not-finish
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #1)]]> 78411
I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.

In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.

It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.

With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket]]> 162 Lemony Snicket 0439206472 Ash 4 4.02 1999 The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #1)
author: Lemony Snicket
name: Ash
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/26
date added: 2025/02/26
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Rule Book (The Cheat Sheet, #2)]]> 182484354 College exes break all the rules when they reunite years later in this enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance, the highly anticipated companion novel to the viral TikTok sensation The Cheat Sheet.

Nora Mackenzie’s entire career lies in the hands of famous NFL tight end Derek Pender, who happens to be her extremely hot college ex-boyfriend. Nora didn’t end things as gracefully as she could have back then, and now it has come back to haunt her. Derek is her first client as an official full-time sports agent, and he’s holding a grudge.

Derek has set his sights on a little friendly revenge. If Nora Mackenzie, the first girl to ever break his heart, wants to be his agent, oh, he’ll let her be his agent. The plan is simple: make Nora’s life absolutely miserable. But if Derek knows anything about the woman he once loved—she won’t quit easily.

Instead of giving in, Nora starts a scheme of her own. But then a wild night in Vegas leads to Nora and Derek in bed the next morning married. With their rule book out the window, could this new relationship save their careers and spark the romance of a lifetime?]]> 356 Sarah Adams 0593723678 Ash 3 3.88 2024 The Rule Book (The Cheat Sheet, #2)
author: Sarah Adams
name: Ash
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/25
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review:

]]> A Serenade to the Elf Queen 85201170 370 Niro J. Hayle Ash 0 did-not-finish 3.97 2023 A Serenade to the Elf Queen
author: Niro J. Hayle
name: Ash
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: did-not-finish
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co., #1)]]> 13555073
For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.

Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.

Set in a city stalked by spectres, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humour and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again . . .]]> 440 Jonathan Stroud 0857532014 Ash 3 4.24 2013 The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co., #1)
author: Jonathan Stroud
name: Ash
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Dragon's Bride (A Deal With a Demon, #1)]]> 59126709
Desperate times call for desperate measures, which is how she finds herself making a deal with a demon. Freedom from her husband…in return for seven years of service.

She expects the service to be backbreaking and harsh. She?诲辞别蝉苍’迟?expect to be put on an auction block in a room full of literal monsters and sold to the highest bidder.

To Sol.

A dragon.

He might?seem?kinder than his fearsome looks imply, but she knows better than to trust the way he wants to take care of her, or how invested he is in her pleasure. In her experience, if something seems too good to be true, it certainly is.

Falling for Sol is out of the question. She’s suffered enough, and she has no intention of staying in this realm…even if she leaves her heart behind when she returns to her normal life.

Author's Note: Please check the author's website for all tropes, tags, and CWs.]]> 190 Katee Robert Ash 3 3.65 2022 The Dragon's Bride (A Deal With a Demon, #1)
author: Katee Robert
name: Ash
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Soul to Keep (Duskwalker Brides, #1)]]> 61208877
Known as a harbinger of bad omens and blamed for Demons eating her family, Reia is shunned by her entire village. When the next offering is due and the monstrous Duskwalker is seen heading their way, her village offers her an impossible choice – be thrown into the prison cells or allow herself to be sacrificed to a faceless monster.

However, he is not what he seems. His skull face and glow eyes are ethereal, and she finds herself unwittingly enchanted by him.

All Orpheus ever wanted was a companion.

Each decade, in exchange for a protection ward from the Demons that terrorise the world, Orpheus takes a human offering to the Veil – the place he lives and the home of Demons. The brief companionship does little to ease his loneliness, and their lives were always, unfortunately, cut short.

He'd thought it was a hopeless endeavour, until he met her. She’s not afraid of him, and his insatiable desire deepens within every moment of her presence.

But will Orpheus be able to convince Reia to stay before she’s lost to him forever?]]> 544 Opal Reyne 0645510408 Ash 4 4.08 2022 A Soul to Keep (Duskwalker Brides, #1)
author: Opal Reyne
name: Ash
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Morning Glory Milking Farm (Cambric Creek, #1)]]> 178158823
Morning Glory Farm offers full-time hours, full benefits, and generous pay with no experience needed . . . there’s only one catch. The clientele is Grade A certified prime beef, with the manly, meaty endowments to match. Hands-on work with minotaurs isn’t something Violet ever considered as a career option, but she’s determined to turn the opportunity into a reversal of fortune.

When a stern, deep-voiced client begins to specially request her for his sessions at the farm, maintaining her professionalism and keeping him out of her dreams is easier said than done. Violet is resolved to make a dent in her student loans and afford name-brand orange juice, and a one-sided crush on an out-of-her-league minotaur is not a part of her plan—unless her feelings aren’t so one-sided after all.

