Katerina's bookshelf: all en-US Wed, 27 Aug 2025 03:55:17 -0700 60 Katerina's bookshelf: all 144 41 https://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive, #5)]]> 203578847 The long-awaited explosive climax to the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive―the iconic epic fantasy masterpiece that has sold more than 10 million copies, from acclaimed bestselling author Brandon Sanderson.

Dalinar Kholin challenged the evil god Odium to a contest of champions with the future of Roshar on the line. The Knights Radiant have only ten days to prepare―and the sudden ascension of the crafty and ruthless Taravangian to take Odium’s place has thrown everything into disarray.

Desperate fighting continues simultaneously worldwide―Adolin in Azimir, Sigzil and Venli at the Shattered Plains, and Jasnah at Thaylen City. The former assassin, Szeth, must cleanse his homeland of Shinovar from the dark influence of the Unmade. He is accompanied by Kaladin, who faces a new battle helping Szeth fight his own demons . . . and who must do the same for the insane Herald of the Almighty, Ishar.

At the same time, Shallan, Renarin, and Rlain work to unravel the mystery behind the Unmade Ba-Ado-Mishram and her involvement in the enslavement of the singer race and in the ancient Knights Radiants killing their spren. And Dalinar and Navani seek an edge against Odium’s champion that can be found only in the Spiritual Realm, where memory and possibility combine in chaos. The fate of the entire Cosmere hangs in the balance.]]> 1344 Brandon Sanderson 1250319188 Katerina 4 2025-reads, fantasy
I'm a little disappointed at how the first arc concluded, and the fact that practically nothing was resoved.]]> 4.31 2024 Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive, #5)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/08/27
date added: 2025/08/27
shelves: 2025-reads, fantasy
review:
More like 3.5 stars.

I'm a little disappointed at how the first arc concluded, and the fact that practically nothing was resoved.
]]> <![CDATA[Dawnshard (The Stormlight Archive, #3.5)]]> 54511226
When a ghost ship is discovered, its crew presumed dead after trying to reach the storm-shrouded island Akina, Navani Kholin must send an expedition to make sure the island hasn't fallen into enemy hands. Knights Radiant who fly too near find their Stormlight suddenly drained, so the voyage must be by sea.

Shipowner Rysn Ftori lost the use of her legs but gained the companionship of Chiri-Chiri, a Stormlight-ingesting winged larkin, a species once thought extinct. Now Rysn's pet is ill, and any hope for Chiri-Chiri’s recovery can be found only at the ancestral home of the larkin: Akinah. With the help of Lopen, the formerly one-armed Windrunner, Rysn must accept Navani's quest and sail into the perilous storm from which no one has returned alive. If the crew cannot uncover the secrets of the hidden island city before the wrath of its ancient guardians falls upon them, the fate of Roshar and the entire Cosmere hangs in the balance.]]> 171 Brandon Sanderson 193857026X Katerina 5 2025-reads, fantasy 4.35 2020 Dawnshard (The Stormlight Archive, #3.5)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/08/15
date added: 2025/08/17
shelves: 2025-reads, fantasy
review:

]]> The Turn of the Screw 12948
A very young woman's first job: governess for two weirdly beautiful, strangely distant, oddly silent children, Miles and Flora, at a forlorn estate... An estate haunted by a beckoning evil. Half-seen figures who glare from dark towers and dusty windows- silent, foul phantoms who, day by day, night by night, come closer, ever closer. With growing horror, the helpless governess realizes the fiendish creatures want the children, seeking to corrupt their bodies, possess their minds, own their souls. But worse-much worse- the governess discovers that Miles and Flora have no terror of the lurking evil. For they want the walking dead as badly as the dead want them.

Excerpt:
I remember the whole beginning as a succession of flights and drops, a little seesaw of the right throbs and the wrong. After rising, in town, to meet his appeal, I had at all events a couple of very bad days - found myself doubtful again, felt indeed sure I had made a mistake. In this state of mind I spent the long hours of bumping, swinging coach that carried me to the stopping place at which I was to be met by a vehicle from the house.]]> 121 Henry James 0140620613 Katerina 3 classics, paranormal 3.41 1898 The Turn of the Screw
author: Henry James
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.41
book published: 1898
rating: 3
read at: 2025/08/05
date added: 2025/08/05
shelves: classics, paranormal
review:

]]> Frankenstein: The 1818 Text 35031085
This edition is the original 1818 text, which preserves the hard-hitting and politically charged aspects of Shelley's original writing, as well as her unflinching wit and strong female voice. This edition also includes a new introduction and suggestions for further reading by author and Shelley expert Charlotte Gordon, literary excerpts and reviews selected by Gordon and a chronology and essay by preeminent Shelley scholar Charles E. Robinson.]]> 260 Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 0143131842 Katerina 4 2025-reads, classics 4.04 1818 Frankenstein: The 1818 Text
author: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1818
rating: 4
read at: 2025/07/29
date added: 2025/07/29
shelves: 2025-reads, classics
review:

]]> 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?]]> 395 Emily Henry Katerina 4 4.19 2024 Funny Story
author: Emily Henry
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/07/16
date added: 2025/07/15
shelves: 2025-reads, contemporary-romance
review:

]]> The Lady with the Camelias 9396016 226 Alexandre Dumas fils 1143241304 Katerina 5 classics, 2025-reads 4.10 1848 The Lady with the Camelias
author: Alexandre Dumas fils
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1848
rating: 5
read at: 2025/06/26
date added: 2025/06/26
shelves: classics, 2025-reads
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Fiancé Dilemma (Green Oak, #2)]]> 203572092
Matthew Flanagan is in the mud, literally. Not only has he been fired from his job, but also the tires of his car are stuck in the muck after taking a wrong turn as he enters Green Oak, North Carolina. So, he grabs a duffel with his essentials and goes in search of a place to crash until he gets his life back on track. But instead, he finds his best friend’s sister, Josie, greeting him as her fiancé.

What starts as a big messy misunderstanding quickly turns into an arrangement with Matthew playing a new role as doting fiancé. A fifth engagement—and a stunt, at that—makes Josie’s stomach turn, but every dilemma requires a choice between equally undesirable alternatives, and Matthew doesn’t seem to mind becoming one more number in a colorful list of grooms-that-never-were. Despite the ring on her finger, Josie knows this is only temporary, even if the rest of the small town believes that the fifth time’s the charm.]]> 432 Elena Armas 1668011344 Katerina 3 2025-reads 2.5 stars 3.60 2024 The Fiancé Dilemma (Green Oak, #2)
author: Elena Armas
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/20
date added: 2025/06/22
shelves: 2025-reads
review:
2.5 stars
]]> <![CDATA[A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting (A Lady's Guide, #1)]]> 59656358 Follows the adventures of an entirely unconventional heroine who throws herself into the London Season to find a wealthy husband. But the last thing she expects is to find love...