Morning Glory Farm is a short human/monster romance novel (60k), featuring a high heat slow burn with a lot of heart, and a guaranteed HEA. It is the first book in the Cambric Creek Monster Romance series and can be read as a standalone. CWs are viewable on the author's website.]]> 255 C.M. Nascosta Ash 3 3.76 2021 Morning Glory Milking Farm (Cambric Creek, #1)
author: C.M. Nascosta
name: Ash
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/16
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves:
review:

]]> My Fault (Culpables, #1) 129323346 *Now an original movie from Amazon Prime*

*A BookTok and Wattpad Viral Sensation*

Fast-paced and sizzling with a forbidden enemies-to-lovers romance, My Fault is the first book in Mercedes Ron’s Culpable trilogy. This suspenseful YA series untangles the threads of love, trauma, and secrets, perfect for fans of Ugly Love and After.

Seventeen-year-old Noah Morgan loves her quiet, normal life in Toronto. But when her mother returns from a cruise unexpectedly married to a billionaire and announces they are moving to L.A., Noah is suddenly shoved out of her comfort zone and into a glittering world of illegal street races, lavish pool parties, and spoiled rich kids.

And her new stepbrother Nicholas is the most spoiled of them all. Arrogant, aloof, and viciously attractive, Nick is everything she hates, especially when she learns his bad boy persona isn’t just a fa?ade. She’s spent her life running from danger, and Nick is danger incarnate. Yet neither of them can prevent the powerful attraction that flares between them—enough to turn their worlds upside-down and tempt them beyond all reason.

But Noah’s past may be even more dangerous than their forbidden romance. And if he wants her, Nick will have to decide if he’s willing to risk everything.

Filled with angst, danger, and electric attraction, My Fault is perfect for readers looking for:

Contemporary teen romance books Unputdownable & bingeworthy novels TikTok books After meets The Kissing Booth Colleen Hoover fans Forbidden romance Dual POVs and enemies-to-lovers ]]> 418 Mercedes Ron 1728290740 Ash 0 did-not-finish 3.94 2017 My Fault (Culpables, #1)
author: Mercedes Ron
name: Ash
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: did-not-finish
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Getting It On With Gargoyles (Haven Ever After, #1)]]> 125691510
When my sister thrifts an aged map with iridescent lettering leading to a town called Ever, I roll my eyes. According to a quick internet search, the town 诲辞别蝉苍’迟 exist. We only manage to find it with the help of a sexy gas station owner who offers to come for me if I call him. Swoon .?

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

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

Can Shepherd and I save the town and our shot at love, or will evil ruin our happily ever after? Getting It On With Gargoyles is the first book in the Haven Ever After monster romance series. Each book can be read as a standalone. If you're in the mood for possessive cinnamon roll heroes, look no further. Shepherd's got you covered. And he brings snacks.]]> 296 Hazel Mack 1957873418 Ash 3 3.98 2023 Getting It On With Gargoyles (Haven Ever After, #1)
author: Hazel Mack
name: Ash
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/07
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Forged in Blood (Broken Bloodlines, #1)]]> 203793259 A dark paranormal/ fantasy romance from bestselling author, Sadie Kincaid.

Every few millennia, a child is born.
Some say they’re marked with a curse.
Others claim they possess the power of the ages.

Meet Ophelia Hart. Lover of classic literature and unicorns. An orphan with nobody in her corner—no family, no friends. But it’s her loneliness that fuels her life’s ambition to become a social worker and help the forgotten children just like her. For a foster kid with only slightly above-average grades, it feels like a pipe dream.

Except it seems that someone is looking out for Ophelia after all. When an unexpected opportunity to attend Montridge University arises, she thinks her life is finally taking a turn for the better.

Too bad she comes to the attention of the three ruthless, arrogant commanders of the Ruby Dragon Society. Three of the most feared and powerful vampires on campus.

But Ophelia 诲辞别蝉苍’迟 believe in vampires. Or in witches, or magic, or ancient prophecies.

Until she has no choice. Little does she know, she’s about to have her whole world turned upside down. Because there is something about Ophelia Hart. Something that captures not only the attention of the Ruby Dragon commanders, but also their powerful, enigmatic sire—Professor Alexandros Drakos.

With no idea of the power running through her veins, Ophelia must learn to trust the very men whom all others fear. And she needs to do it fast, for there are darker forces at work than those at Montridge University. Forces that were long ago Forged in Blood.

Forged in Blood is book one in a trilogy. Books 1 and 2 end on cliffhangers and book 3 is a HEA.]]> 374 Sadie Kincaid Ash 0 did-not-finish 3.97 Forged in Blood (Broken Bloodlines, #1)
author: Sadie Kincaid
name: Ash
average rating: 3.97
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: did-not-finish
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Leather & Lark (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #2)]]> 127611580 ?
And they can’t stand each other.?
?
Indie singer-songwriter Lark is the sunshine and glitter that burns through every cloud and clings to every crevice that Lachlan Kane tries to hide inside. The surly older brother of her best friend’s soulmate, Lachlan thinks she’s just a privileged princess, but Lark has plenty of secrets hiding in the shadows of her bright light. With her formidable family in a tailspin and her best friend’s happiness on the line, she’s willing to make a vow to the man she’s determined to hate, no matter how tempting the broody assassin might be.?

As Lachlan and Lark navigate the dark world that binds them together, it becomes?impossible to discern?their?fake marriage from a real one. But it’s not just familiar dangers that haunt them.?
There’s another phantom lurking on their doorstep.?