Kitty Talbot needs a fortune. Or rather, she needs a husband who has a fortune. Left with her father’s massive debts, she has only twelve weeks to save her family from ruin.

Kitty has never been one to back down from a challenge, so she leaves home and heads toward the most dangerous battleground in all of England: the London season.

Kitty may be neither accomplished nor especially genteel—but she is utterly single-minded; imbued with cunning and ingenuity, she knows that risk is just part of the game.

The only thing she doesn’t anticipate is Lord Radcliffe. The worldly Radcliffe sees Kitty for the mercenary fortune-hunter that she really is and is determined to scotch her plans at all costs, until their parrying takes a completely different turn...

This is a frothy pleasure, full of brilliant repartee and enticing wit—one that readers will find an irresistible delight.

]]> 325 Sophie Irwin 0593491343 Katerina 4 3.91 2022 A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting (A Lady's Guide, #1)
author: Sophie Irwin
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/14
date added: 2025/06/15
shelves: 2025-reads, historical-romance, historical-fiction, regency
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Once Upon a Broken Heart (Once Upon a Broken Heart, #1)]]> 55987278
For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings . . . until she learns that the love of her life will marry another.

Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic, but wicked, Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing.

But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game ― and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy.

Continue the adventure in The Ballad of Never After, A Curse for True Love, and The Mirror of Infinite Endings!

Also by Stephanie Garber:

The Caraval Series
- Caraval
- Legendary
- Finale
- Spectacular

Alchemy of Secrets]]> 408 Stephanie Garber 1250268397 Katerina 3 2025-reads, fantasy 4.06 2021 Once Upon a Broken Heart (Once Upon a Broken Heart, #1)
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/06
date added: 2025/06/09
shelves: 2025-reads, fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Hollow of Fear (Lady Sherlock, #3)]]> 36342330 Charlotte Holmes, Lady Sherlock, returns in the Victorian-set mystery series from the USA Today bestselling author of A Conspiracy in Belgravia and A Study in Scarlet Women, an NPR Best Book of 2016.

Under the cover of “Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective,” Charlotte Holmes puts her extraordinary powers of deduction to good use. Aided by the capable Mrs. Watson, Charlotte draws those in need to her and makes it her business to know what other people don’t.

Moriarty’s shadow looms large. First, Charlotte’s half brother disappears. Then, Lady Ingram, the estranged wife of Charlotte’s close friend Lord Ingram, turns up dead on his estate. And all signs point to Lord Ingram as the murderer.

With Scotland Yard closing in, Charlotte goes under disguise to seek out the truth. But uncovering the truth could mean getting too close to Lord Ingram—and a number of malevolent forces…]]> 329 Sherry Thomas 0425281426 Katerina 4 4.19 2018 The Hollow of Fear (Lady Sherlock, #3)
author: Sherry Thomas
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/25
date added: 2025/05/25
shelves: 2025-reads, crime, historical-fiction, historical-romance, retellings
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Conspiracy in Belgravia (Lady Sherlock, #2)]]> 33835806 The game is afoot as Charlotte Holmes returns in USA Today bestselling author Sherry Thomas's Victorian-set Lady Sherlock series.

Being shunned by Society gives Charlotte Holmes the time and freedom to put her extraordinary powers of deduction to good use. As "Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective," aided by the capable Mrs. Watson, she's had great success helping with all manner of inquiries, but she's not prepared for the new client who arrives at her Upper Baker Street office.

Lady Ingram, wife of Charlotte's dear friend and benefactor, wants Sherlock Holmes to find her first love, who failed to show up at their annual rendezvous. Matters of loyalty and discretion aside, the case becomes even more personal for Charlotte as the missing man is none other than Myron Finch, her illegitimate half brother.

In the meanwhile, Charlotte wrestles with a surprising proposal of marriage, a mysterious stranger woos her sister Livia, and an unidentified body surfaces where least expected. Charlotte's investigative prowess is challenged as never Can she find her brother in time--or will he, too, end up as a nameless corpse somewhere in the belly of London?]]> 336 Sherry Thomas 0698196368 Katerina 3 4.10 2017 A Conspiracy in Belgravia (Lady Sherlock, #2)
author: Sherry Thomas
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/22
date added: 2025/05/22
shelves: 2025-reads, crime, historical-fiction, retellings, historical-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Study in Scarlet Women (Lady Sherlock, #1)]]> 28588390  
With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper class society. But even she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London.
 
When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name. She’ll have help from friends new and old—a kind-hearted widow, a police inspector, and a man who has long loved her.

But in the end, it will be up to Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, to challenge society’s expectations and match wits against an unseen mastermind.

An NPR Best Book of 2016]]> 323 Sherry Thomas 042528140X Katerina 4 3.83 2016 A Study in Scarlet Women (Lady Sherlock, #1)
author: Sherry Thomas
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/15
date added: 2025/05/19
shelves: crime, historical-fiction, retellings, historical-romance, 2025-reads
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Most Agreeable Murder (Beatrice Steele, #1)]]> 62794526 When a wealthy bachelor drops dead at a ball, a young lady takes on the decidedly improper role of detective in this action-packed debut comedy of manners and murder.

Feisty, passionate Beatrice Steele has never fit the definition of a true lady, according to the strict code of conduct that reigns in Swampshire, her small English township--she is terrible at needlework, has absolutely no musical ability, and her artwork is so bad it frightens people. Nevertheless, she lives a perfectly agreeable life with her marriage-scheming mother, prankster father, and two younger sisters-- beautiful Louisa and forgettable Mary. But she harbors a dark secret: She is obsessed with the true crime cases she reads about in the newspaper. If anyone in her etiquette-obsessed community found out, she'd be deemed a morbid creep and banished from respectable society forever.

For her family's sake, she's vowed to put her obsession behind her. Because eligible bachelor Edmund Croaksworth is set to attend the approaching autumnal ball, and the Steele family hopes that Louisa will steal his heart. If not, Martin Grub, their disgusting cousin, will inherit the family's estate, and they will be ruined or, even worse, forced to move to France. So Beatrice must be on her best behavior . . . which is made difficult when a disgraced yet alluring detective inexplicably shows up to the ball.

Beatrice is just holding things together when Croaksworth drops dead in the middle of a minuet. As a storm rages outside, the evening descends into a frenzy of panic, fear, and betrayal as it becomes clear they are trapped with a killer. Contending with competitive card games, tricky tonics, and Swampshire's infamous squelch holes, Beatrice must rise above decorum and decency to pursue justice and her own desires--before anyone else is murdered.]]> 352 Julia Seales 0593449983 Katerina 4 3.67 2023 A Most Agreeable Murder (Beatrice Steele, #1)
author: Julia Seales
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/09
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves: 2025-reads, crime, historical-fiction, historical-romance, regency
review:

]]> Happy Place 61718053
They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week… in front of those who know you best?