And this one has come for blood.]]> 390 Brynne Weaver 0349441588 Ash 3 3.98 2024 Leather & Lark (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #2)
author: Brynne Weaver
name: Ash
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/04
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Reckless (The Powerless Trilogy, #2)]]> 188365460 Paedyn and Kai battle with duty and desire in this highly anticipated second installment in the sizzling and epic romantic fantasy trilogy that’s packed with spicy tension and edge-of-your-seat betrayal.

The kingdom of Ilya is in turmoil…

After surviving the Purging Trials, Ordinary-born Paedyn Gray has killed the King and kickstarted a Resistance throughout the land. Now she’s running from the one person she had wanted to run to.

Kai Azer is now Ilya’s Enforcer, loyal to his brother Kitt, the new King. He has vowed to find Paedyn and bring her to justice.

Across the deadly Scorches, and deep into the hostile city of Dor, Kai pursues the one person he wishes he didn’t have to. But in a city without Elites, the balance between the hunter and hunted shifts—and the battle between duty and desire is deadly.]]> 396 Lauren Roberts 1665955457 Ash 3 4.16 2024 Reckless (The Powerless Trilogy, #2)
author: Lauren Roberts
name: Ash
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/04
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves:
review:

]]> Summer Knights Dream 62675376
Traditionally the Night Queen has at least one mate from each seasonal court. So what happens when Lyra's first mate rejects her outright?

What does this mean for Lyra and the future of her realm? How will she survive being around him when they both attend the same academy?

Lyra must move forward, but how will she learn to trust again after her first mate broke her heart?
This book series is an Adult Fantasy Romance not intended for young readers. The characters in this book have multiple partners and fated mates. (Why choose) These relationships are inclusive.

**This book will end on a cliffhanger!**

If you are not comfortable with LGBTQ+, multiple partners, open relationships, or poly, please avoid this book series.

**Themes and tropes in this book bonded, bullying, cliffhanger, enemies to lovers, fated mates, inst-love, love triangle, multiple pov, other-women-drama, second chance, secret identity, slow burn, smut/sexually graphic scenes with explicit language & description, soulmates, steamy/suggestive scenes, unrequited love]]> 145 Ariadne Breylard 1963336186 Ash 3 4.05 Summer Knights Dream
author: Ariadne Breylard
name: Ash
average rating: 4.05
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/02
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]]> Funny Story 194802722 A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

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

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

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

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex... right?]]> 400 Emily Henry Ash 4 4.21 2024 Funny Story
author: Emily Henry
name: Ash
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
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]]> <![CDATA[The Ghostkeeper: A Graphic Novel]]> 200865416 Perfect for fans of everything from Lockwood & Co to The Haunting of Hill House, this gothic graphic novel follows a young medium with the gift—or curse, as some might say—to communicate with the dead.

Dorian Leith can see ghosts. Not only that, he listens to their problems and tries to help them move on to the afterlife. It’s a gift that’s made him an outcast to everyone in town. That is except for his dearly departed grandmother, who he’s partnered with to turn this paranormal ability into an honest living, and the local bookshop owner, who seems to be the only non-deceased person willing to give him a chance. But it’s all worth it to Dorian, who feels like he’s been given a bigger purpose. A chance to save those who cannot save themselves.

Then one day, the key to Death’s Door is stolen, trapping all the ghosts in the land of the living. Since he’s only one who can see them, the spirits rely on Dorian to retrieve the key before it is too late. If they can’t move on, they’ll soon be consumed by a ghostly rot that has begun to plague them.

As it continues to fester and spread, and the ghosts become desperate for relief, Dorian must do whatever it takes to find a way to bring peace to the restless dead—even if that peace comes at the cost of his own….]]> 272 Johanna Taylor 059352666X Ash 4 4.25 2024 The Ghostkeeper: A Graphic Novel
author: Johanna Taylor
name: Ash
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Don't Fear the Reaper (The Indian Lake Trilogy, #2)]]> 59366246 Jade returns to the rural lake town of Proofrock the same day as convicted Indigenous serial killer Dark Mill South escapes into town to complete his revenge killings, in this riveting sequel to My Heart Is a Chainsaw from New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones.

Four years after her tumultuous senior year, Jade Daniels is released from prison right before Christmas when her conviction is overturned. But life beyond bars takes a dangerous turn as soon as she returns to Proofrock. Convicted Serial Killer, Dark Mill South, seeking revenge for thirty-eight Dakota men hanged in 1862, escapes from his prison transfer due to a blizzard, just outside of Proofrock, Idaho.

Dark Mill South’s Reunion Tour began on December 12th, 2019, a Thursday.