A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.]]> 400 Emily Henry 0593441273 Katerina 4 3.93 2023 Happy Place
author: Emily Henry
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/07
date added: 2025/05/08
shelves: contemporary-romance, 2025-reads
review:

]]> Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3) 209439446
Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.]]> 544 Rebecca Yarros 1649374186 Katerina 3 4.16 2025 Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/03
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: 2025-reads, fantasy, fantasy-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ruthless Vows (Letters of Enchantment, #2)]]> 127280062
Two weeks have passed since Iris Winnow returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over. Roman is missing, and the city of Oath continues to dwell in a state of disbelief and ignorance. When Iris and Attie are given another chance to report on Dacre's movements, they both take the opportunity and head westward once more despite the danger, knowing it's only a matter of time before the conflict reaches a city that's unprepared and fracturing beneath the chancellor's reign.

Since waking below in Dacre's realm, Roman cannot remember his past. But given the reassurance that his memories will return in time, Roman begins to write articles for Dacre, uncertain of his place in the greater scheme of the war. When a strange letter arrives by wardrobe door, Roman is first suspicious, then intrigued. As he strikes up a correspondence with his mysterious pen pal, Roman will soon have to make a decision: to stand with Dacre or betray the god who healed him. And as the days grow darker, inevitably drawing Roman and Iris closer together...the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war.]]> 420 Rebecca Ross 1250857457 Katerina 4 3.96 2023 Ruthless Vows (Letters of Enchantment, #2)
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/27
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves: 2025-reads, fantasy, historical-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heartless Hunter (The Crimson Moth, #1)]]> 127305713
Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe – a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution – who she can't help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Crimson Moth is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch… is falling in love.]]> 406 Kristen Ciccarelli 1250866901 Katerina 4 4.14 2024 Heartless Hunter (The Crimson Moth, #1)
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/22
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: 2025-reads, fantasy, fantasy-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke, #2)]]> 36111620 He’s been a bad, bad rake—and it takes a governess to teach him a lesson

The accidental governess.

After her livelihood slips through her fingers, Alexandra Mountbatten takes on an impossible post: transforming a pair of wild orphans into proper young ladies. However, the girls don’t need discipline. They need a loving home. Try telling that to their guardian, Chase Reynaud: duke’s heir in the streets and devil in the sheets. The ladies of London have tried—and failed—to make him settle down. Somehow, Alexandra must reach his heart... without risking her own.

The infamous rake.

Like any self-respecting libertine, Chase lives by one rule: no attachments. When a stubborn little governess tries to reform him, he decides to give her an education—in pleasure. That should prove he can’t be tamed. But Alexandra is more than he bargained for: clever, perceptive, passionate. She refuses to see him as a lost cause. Soon the walls around Chase’s heart are crumbling... and he’s in danger of falling, hard.]]> 373 Tessa Dare 0062672126 Katerina 4 3.87 2018 The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke, #2)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/05
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: 2025-reads, historical-romance, historical-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Gypsy King (The Gypsy King, #1)]]> 15840662
Sold to him for a small bag of gold coins, Persephone soon discovers what she already suspected: namely, that Azriel is not what he seems. And when she realizes that he believes Persephone has a special destiny—she is determined to escape him and his impossibly broad shoulders.

But things are no longer as simple as they once were. Torn between her longing for freedom and her undeniable feelings for the handsome thief with the fast hands and the slow smile, Persephone faces the hardest choice she will ever have to make. And no one least of all her—could have imagined the shocking truth her decision will reveal.]]> 434 Maureen Fergus 014318315X Katerina 0 to-read 4.07 2013 The Gypsy King (The Gypsy King, #1)
author: Maureen Fergus
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Mansfield Park 45032 488 Jane Austen Katerina 4 2024-reads, classics 3.86 1814 Mansfield Park
author: Jane Austen
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1814
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/15
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves: 2024-reads, classics
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Siege of the Northland (Northland #1)]]> 36243224 Four nations: South, West, East and North.
Only one remains free.
So begins Siege of the Northland, the tale of a fearless young warrior called Jesyka: the Northland’s one true heir of the ancient Tribe of Skea. When called upon to fulfil her destiny and stand with her adopted people against the infamous warlord, Volger, Jesyka is drawn into an adventure which will touch her heart and scar her soul.
With King Broehain of the Northland strangely set upon appeasing Volger, his son, Lord Aran, joins forces with Jesyka and her guardians to infiltrate the warlord’s lair. As dark disturbing secrets are uncovered, Jesyka and Aran are plunged into a desperate battle to protect all that they hold dear.
With the odds stacked heavily against them, the cost of their defiance becomes clear: the threat of their own destruction and the loss of their beloved Northland.]]> 216 Ruth Rathband 1999718313 Katerina 0 Disclaimer: I reviewed this as one of the BookNest judges for the first round of SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off) 2018 hosted by Mark Lawrence. You can read more for SPFBO here!

One island.
Four nations.
Only one remains free.
So begins Siege of the Northland.

Ruth Rathband’s debut follows the story of a heroine destined to save her land, a young prince struggling to keep his kingdom free, and an unlikely band of warriors set against a greedy, corrupt king. Siege of the Northland delivers exactly what it promises: a fast-paced, intense adventure, featuring spiteful, short-tempered villains, sieges and skirmishes and a fight for freedom. It is a quick, easy read that offers a temporary reprieve from the challenges of real life, without particularly delving into heavy issues.
Simply put, it was fun.

However, there were some things that bothered me and tampered with my reading experience, the main of them being the constant head-hopping; the continuous view point shifts, aside from being confusing, prevented me from bonding with the characters, from caring and sympathizing with their misfortunes and their cause. I can’t shake the notion that this particular writing tactic does not leave much space for character development, for fleshing the heroes out, for giving them a solid backround, beliefs, emotions, and a unique voice; everything seemed superficial, their relationships were missing the depth I wanted and, in the end, I felt that I never knew them. All I got were glimpses of the persons they were supposed to be.

In addition, while the fast pace kept my attention, it also became a hindrance to the climax and the scenes intended to be powerful or meaningful; they were a tad unceremonious, they lacked the grandeur they ought to have had, since the book pertains to a desperate battle against an evil foe who has eliminated every opponent. In the same context, the world-building was feeble; even though it had the potential to explore the Tribe of Skea, the other races and cultures mentioned, even the back-story of the nations of the Great Crossland, all those subjects were barely touched.

Ruth Rathband orchestrated an intense race against time, but I believe there are many aspects to the story that could be filled, in order to present a well-rounded, intricate fantasy read. I wish her all the best in the competition and her future endeavors.