Thirty-six hours and twenty bodies later, on Friday the 13th, it would be over.]]> 457 Stephen Graham Jones 1982186593 Ash 4 4.04 2023 Don't Fear the Reaper (The Indian Lake Trilogy, #2)
author: Stephen Graham Jones
name: Ash
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Delilah Green Doesn't Care (Bright Falls, #1)]]> 54756850
Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls—nothing is there for her but memories of a lonely childhood where she was little more than a burden to her cold and distant stepfamily. Her life is in New York, with her photography career finally gaining steam and her bed never empty. Sure, it’s a different woman every night, but that’s just fine with her.
?
When Delilah’s estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into photographing her wedding with a guilt trip and a five-figure check, Delilah finds herself back in the godforsaken town that she used to call home. She plans to breeze in and out, but then she sees Claire Sutherland, one of Astrid’s stuck-up besties, and decides that maybe there’s some fun (and a little retribution) to be had in Bright Falls, after all.
?
Having raised her eleven-year-old daughter mostly on her own while dealing with her unreliable ex and running a bookstore, Claire Sutherland depends upon a life without surprises. And Delilah Green is an unwelcome surprise…at first. Though they’ve known each other for years, they don’t really know each other—so Claire is unsettled when Delilah figures out exactly what buttons to push. When they’re forced together during a gauntlet of wedding preparations—including a plot to save Astrid from her horrible fiancé—Claire isn’t sure she has the strength to resist Delilah’s charms. Even worse, she’s starting to think she 诲辞别蝉苍’迟 want to...]]> 375 Ashley Herring Blake 0593336402 Ash 3 4.06 2022 Delilah Green Doesn't Care (Bright Falls, #1)
author: Ashley Herring Blake
name: Ash
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/25
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves:
review:

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

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

Though Burgess knows it’s for the best—he’s too jaded, with too much baggage—a chance meeting, and a new push from his daughter, forces him to put everything on the line and fight to prove he learned his lessons well and is worthy of a happily ever after with Tallulah.?]]> 384 Tessa Bailey 0063308436 Ash 2 3.57 2024 The Au Pair Affair (Big Shots, #2)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: Ash
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/27
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves:
review:
an obsessive man can only carry a story so far when the plot is just sex & the 3rd act break up makes no sense
]]> <![CDATA[Better Hate than Never (The Wilmot Sisters, #2)]]> 73760554 Childhood enemies discover the fine line between love and loathing in this heartfelt reimagining of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.

Katerina Wilmot and Christopher Petruchio shared backyards as kids, but as adults they won’t even share the same hemisphere. That is, until Kate makes a rare visit home, and their fiery animosity rekindles into a raging inferno.

Despite their friends’ and families' pleas for peace, Christopher is unconvinced Kate would willingly douse the flames of their enmity. But when a drunken Kate confesses she’s only been hostile because she thought he hated her, Christopher vows to make peace with Kate once and for all. Tempting as it is to be swept away by her nemesis-turned-gentleman, Kate isn’t sure she can trust his charming good-guy act.

When Christopher’s persistence and Kate’s curiosity lead to an impassioned kiss, they realize “peace” is the last thing that will ever be possible between them. As desire gives way to deeper feelings, Kate and Christopher must decide if it’s truly better to hate than to never risk their hearts—or if they already gave them away long ago.]]> 399 Chloe Liese 0593441532 Ash 4 3.81 2023 Better Hate than Never (The Wilmot Sisters, #2)
author: Chloe Liese
name: Ash
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/28
date added: 2025/01/28
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]]> <![CDATA[Jade War (The Green Bone Saga, #2)]]> 41806382 The Kaul siblings' battle with rival clans reaches new heights in the heart-pounding continuation of the Green Bone Saga, an?epic trilogy about family, honor, and those who live and die by the ancient laws of blood and jade.On the island of Kekon, the Kaul family is locked in a violent feud for control of the capital city and the supply of magical jade that endows trained Green Bone warriors with supernatural powers they alone have possessed for hundreds of years.Beyond Kekon's borders, war is brewing. Powerful foreign governments and mercenary criminal kingpins alike turn their eyes on the island nation. Jade, Kekon's most prized resource, could make them rich - or give them the edge they'd need to topple their rivals.Faced with threats on all sides, the Kaul family is forced to form new and dangerous alliances, confront enemies in the darkest streets and the tallest office towers, and put honor aside in order to do whatever it takes to ensure their own survival—and that of all the Green Bones of Kekon.Praise for the Green Bone "A beautifully realized setting, a great cast of characters, and dramatic action scenes. What a fun, gripping read!" —Ann Leckie, Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author"Lee has upped her game in this novel, with deeper, more nail-biting intrigue and stunning, heart-pumping action scenes. Her character development is pitch-perfect."―Booklist"An instantly absorbing tale of blood, honor, family, and magic, spiced with unexpectedly tender character beats." —NPRThe Green Bone SagaJade CityJade WarJade Legacy]]> 608 Fonda Lee 0316440930 Ash 0 did-not-finish i WILL return to 4.41 2019 Jade War (The Green Bone Saga, #2)
author: Fonda Lee
name: Ash
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: did-not-finish
review:
i WILL return to
]]> <![CDATA[Two Wrongs Make a Right (The Wilmot Sisters #1)]]> 60717569 One of Amazon's Best Romances of 2022!

Opposites become allies to fool their matchmaking friends in this swoony reimagining of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, Much Ado About Nothing.
?
Jamie Westenberg and Bea Wilmot have nothing in common except a meet-disaster and the mutual understanding that they couldn't be more wrong for each other. But when the people closest to them play Cupid and trick them into going on a date, Jamie and Bea realize they have something else in common after all—an undeniable need for revenge.
?
Soon their plan is in Fake date obnoxiously and convince the meddlers they’re madly in love. Then, break up spectacularly and dash everyone's hopes, putting an end to the matchmaking madness once and for all.
?
To convince everyone that they’ve fallen for each other, Jamie and Bea will have to nail the performance of their lives. But as their final act nears and playing lovers becomes easier than not, they begin to What if Cupid’s arrow wasn’t so off the mark? And what if two wrongs do make a right?]]> 351 Chloe Liese 0593441516 Ash 5 i’m obsessed, i fear. 3.91 2022 Two Wrongs Make a Right (The Wilmot Sisters #1)
author: Chloe Liese
name: Ash
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/23
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves:
review:
i’m obsessed, i fear.
]]> 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 Ash 0 did-not-finish 3.81 2024 Fangirl Down (Big Shots, #1)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: Ash
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: did-not-finish
review:
this entire dynamic gives me the ick & I can’t get passed it sorry
]]> The Break-Up Pact 195790535 Two best friends who haven’t spoken in ten years pretend to date after break-ups with their respective exes go viral, in this delightfully fun and deeply emotional novel.

June and Levi were best friends as teenagers—until the day they weren’t. Now June is struggling to make rent on her beachside tea shop, Levi is living a New York cliché as a disillusioned hedge fund manager and failed novelist, and they've barely spoken in years.

But after they both experience public, humiliating break-ups with their exes that spread like wildfire across TikTok rabbit holes and daytime talk shows alike, they accidentally make some juicy gossip of their own—a photo of them together has the internet convinced they're a couple. With so many people rooting for them, they decide to put aside their rocky past and make a pact to fuel the fire. Pretending to date will help June’s shop get back on its feet and make Levi’s ex realize that she made a mistake. All they have to do is convince the world they're in love, one swoon-worthy photo opp at a time.

Two viral break-ups. One fake relationship. Five sparkling, heart-pounding dates. June and Levi can definitely pull this off without their hearts getting involved. Because everyone knows fake dating 诲辞别蝉苍’迟 come with real feelings. Right?]]> 320 Emma Lord Ash 0 did-not-finish 3.32 2024 The Break-Up Pact
author: Emma Lord
name: Ash
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: did-not-finish
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Love Redesigned (Lakefront Billionaires, #1)]]> 199070596 Julian
If I ever caught on fire, Dahlia Mu?oz would fan the flames with a smile.
So, when she returns to Lake Wisteria, I fully intend to avoid the interior designer.
At least until my meddling mother exploits my savior complex.
The faster I help Dahlia find her creative spark, the sooner she will leave town.
But while I was busy getting rid of Dahlia, I overlooked one potential issue.
What happens if I want her to stay?

Dahlia
People say the devil has many faces, but I know only one.
Julian Lopez—my childhood rival and family frenemy.
I vow to steer clear of him while recovering from my broken engagement, but then the billionaire makes an irresistible offer.
Renovate a historic house together and triple our profits.
Our temporary truce becomes compromised as we face years’ worth of denied attraction and mixed emotions.
Giving into our desire is inevitable…but falling in love?
That isn’t part of the plan.

Love Redesigned is a steamy, small town romance about two family friends-turned-childhood rivals. It is the first book in the standalone Lakefront Billionaires series and has a happy ending.]]> 530 Lauren Asher Ash 4 4.00 2023 Love Redesigned (Lakefront Billionaires, #1)
author: Lauren Asher
name: Ash
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/21
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[A Shore Thing (Duke Undone, #4)]]> 199173002 A delightful queer Victorian love story, featuring a boldly brash trans hero, the beguiling botanist who captures his heart, and a buoyant bicycle race by the British seaside - from the author of The Duke Undone.

Former painter and unreformed rake Kit Griffith is forging a new life in Cornwall, choosing freedom over an identity that didn't fit. He knew that leaving his Sisterhood of women artists might mean forfeiting artistic community forever. He didn't realize he would lose his ability to paint altogether. Luckily, he has other talents. Why not devote himself to selling bicycles and trysting with the holidaymakers?

Enter Muriel Pendrake, the feisty New-York-bound botanist who has come to St. Ives to commission Kit for illustrations of British seaweeds. Kit shouldn't accept Muriel's offer, but he must enlist her help to prove to an all-male cycling club that women can ride as well as men. And she won't agree unless he gives her what she wants. Maybe that's exactly the challenge he needs.

As Kit and Muriel spend their days cycling together, their desire begins to burn with the heat of the summer sun. But are they pedaling toward something impossible? The past is bound to catch up to them, and at the season's end, their paths will diverge. With only their hearts as guides, Kit and Muriel must decide if they're willing to race into the unknown for the adventure of a lifetime.]]> 368 Joanna Lowell 0593549724 Ash 3 4.06 2024 A Shore Thing (Duke Undone, #4)
author: Joanna Lowell
name: Ash
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/20
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Perfect Marriage (Perfect, #1)]]> 53450790 Would you defend your husband if he was accused of killing his mistress?