Merged review:

Disclaimer: I reviewed this as one of the BookNest judges for the first round of SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off) 2018 hosted by Mark Lawrence. You can read more for SPFBO here!

One island.
Four nations.
Only one remains free.
So begins Siege of the Northland.

Ruth Rathband’s debut follows the story of a heroine destined to save her land, a young prince struggling to keep his kingdom free, and an unlikely band of warriors set against a greedy, corrupt king. Siege of the Northland delivers exactly what it promises: a fast-paced, intense adventure, featuring spiteful, short-tempered villains, sieges and skirmishes and a fight for freedom. It is a quick, easy read that offers a temporary reprieve from the challenges of real life, without particularly delving into heavy issues.
Simply put, it was fun.

However, there were some things that bothered me and tampered with my reading experience, the main of them being the constant head-hopping; the continuous view point shifts, aside from being confusing, prevented me from bonding with the characters, from caring and sympathizing with their misfortunes and their cause. I can’t shake the notion that this particular writing tactic does not leave much space for character development, for fleshing the heroes out, for giving them a solid backround, beliefs, emotions, and a unique voice; everything seemed superficial, their relationships were missing the depth I wanted and, in the end, I felt that I never knew them. All I got were glimpses of the persons they were supposed to be.

In addition, while the fast pace kept my attention, it also became a hindrance to the climax and the scenes intended to be powerful or meaningful; they were a tad unceremonious, they lacked the grandeur they ought to have had, since the book pertains to a desperate battle against an evil foe who has eliminated every opponent. In the same context, the world-building was feeble; even though it had the potential to explore the Tribe of Skea, the other races and cultures mentioned, even the back-story of the nations of the Great Crossland, all those subjects were barely touched.

Ruth Rathband orchestrated an intense race against time, but I believe there are many aspects to the story that could be filled, in order to present a well-rounded, intricate fantasy read. I wish her all the best in the competition and her future endeavors.]]> 4.00 2017 Siege of the Northland (Northland #1)
author: Ruth Rathband
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2018/10/01
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: spfbo-2018, 2018-reads, fantasy
review:
Disclaimer: I reviewed this as one of the BookNest judges for the first round of SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off) 2018 hosted by Mark Lawrence. You can read more for SPFBO here!

One island.
Four nations.
Only one remains free.
So begins Siege of the Northland.

Ruth Rathband’s debut follows the story of a heroine destined to save her land, a young prince struggling to keep his kingdom free, and an unlikely band of warriors set against a greedy, corrupt king. Siege of the Northland delivers exactly what it promises: a fast-paced, intense adventure, featuring spiteful, short-tempered villains, sieges and skirmishes and a fight for freedom. It is a quick, easy read that offers a temporary reprieve from the challenges of real life, without particularly delving into heavy issues.
Simply put, it was fun.

However, there were some things that bothered me and tampered with my reading experience, the main of them being the constant head-hopping; the continuous view point shifts, aside from being confusing, prevented me from bonding with the characters, from caring and sympathizing with their misfortunes and their cause. I can’t shake the notion that this particular writing tactic does not leave much space for character development, for fleshing the heroes out, for giving them a solid backround, beliefs, emotions, and a unique voice; everything seemed superficial, their relationships were missing the depth I wanted and, in the end, I felt that I never knew them. All I got were glimpses of the persons they were supposed to be.

In addition, while the fast pace kept my attention, it also became a hindrance to the climax and the scenes intended to be powerful or meaningful; they were a tad unceremonious, they lacked the grandeur they ought to have had, since the book pertains to a desperate battle against an evil foe who has eliminated every opponent. In the same context, the world-building was feeble; even though it had the potential to explore the Tribe of Skea, the other races and cultures mentioned, even the back-story of the nations of the Great Crossland, all those subjects were barely touched.

Ruth Rathband orchestrated an intense race against time, but I believe there are many aspects to the story that could be filled, in order to present a well-rounded, intricate fantasy read. I wish her all the best in the competition and her future endeavors.

Merged review:

Disclaimer: I reviewed this as one of the BookNest judges for the first round of SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off) 2018 hosted by Mark Lawrence. You can read more for SPFBO here!

One island.
Four nations.
Only one remains free.
So begins Siege of the Northland.

Ruth Rathband’s debut follows the story of a heroine destined to save her land, a young prince struggling to keep his kingdom free, and an unlikely band of warriors set against a greedy, corrupt king. Siege of the Northland delivers exactly what it promises: a fast-paced, intense adventure, featuring spiteful, short-tempered villains, sieges and skirmishes and a fight for freedom. It is a quick, easy read that offers a temporary reprieve from the challenges of real life, without particularly delving into heavy issues.
Simply put, it was fun.

However, there were some things that bothered me and tampered with my reading experience, the main of them being the constant head-hopping; the continuous view point shifts, aside from being confusing, prevented me from bonding with the characters, from caring and sympathizing with their misfortunes and their cause. I can’t shake the notion that this particular writing tactic does not leave much space for character development, for fleshing the heroes out, for giving them a solid backround, beliefs, emotions, and a unique voice; everything seemed superficial, their relationships were missing the depth I wanted and, in the end, I felt that I never knew them. All I got were glimpses of the persons they were supposed to be.

In addition, while the fast pace kept my attention, it also became a hindrance to the climax and the scenes intended to be powerful or meaningful; they were a tad unceremonious, they lacked the grandeur they ought to have had, since the book pertains to a desperate battle against an evil foe who has eliminated every opponent. In the same context, the world-building was feeble; even though it had the potential to explore the Tribe of Skea, the other races and cultures mentioned, even the back-story of the nations of the Great Crossland, all those subjects were barely touched.

Ruth Rathband orchestrated an intense race against time, but I believe there are many aspects to the story that could be filled, in order to present a well-rounded, intricate fantasy read. I wish her all the best in the competition and her future endeavors.
]]> <![CDATA[Non-Heir (The Black Mage, #0.5)]]> 33963811 Prince. Prodigy. Mage. Perfect for fans of Throne of Glass, Falling Kingdoms, and Tamora Pierce.

This prequel novella is set before the events of First Year (The Black Mage Book 1), following Prince Darren as a child through adolescence and his first run-in with Ryiah at the Academy of Magic. Readers discover the dark backstory between the two princes and their father, as well as the ensuing events that shaped Darren into the Academy’s most illustrious mage.]]> 138 Rachel E. Carter 1946155128 Katerina 0 to-read 4.11 2017 Non-Heir (The Black Mage, #0.5)
author: Rachel E. Carter
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Like Gravity 18376174

When she stumbles, quite literally, into Finn Chambers – campus ladies’ man and the lead singer of a local band —she’s unprepared for his persistence in befriending her, and for the dangerous attraction she begins to feel for him.