Sarah Morgan is a successful and powerful defense attorney in Washington D.C. At 33 years old, she is a named partner at her firm and life is going exactly how she planned.

The same cannot be said for her husband, Adam. He is a struggling writer who has had little success in his career. He begins to tire of his and Sarah’s relationship as she is constantly working.

Out in the secluded woods, at Adam and Sarah’s second home, Adam engages in a passionate affair with Kelly Summers.

Then, one morning everything changes. Adam is arrested for Kelly’s murder. She had been found stabbed to death in Adam and Sarah’s second home.

Sarah soon finds herself playing the defender for her own husband, a man accused of murdering his mistress.

But is Adam guilty or is he innocent?]]> 337 Jeneva Rose 1913419657 Ash 1 3.90 2020 The Perfect Marriage (Perfect, #1)
author: Jeneva Rose
name: Ash
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2020
rating: 1
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/19
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]]> <![CDATA[Homebody: A Graphic Memoir of Gender Identity Exploration]]> 182867679 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist

In their comics debut, Theo Parish masterfully weaves an intimate and defiantly hopeful memoir about the journey one nonbinary person takes to find a home within themself. Combining traditional comics with organic journal-like interludes, Theo takes us through their experiences with the hundred arbitrary and unspoken gender binary rules of high school, from harrowing haircuts and finally the right haircut to the intersection of gender identity and sexuality—and through tiny everyday moments that all led up to Theo finding the term “nonbinary,” which finally struck a chord.

“Have you ever had one of those moments when all of a sudden things become clear…like someone just turned on a light?”

A whole spectrum of people will be drawn to Theo’s storytelling, from trans or questioning teens and adults, to folks who devoured Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe or The Fire Never Goes Out by ND Stevenson, to any person looking to dive a little deeper into the way gender can shape identity. Throughout the book, Theo’s crystal-clear voice reminds the reader that it’s okay not to know, it’s okay to change your mind, and it’s okay to take your time finding your way home.

“We are all just trying to find a place to call our own. We are all deserving of comfort and safety, a place to call home.” ]]> 224 Theo Parish 0063319586 Ash 5 4.36 2024 Homebody: A Graphic Memoir of Gender Identity Exploration
author: Theo Parish
name: Ash
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/18
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Of Jade and Dragons (Fall of the Dragon, #1)]]> 199087657
Disguised as her brother, Ying manages to infiltrate the guild’s male-only apprenticeship trial with the help of an unlikely ally—Aogiya Ye-yang, the taciturn eighth prince of the High Command. With her father’s renown placing a target firmly on her back, Ying must stay one step ahead of her fellow competitors, the jealous guild masters, and the killer still hunting for her father’s journal. Complicating everything is her increasingly tangled relationship with the prince, who may have mysterious plans of his own.

The secrets concealed within the guild can be as deadly as the weapons they build—and with her life and the future of her homeland at stake, Ying 诲辞别蝉苍’迟 know who to trust. Can she avenge her father even if it means going against everything he stood for, or will she be next in the mastermind’s line of fire?]]> 470 Amber Chen 0593622758 Ash 0 did-not-finish 3.70 2024 Of Jade and Dragons (Fall of the Dragon, #1)
author: Amber Chen
name: Ash
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: did-not-finish
review:

]]> Lightlark (Lightlark, #1) 58938730 Welcome to the Centennial.

Every 100 years, the island of Lightlark appears to host the Centennial, a deadly game that only the rulers of six realms are invited to play. The invitation is a summons—a call to embrace victory and ruin, baubles and blood. The Centennial offers the six rulers one final chance to break the curses that have plagued their realms for centuries. Each ruler has something to hide. Each realm’s curse is uniquely wicked. To destroy the curses, one ruler must die.

Isla Crown is the young ruler of Wildling—a realm of temptresses cursed to kill anyone they fall in love with. They are feared and despised, and are counting on Isla to end their suffering by succeeding at the Centennial.

To survive, Isla must lie, cheat, and betray…even as love complicates everything.]]> 384 Alex Aster 1647006317 Ash 0 did-not-finish 4.03 2022 Lightlark (Lightlark, #1)
author: Alex Aster
name: Ash
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: did-not-finish
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King, #2)]]> 63910262 In the luscious, dark sequel to One Dark Window, Elspeth must face the consequences of what she's wrought - perfect for readers of Hannah Whitten's For the Wolf and Alexis Henderson's The Year of the Witching.

Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last, and most important one remains to be found: The Twin Alders.

If they are going to find it before the Solstice and cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it, they will need to journey beyond the dangerous mist-cloaked forest that surrounds their kingdom.

And the only one who can lead them there is the monster that shares Elspeth's head. The Nightmare. And he's not eager to share any longer.]]> 437 Rachel Gillig 0356519503 Ash 4 fuckin' Elm 4.38 2023 Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King, #2)
author: Rachel Gillig
name: Ash
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/15
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves:
review:
fuckin' Elm
]]> A Language of Dragons 211096516 EVERY ACT OF TRANSLATION REQUIRES SACRIFICE

Welcome to Bletchley Park… with dragons.