Because with Finn, she knows it would be more than just sex.


More than just friendship.


And maybe even more than just love.


When a sinister presence from her past reemerges, Brooklyn will be pushed to her breaking point. For the first time in fifteen years, she will confront both her grief and her memories, as she plays a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with an unforeseen enemy.


Because sometimes, the demons we must confront aren’t only on the inside...


**Like Gravity is a new full-length standalone romantic suspense novel, intended for audiences ages 17+**]]> 310 Julie Johnson 0991311302 Katerina 5 It's so, so good it hurts..


“Since the second you woke up in my arms on the sidewalk that day, it was only a matter of time until we got here, to this moment. We were inevitable. You know it. I know it.”

What would you do if your mother was murdered in front of you and you were the reason the man responsible went to prison? If your father didn't give a damn about you and you hated the pity in everyone's face? If your past prevented you from living in the present? Brooklyn dealed with her issues using sex and tequila. And books, to make the nightmares go away.
“Books had given me an escape during the long years when I'd needed most to forget; when I read, Brooklyn disappeared and I became another girl, in different place, at some other time.”

She built walls around her, walls so high and impenetrable that there wasn't a single person in her life who knew about her story and her grief. Until she met Finn, frustrating and extremely arrogant Finn, who unlocked memories she didn't know they existed.
“Ah Brooklyn Brooklyn take me in”

I loved the songs. I loved Finn. I loved Brooklyn. I loved Lexi. I loved the tears that streamed down my face. I loved the wonderful writing, there were so many quotes that spoke straight to my soul. I loved even the heartbreaks. Julie Johnson combined romance and mystery in a unique way, I shivered in every scene that led to the grand finale. I don't know if it was obvious or if I have read so many books that I saw it coming, but still the slow and masterly building of the tension and the agony throughout the story left my insides twisted in a knot and my breath shallow.
“Being near you, Brooklyn…it’s like breathing. I don’t have a choice about it; I just have to do it or I know I won’t survive very long. ”

Finn wasn't what I expected. Of course he had the bad boy vibe from the start, but soon he showed that he loves tenderly, with fierce devotion and determination, with every fiber of his being. Brooklyn was scared, but she realized that her mother would never want her to throw away any chance in happiness because of her. The main characters were painted so vividly, their emotions and reactions and their mistakes, that it was inevitable to fall for them, to suffer with them, to hope and dream and love with them.
“Tell me a story Finn...”

Julie Johnson told us a heartwarming story, about love and grief, about pain and trust and home, about gravity pulling two people together and saving them.]]> 4.13 2013 Like Gravity
author: Julie Johnson
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2015/06/03
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves: contemporary-romance, favorites, romantic-suspense
review:
This book.. This book.. It's so, so good it hurts..


“Since the second you woke up in my arms on the sidewalk that day, it was only a matter of time until we got here, to this moment. We were inevitable. You know it. I know it.”

What would you do if your mother was murdered in front of you and you were the reason the man responsible went to prison? If your father didn't give a damn about you and you hated the pity in everyone's face? If your past prevented you from living in the present? Brooklyn dealed with her issues using sex and tequila. And books, to make the nightmares go away.
“Books had given me an escape during the long years when I'd needed most to forget; when I read, Brooklyn disappeared and I became another girl, in different place, at some other time.”

She built walls around her, walls so high and impenetrable that there wasn't a single person in her life who knew about her story and her grief. Until she met Finn, frustrating and extremely arrogant Finn, who unlocked memories she didn't know they existed.
“Ah Brooklyn Brooklyn take me in”

I loved the songs. I loved Finn. I loved Brooklyn. I loved Lexi. I loved the tears that streamed down my face. I loved the wonderful writing, there were so many quotes that spoke straight to my soul. I loved even the heartbreaks. Julie Johnson combined romance and mystery in a unique way, I shivered in every scene that led to the grand finale. I don't know if it was obvious or if I have read so many books that I saw it coming, but still the slow and masterly building of the tension and the agony throughout the story left my insides twisted in a knot and my breath shallow.
“Being near you, Brooklyn…it’s like breathing. I don’t have a choice about it; I just have to do it or I know I won’t survive very long. ”

Finn wasn't what I expected. Of course he had the bad boy vibe from the start, but soon he showed that he loves tenderly, with fierce devotion and determination, with every fiber of his being. Brooklyn was scared, but she realized that her mother would never want her to throw away any chance in happiness because of her. The main characters were painted so vividly, their emotions and reactions and their mistakes, that it was inevitable to fall for them, to suffer with them, to hope and dream and love with them.
“Tell me a story Finn...”

Julie Johnson told us a heartwarming story, about love and grief, about pain and trust and home, about gravity pulling two people together and saving them.
]]> <![CDATA[Oath of Deception (Reign of Secrets, #4)]]> 39087413
When a messenger arrives with news of war brewing on the horizon, the Brotherhood is called into action. Eager to prove himself, Savenek goes on his first mission alone. He doesn’t expect to uncover a treacherous plot to destroy Emperion. He doesn’t expect to join forces with someone outside the Brotherhood, let alone a woman. He certainly doesn’t expect to fail.

But then again, his father taught him nothing ever goes as planned.

Political intrigue clashes with romance in this thrilling story that continues the Reign of Secrets saga.
]]> 298 Jennifer Anne Davis 0999239597 Katerina 0 to-read 4.26 2018 Oath of Deception (Reign of Secrets, #4)
author: Jennifer Anne Davis
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Powerless (The Powerless Trilogy, #1)]]> 75513900 She is the very thing he’s spent his whole life hunting.
He is the very thing she’s spent her whole life pretending to be.

Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya—the exceptional, the empowered, the Elites.

The powers these Elites have possessed for decades were graciously gifted to them by the Plague, though not all were fortunate enough to both survive the sickness and reap the reward. Those born Ordinary are just that—ordinary. And when the king decreed that all Ordinaries be banished in order to preserve his Elite society, lacking an ability suddenly became a crime—making Paedyn Gray a felon by fate and a thief by necessity.

Surviving in the slums as an Ordinary is no simple task, and Paedyn knows this better than most. Having been trained by her father to be overly observant since she was a child, Paedyn poses as a Psychic in the crowded city, blending in with the Elites as best she can in order to stay alive and out of trouble. Easier said than done.

When Paeydn unsuspectingly saves one of Ilyas princes, she finds herself thrown into the Purging Trials. The brutal competition exists to showcase the Elites’ powers—the very thing Paedyn lacks. If the Trials and the opponents within them don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for certainly will if he discovers what she is—completely Ordinary.]]> 526 Lauren Roberts Katerina 0 to-read 4.14 2023 Powerless (The Powerless Trilogy, #1)
author: Lauren Roberts
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sword Catcher (The Chronicles of Castellane, #1)]]> 36679274
Kel is an orphan, stolen from the life he knew to become the Sword Catcher—the body double of a royal heir, Prince Conor Aurelian. He has been raised alongside the prince, trained in every aspect of combat and statecraft. He and Conor are as close as brothers, but Kel knows that his destiny is to die for Conor. No other future is possible.