London, 1923. Dragons soar through the skies and protests erupt on the streets, but Vivian Featherswallow isn’t worried. She’s going to follow the rules, get an internship studying dragon languages, and make sure her little sister never has to risk growing up Third Class. By midnight, Viv has started a civil war.

With her parents arrested and her sister missing, all the safety Viv has worked for is collapsing around her. So when a lifeline is offered in the form of a mysterious ‘job’, she grabs it. Arriving at Bletchley Park, Viv discovers that she has been recruited as a codebreaker helping the war effort – if she succeeds, she and her family can all go home again. If she 诲辞别蝉苍’迟, they’ll all die.

At first Viv believes that her challenge, of discovering the secrets of a hidden dragon language, is doable. But the more she learns, the more she realises that the bubble she’s grown up in isn’t as safe as she thought, and eventually Viv must What war is she really fighting?

An epic, sweeping fantasy with an incredible Dark Academia setting, a clandestine, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, and an unputdownable story, filled with twists and turns, betrayals and secret identities, A Language of Dragons is the unmissable debut of 2025, from an extraordinary new voice.]]> 432 S.F. Williamson 0063353849 Ash 0 did-not-finish 3.84 2025 A Language of Dragons
author: S.F. Williamson
name: Ash
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/13
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: did-not-finish
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Binding 13 (Boys of Tommen, #1)]]> 146943294 626 Chloe Walsh 1728299950 Ash 1 4.45 2018 Binding 13 (Boys of Tommen, #1)
author: Chloe Walsh
name: Ash
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2018
rating: 1
read at: 2024/09/01
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Keeping 13 (Boys of Tommen, #2)]]> 51042736
Enamorarse fue fácil.

Lo que viene luego es el verdadero desafío…

Tras una devastadora lesión que lo ha mandado al banquillo, Johnny Kavanagh se aferra como puede a sus due?os. Perdido, inseguro y necesitado de consuelo, decide desentra?ar los misterios que envuelven a la chica de ojos azules en la que no puede dejar de pensar ni un minuto.

Guardar un secreto nunca ha sido un problema para Shannon Lynch. Sabe bien que los demonios y los villanos acechan no solo en los cuentos, sino también en el mundo real. traumatizada tras volver de Dublin y desesperada por proteger a sus hermanos peque?os, Shannon acaba participando en la misma pantomima de siempre mientras su futuro se desmorona frente a sus ojos. La única forma de protegerse es levantar un muro alrededor.

Solo un chico será capaz de saltar ese muro, el mismo que le ha robado el corazón. Sin embargo, están a punto de salir a la luz secretos que cambiarán sus vidas para siempre.

?Sobrevivirá a todo ello el amor entre Johnny y Shannon?]]> Chloe Walsh Ash 2 4.18 2018 Keeping 13 (Boys of Tommen, #2)
author: Chloe Walsh
name: Ash
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/13
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Touch of Gold and Madness (Celestials of Arcadia #1)]]> 199538571 Fairytales are for the naive.

Princess assassin Gray Monroe is ordered by her father to kill the villainous prince responsible for throwing the modern world into a post-apocalyptic society. In a decrepit landscape where two magical species war with one another while a human militia hunts them all, Gray has only one thing on her vengeance.

With the single focus to kill the man who murdered her first love, she believes nothing will stop her. That is, until she hesitates when she comes face-to-face with her nemesis at long last.

Gray must return to the King’s Palace empty-handed for her annual birthday celebration to a court of vipers who lie in wait for a slip in her icy fa?ade. When a sinister plot is revealed to assassinate the princess, she must flee into a world where she’s now the hunted and must survive to get the revenge that she’s owed.

Prince Griffin Silas is on a mission of his to kill the King. Problem is, he’s suffering from an affliction that robs him of his sanity while making him crave violence and death. But first, he needs the princess in his hands no matter the cost. In a race against his spiraling affliction, who will achieve their goal first?

As the first installment in the Celestials of Arcadia, “A Touch of Gold and Madness” is a story about moving through a lifetime of trauma, while also packed with action, secrets, betrayal, and tension full of slow-burning steam. It will keep you turning the pages to discover the long-buried truths concealed by those who seek ultimate power.

*This a dark romantic fantasy with heavy themes of trauma and contains explicit adult encounters. Please read the trigger warnings listed in the beginning of the book before diving in. Your mental health matters.* ]]> 551 K.L. DeVore Ash 3 3.85 2023 A Touch of Gold and Madness (Celestials of Arcadia #1)
author: K.L. DeVore
name: Ash
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Court of Shadows (Institute of the Shadow Fae, #1)]]> 122753134
But my Friday night takes a bad turn when a lethally gorgeous fae--Ruadan--tries to assassinate me. He's taken a vow of silence until he’s slaughtered the outlaws on his kill list. Outlaws like me.

Ruadan lets me live on one condition: I have to earn my place at the Institute of the Shadow Fae. As a powerful demi-fae, I can take the competition.

But things fall apart when I’m given an impossible choice: betray my mentor Ruadan, or my best friend dies. Now, I face a quandary my gladiatorial past did not prepare me for.