Lin Caster is one of the Ashkar, a small community whose members still possess magical abilities. By law, they must live behind walls within the city, but Lin, a physician, ventures out to tend to the sick and dying of Castellane. Despite her skills, she cannot heal her best friend without access to forbidden knowledge.

After a failed assassination attempt brings Lin and Kel together, they are drawn into the web of the mysterious Ragpicker King, the criminal ruler of Castellane’s underworld. He offers them each what they want most; but as they descend into his world of intrigue and shadow, they discover a conspiracy of corruption that reaches from the darkest gutters of Castellane to the highest tower of its palaces.

As long-kept secrets begin to unravel, they must ask themselves: Is knowledge worth the price of betrayal? Can forbidden love bring down a kingdom? And will their discoveries plunge their nation into war—and the world into chaos?]]> 624 Cassandra Clare 0525619992 Katerina 3 2024-reads, fantasy - Way too many (and weird) similes
- Prolonged descriptions that contributed nothing to the story
- A map of Dannemore would be really, really helpful
- I didn't buy the romance
- Conor was an entitled, self-absorbed brat who did not deserve Kel's loyalty
- The end was promising, so I guess I'll read the next instalment?]]> 3.80 2023 Sword Catcher (The Chronicles of Castellane, #1)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/01
date added: 2024/09/01
shelves: 2024-reads, fantasy
review:
- Messy world-building
- Way too many (and weird) similes
- Prolonged descriptions that contributed nothing to the story
- A map of Dannemore would be really, really helpful
- I didn't buy the romance
- Conor was an entitled, self-absorbed brat who did not deserve Kel's loyalty
- The end was promising, so I guess I'll read the next instalment?
]]> <![CDATA[The Assassin and the Healer (Throne of Glass, #0.2)]]> 18333581 40 Sarah J. Maas Katerina 4 fantasy, assassins 4.21 2013 The Assassin and the Healer (Throne of Glass, #0.2)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/08/18
shelves: fantasy, assassins
review:

]]> <![CDATA[World After (Penryn & the End of Days, #2)]]> 12983100 Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?]]> 438 Susan Ee Katerina 0 to-read 4.24 2013 World After (Penryn & the End of Days, #2)
author: Susan Ee
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 1Q84 Book 1 (1Q84, #1) 6443834 そして2009年、『1Q84』は逆の方向から1984年を描いた近過去小説である。
そこに描かれているのは「こうであったかもしれない」世界なのだ。
私たちが生きている現在が、「そうではなかったかもしれない」世界であるのと、ちょうど同じように。]]> 554 Haruki Murakami 4103534222 Katerina 4 4.01 2009 1Q84 Book 1 (1Q84, #1)
author: Haruki Murakami
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Lion's Lady (Crown's Spies, #1)]]> 107783
But the feisty and defiant Christina would not be so easily conquered. Mistress of her heart and of her fortune, she resisted Lyon's sensuous caresses. She dared not surrender to his love...for then, she must also forsake her precious secret...and her promised destiny!]]> 360 Julie Garwood 067173783X Katerina 3 4.17 1988 The Lion's Lady (Crown's Spies, #1)
author: Julie Garwood
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1988
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/25
date added: 2024/07/25
shelves: 2024-reads, historical-romance, regency
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wind Weaver (Reign of Remnants, #1)]]> 216247498 Magic and adventure swirl through this spellbinding romantasy where a young woman reignites the embers of an ancient prophecy, unleashing a storm that could save her realm or doom them all.

Fear of maegic plagues war-torn Anwyvn. Halflings like Rhya Fleetwood are killed on sight. But Rhya’s execution is interrupted by an unexpected savior—one far more terrifying than her would-be killers. The mysterious and mercenary Commander Scythe. In the clutches of this new enemy, Rhya finds herself fighting for her life in the barren reaches of the Northlands. Yet the farther she gets from home, the more she learns that nothing is as it seems—not her fearsome captor, not the blight that ravages her dying realm, not even herself.

For Rhya is no ordinary halfling. The strange birthmark on her chest and the wind she instinctively calls forth means she is a Remnant, one of four souls scattered across Anwyvn, fated to restore the balance of maegic…or die trying.

But mastering the power inside her is only the beginning. Desire for the Commander—a man she can never trust, a man with plans of his own—burns just as fiercely as the tempests beating against her rib cage for release. Rhya must choose: smother the flames…or let them consume her.]]> 544 Julie Johnson 0593817869 Katerina 0 to-read 3.92 2025 The Wind Weaver (Reign of Remnants, #1)
author: Julie Johnson
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Long Game (Green Oak, #1) 101144869 A disgraced soccer exec reluctantly enlists the help of a retired soccer star in coaching a children’s team in this smalltown love story in the vein of Ted Lasso and It Happened One Summer —from the New York Times bestselling author of The Spanish Love Deception.

Adalyn Reyes has spent years perfecting her daily routine: wake up at dawn, drive to the Miami Flames FC offices, try her hardest to leave a mark, go home, and repeat.

But her routine is disrupted when a video of her in an altercation with the team’s mascot goes viral. Rather than fire her, the team’s owner—who happens to be her father—sends Adalyn to middle-of-nowhere North Carolina, where she’s tasked with turning around the struggling local soccer team, the Green Warriors, as a way to redeem herself. Her plans crumble upon discovering that the players wear tutus to practice (impractical), keep pet goats (messy), and are terrified of Adalyn (counterproductive), and are nine-year-old kids.

To make things worse, also in town is Cameron Caldani, goalkeeping prodigy whose presence is somewhat of a mystery. Cam is the perfect candidate to help Adalyn, but after one very unfortunate first encounter involving a rooster, Cam’s leg, and Adalyn’s bumper, he’s also set on running her out of town. But banishment is not an option for Adalyn. Not again. Helping this ragtag children’s team is her road to redemption, and she is playing the long game. With or without Cam’s help.]]> 373 Elena Armas 1668011301 Katerina 3 3.53 2023 The Long Game (Green Oak, #1)
author: Elena Armas
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/10
date added: 2024/07/10
shelves: 2024-reads, contemporary-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment, #1)]]> 60784546 After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again…

All eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow wants to do is hold her family together. With a brother on the frontline forced to fight on behalf of the Gods now missing from the frontline and a mother drowning her sorrows, Iris’s best bet is winning the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

But when Iris’s letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands – that of the handsome but cold Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper – an unlikely magical connection forms.

Expelled into the middle of a mystical war, magical typewriters in tow, can their bond withstand the fight for the fate of mankind and, most importantly, love?

An epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.]]> 368 Rebecca Ross 1250857430 Katerina 4 4.12 2023 Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment, #1)
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/30
date added: 2024/07/01
shelves: 2024-reads, fantasy, historical-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Onyx and Ivory (Rime Chronicles, #1)]]> 36039613
The high king’s second son, Corwin Tormane, never asked to lead. Even as he waits for the uror—the once-in-a-generation ritual to decide which of the king’s children will succeed him—he knows it’s always been his brother who will assume the throne. And that’s fine by him. He’d rather spend his days away from the palace, away from the sight of his father, broken with sickness from the attempt on his life. But the peacekeeping tour Corwin is on has given him too much time to reflect upon the night he saved his father’s life—the night he condemned the would-be killer to death and lost the girl he loved. Which is why he takes it on himself to investigate rumors of unrest in one of the remote city-states, only for his caravan to be attacked—and for him to be saved by Kate.

With their paths once more entangled, Kate and Corwin have to put the past behind them. The threat of drakes who attack in the daylight is only the beginning of a darker menace stirring in the kingdom—one whose origins have dire implications for Kate’s father’s attack upon the king and will thrust them into the middle of a brewing civil war in the kingdom of Rime.]]> 497 Mindee Arnett 0062652664 Katerina 4 2018-reads, fantasy UNPUTDOWNABLE YA FANTASY ALERT PEOPLE!!



*clears throat*

The Fairyloot Team has an unparalleled ability to discover hidden treasures (metal detectors or something?). The edition of Onyx and Ivory they included in their May Box (black sprayed pages, oh my) was a feast for the eyes, but also the first book in a while that had me truly immersed in its dark pages. Politics, conspirasies, war, ancient rites, forbidden magic, rebels, wingless dragons and fierce heroes, it was an enchanting adventure that made me forget the sour taste of War Storm and exceeded my expectations!

Onyx and Ivory takes place in Rime, the only kingdom where magic is manifested, where the fearsome drakes come out at night and devour human flesh. It follows the story of Kate Brighton, a girl whose father attempted to assassinate the king and thus was sentenced to death. With his past treason haunting her every step, Kate tried to start anew as a rider of the Relay (the royal courier service) until Fate staged an unexpected meeting with Corwin Tormane, the king's second son and the boy she once loved, who returned to his homeland after three years of mysterious journeys. Now Kate and Corwin must work together in order to solve the mystery of new monsters roaming the land of Rime, while they pretend that their history and the tension that shimmers and burns between them doesn't exist. With Kate's secrets and Corwin's duties separating them, but their common goals and the love they once shared tethering their souls, they will uncover conspiracies, face devastating truths, and come across forces that threaten their country and their world. Will Traitor Kate and the Errant Prince be able to stop them?
“It's always a choice, to do right or wrong, no matter the power.”

One of the many things that made Onyx and Ivory such an enjoyable read is the detailed worldbuilding and the fascinating lore; the history of Rime, its politics, the monsters, the chasm between the magic wielders made this novel deeply atmospheric, and transfused an aura of danger and urgency to the narration. Mindee Arnett crafted a unique world interwoven with action, and toe-curling, slow-burning romance, which, in my book, is the perfect blend for success!

There was, however, a heavy use of many YA tropes (heroine who finds out the magnitude of her abilities / secrets kept from her parents / sibling rivalries etc), and the attitude of the characters (mostly Kate) followed the predetermined pattern of the YA heroine who withholds the truth of her heritage, constantly gets into trouble and thinks she can do anything by herself, but mind that while they are enough for detracting a star, they don't make the story any less magical. In fact, one of the book's assets is Mindee Arnett writing style; it's rich, fluid, descriptive and evokes a variety of emotions, while she manages to make you see the landscapes and the characters through her eyes. She demands your attention, and she gets it.

Kate, Corwin, Raith, Signe, Dal, they are multi-layered characters cloaked in mystery, each of them for their own reasons. What took me by surprise was how realistic and flawed Corwin was; he was not the powerful, perfect prince who poops rainbows and sunshine. And -skies above- it's the girl that saves the prince in this one! Kate is strong, fierce and too stubborn for her own good, and although sometimes you want to deprive her for her occasionally stupid decisions, you admire her loyalty and her dignity. Both Kate and Corwin made many mistakes as regards their romantic relationship, but their connection is palpable, and their moments hearwarming. So naturally, I ship them.



Onyx and Ivory is a complex and gripping story, a pageturner that will awaken both the adventurer and the romantic in you!

P.S. It is not a standalone. That's the explanation for the abrupt ending. I wish I knew it back then. *cue the violins*

Review also posted on BookNest!]]> 3.87 2018 Onyx and Ivory (Rime Chronicles, #1)
author: Mindee Arnett
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/06/20
date added: 2024/03/22
shelves: 2018-reads, fantasy
review:
UNPUTDOWNABLE YA FANTASY ALERT PEOPLE!!



*clears throat*

The Fairyloot Team has an unparalleled ability to discover hidden treasures (metal detectors or something?). The edition of Onyx and Ivory they included in their May Box (black sprayed pages, oh my) was a feast for the eyes, but also the first book in a while that had me truly immersed in its dark pages. Politics, conspirasies, war, ancient rites, forbidden magic, rebels, wingless dragons and fierce heroes, it was an enchanting adventure that made me forget the sour taste of War Storm and exceeded my expectations!

Onyx and Ivory takes place in Rime, the only kingdom where magic is manifested, where the fearsome drakes come out at night and devour human flesh. It follows the story of Kate Brighton, a girl whose father attempted to assassinate the king and thus was sentenced to death. With his past treason haunting her every step, Kate tried to start anew as a rider of the Relay (the royal courier service) until Fate staged an unexpected meeting with Corwin Tormane, the king's second son and the boy she once loved, who returned to his homeland after three years of mysterious journeys. Now Kate and Corwin must work together in order to solve the mystery of new monsters roaming the land of Rime, while they pretend that their history and the tension that shimmers and burns between them doesn't exist. With Kate's secrets and Corwin's duties separating them, but their common goals and the love they once shared tethering their souls, they will uncover conspiracies, face devastating truths, and come across forces that threaten their country and their world. Will Traitor Kate and the Errant Prince be able to stop them?
“It's always a choice, to do right or wrong, no matter the power.”

One of the many things that made Onyx and Ivory such an enjoyable read is the detailed worldbuilding and the fascinating lore; the history of Rime, its politics, the monsters, the chasm between the magic wielders made this novel deeply atmospheric, and transfused an aura of danger and urgency to the narration. Mindee Arnett crafted a unique world interwoven with action, and toe-curling, slow-burning romance, which, in my book, is the perfect blend for success!