This book is from the Demons of Fire and Night world.]]> 224 C.N. Crawford Ash 2 3.89 2018 Court of Shadows (Institute of the Shadow Fae, #1)
author: C.N. Crawford
name: Ash
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/01
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves:
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]]> The Scattered Bones 162728103 “I will love you until I am nothing but dust, and even then, I’ll still love you.”

When a mysterious man known only as The Stranger promises to return Kaid to her, Sellah is tasked with finding each one of her love’s scattered bones, his severed body hidden in the darkest corners of the realm. The quest is an impossible task, yet she must make the dangerous journey alone using only her own faith and fight. But the tasks at hand are brutal. They’re battles not easily won.

But Sellah 诲辞别蝉苍’迟 care how treacherous the challenges are. She’ll do whatever it takes because it was her fault Kaid was punished. Promised to the primordial goddess as a child, it was Sellah’s sacred duty to remain pure and untouched. To be chosen as the goddess’ vessel was the highest honor, one Sellah devoted her life to until the handsome thief Kaid broke into the temple. He obliterated her world, rewriting her future, and despite her vows, she couldn’t resist the beautiful longing that ignited between them. Their forbidden friendship bloomed into a doomed romance, sending her and her beloved thief down a dark path of heartbreak, unspeakable danger, and a love that not even death could conquer.

The Scattered Bones is a Dark Fantasy Romance filled with epic quests, forbidden romance, fantasy gods, dangerous landscapes and beasts, and a love that gives the heroine the strength to survive. ]]> 278 Nicole Scarano Ash 0 did-not-finish 4.11 The Scattered Bones
author: Nicole Scarano
name: Ash
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves: did-not-finish
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]]> The Wolf King 196920718
Princess Aurora longs to escape the castle and the marriage that has been arranged for her.

But on the night before her wedding, at a dog fight where captured werewolves are made to fight for sport, she spares the life of a young wolf. It puts her on the radar of the powerful alpha who was going to kill him. And it changes everything.

That night, when the alpha escapes, he kidnaps her and takes her to the rugged lands north of the border — where the once warring werewolf clans are beginning to unite. He thinks that she is the key to winning the war against the humans.

Only, as they spend time around one another, forbidden attraction starts to grow. And as Aurora learns that not all wolves are bad, the alpha discovers that she is in danger from both his enemies, and those he once considered friends.

With monsters on both sides, a bloodthirsty war between humans and wolves raging, and undeniable passion growing between them — will their story end in love? Or tragedy?

And will Aurora ever get home?

Does she even want to?]]> 475 Lauren Palphreyman Ash 3 4.17 2023 The Wolf King
author: Lauren Palphreyman
name: Ash
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Wraith King (The Rise of Northgall, #1)]]> 202452565 Una Hartstone, Princess of Issos, learns the price the Wraith King demands to end the war once and for all. Her. In exchange for the safety of her people, she agrees to give her life—and her body—to her greatest enemy.

Gollaya Verbane is determined to fulfill his destiny and his god’s prophecy. When his seer points to the Princess of Issos as the key to the rise of the dark fae, he demands her submission. But when she finally yields, he realizes Una is much more to him than a priceless weapon.

A mystery that has haunted Una for years awakens when she is abducted and dragged back to N?kt Mir. The palace hides many dark secrets…and at least one traitor. A traitor determined to take King Goll’s throne—and all he possesses. What he 诲辞别蝉苍’迟 know is that Una’s magick is more powerful than he can imagine, and that Goll will burn the whole world to save her.]]> 452 Juliette Cross Ash 4 3.65 2024 The Wraith King (The Rise of Northgall, #1)
author: Juliette Cross
name: Ash
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/28
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Foxhole Court (All for the Game, #1)]]> 18874651
Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn't need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. His lies will hold up only so long under this kind of scrutiny and the truth will get him killed.

But Neil's not the only one with secrets on the team. One of Neil's new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can't walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he's finally found someone and something worth fighting for.]]> 269 Nora Sakavic Ash 0 did-not-finish I’m sorry but wtf is this?? 3.99 2013 The Foxhole Court (All for the Game, #1)
author: Nora Sakavic
name: Ash
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: did-not-finish
review:
I’m sorry but wtf is this??
]]> <![CDATA[The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet]]> 55145261 A deeply moving and mind-expanding collection of personal essays in the first ever work of non-fiction from #1 internationally bestselling author John Green

The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his ground-breaking, critically acclaimed podcast, John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet - from the QWERTY keyboard and Halley's Comet to Penguins of Madagascar - on a five-star scale.

Complex and rich with detail, the Anthropocene's reviews have been praised as 'observations that double as exercises in memoiristic empathy', with over 10 million lifetime downloads. John Green's gift for storytelling shines throughout this artfully curated collection about the shared human experience; it includes beloved essays along with six all-new pieces exclusive to the book.]]> 304 John Green 0525555218 Ash 0 4.37 2021 The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet
author: John Green
name: Ash
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at: 2024/05/03
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves:
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]]> Mexican Gothic 52873094
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.]]> 304 Silvia Moreno-Garcia Ash 5 3.76 2020 Mexican Gothic
author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
name: Ash
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/10/31
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves:
review:
Am I the only one that didn't find the pacing to be slow at all?
]]>