There was, however, a heavy use of many YA tropes (heroine who finds out the magnitude of her abilities / secrets kept from her parents / sibling rivalries etc), and the attitude of the characters (mostly Kate) followed the predetermined pattern of the YA heroine who withholds the truth of her heritage, constantly gets into trouble and thinks she can do anything by herself, but mind that while they are enough for detracting a star, they don't make the story any less magical. In fact, one of the book's assets is Mindee Arnett writing style; it's rich, fluid, descriptive and evokes a variety of emotions, while she manages to make you see the landscapes and the characters through her eyes. She demands your attention, and she gets it.

Kate, Corwin, Raith, Signe, Dal, they are multi-layered characters cloaked in mystery, each of them for their own reasons. What took me by surprise was how realistic and flawed Corwin was; he was not the powerful, perfect prince who poops rainbows and sunshine. And -skies above- it's the girl that saves the prince in this one! Kate is strong, fierce and too stubborn for her own good, and although sometimes you want to deprive her for her occasionally stupid decisions, you admire her loyalty and her dignity. Both Kate and Corwin made many mistakes as regards their romantic relationship, but their connection is palpable, and their moments hearwarming. So naturally, I ship them.



Onyx and Ivory is a complex and gripping story, a pageturner that will awaken both the adventurer and the romantic in you!

P.S. It is not a standalone. That's the explanation for the abrupt ending. I wish I knew it back then. *cue the violins*

Review also posted on BookNest!
]]> <![CDATA[The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke, #1)]]> 33259027 When girl meets Duke, their marriage breaks all the rules…

Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury’s to-do list has been short and anything but sweet: brooding, glowering, menacing London ne’er-do-wells by night. Now there’s a new item on the list. He needs an heir—which means he needs a wife. When Emma Gladstone, a vicar’s daughter turned seamstress, appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides on the spot that she’ll do.

His terms are simple:
- They will be husband and wife by night only.
- No lights, no kissing.
- No questions about his battle scars.
- Last, and most importantly… Once she’s pregnant with his heir, they need never share a bed again.

But Emma is no pushover. She has a few rules of her own:
- They will have dinner together every evening.
- With conversation.
- And unlimited teasing.
- Last, and most importantly… Once she’s seen the man beneath the scars, he can’t stop her from falling in love…]]> 389 Tessa Dare Katerina 4 3.99 2017 The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke, #1)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/17
date added: 2024/03/19
shelves: 2024-reads, historical-romance, regency
review:

]]> Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2) 90202302
Although Violet’s body is weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she has her wits—and a will of iron. Leadership forgets the most important lesson Basgiath taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules. But determination to survive won’t be enough this year, because Violet knows the secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.]]> 623 Rebecca Yarros 1649374178 Katerina 3 4.32 2023 Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/09
date added: 2024/03/11
shelves: 2024-reads, fantasy, fantasy-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Devil in Disguise (The Ravenels, #7)]]> 51178326 An enthralling and steaming romance between a widowed lady and a Scot on the run—who may have connections to one of London's most noble families.

Lady Merritt Sterling, a strong-willed young widow who’s running her late husband’s shipping company, knows London society is dying to catch her in a scandal. So far, she’s been too smart to provide them with one. But then she meets Keir MacRae, a rough-and-rugged Scottish whisky distiller, and all her sensible plans vanish like smoke. They couldn’t be more different, but their attraction is powerful, raw and irresistible.

From the moment Keir MacRae arrives in London, he has two goals. One: don’t fall in love with the dazzling Lady Merritt Sterling. Two: avoid being killed.

So far, neither of those is going well.

Keir doesn’t know why someone wants him dead until fate reveals his secret connection to one of England’s most powerful families. His world is thrown into upheaval, and the only one he trusts is Merritt. Their passion blazes with an intensity Merritt has never known before, making her long for the one thing she can’t have from Keir MacRae: forever. As danger draws closer, she’ll do whatever it takes to save the man she loves . . . even knowing he might be the devil in disguise.]]> 384 Lisa Kleypas 0062371975 Katerina 3 3.90 2021 Devil in Disguise (The Ravenels, #7)
author: Lisa Kleypas
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/01
date added: 2024/02/22
shelves: historical-romance, regency, 2024-reads
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Crash into You (Pushing the Limits, #3)]]> 17233800
The girl with straight A's and the perfect life—that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy family…and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker—a guy she has no business even talking to. But after the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

The last thing Isaiah needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks. But when their shared love of street racing puts their lives in jeopardy, Isaiah and Rachel will have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.]]> 474 Katie McGarry 037321099X Katerina 0 to-read 4.26 2013 Crash into You (Pushing the Limits, #3)
author: Katie McGarry
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)]]> 61431922 Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders...

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die]]> 517 Rebecca Yarros 1649374046 Katerina 5 2023-reads, fantasy-romance 4.54 2023 Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/21
date added: 2023/11/22
shelves: 2023-reads, fantasy-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Graham Effect (Campus Diaries, #1)]]> 123255391
Ryder is six-foot five, built, opinionated, rude…and sexy as hell. But he's still the enemy.

Briar's new hockey co-captain has his reasons, though. The men's team just merged with a rival program, leaving Ryder with an angry roster where everyone hates one another's guts. To make matters worse, the summer coaching spot he's angling for with the legendary Garrett Graham is out of reach after he makes the worst possible first impression on his hero. So, really, this compromise with Gigi is win-win. He helps her make the national team, she puts in a good word with her dad.

The only potential snag? This bone-deep, body-numbing, mind-spinning chemistry they're trying to ignore. It's a dangerous game they're playing, but the risks just might be worth it.

Et pourtant, il y a un gros hic ! L'alchimie profonde, qui étouffe le corps et fait tourner l'esprit, qu'ils essaient d'ignorer. C'est un jeu dangereux auquel ils jouent, mais les risques pourraient bien en valoir la peine.]]> 498 Elle Kennedy 1990101186 Katerina 3 4.17 2023 The Graham Effect (Campus Diaries, #1)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/06
date added: 2023/11/06
shelves: 2023-reads, contemporary-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?]]> 6452731
Affirmative action, same-sex marriage, physician-assisted suicide, abortion, national service, the moral limits of markets―Sandel relates the big questions of political philosophy to the most vexing issues of the day, and shows how a surer grasp of philosophy can help us make sense of politics, morality, and our own convictions as well.

Justice is lively, thought-provoking, and wise―an essential new addition to the small shelf of books that speak convincingly to the hard questions of our civic life.]]> 308 Michael J. Sandel 0374180652 Katerina 0 4.30 2009 Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?
author: Michael J. Sandel
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/08
shelves:
review:

]]> The Wish Collector 42606944
When ballet dancer Clara Campbell arrives in New Orleans, lonely and homesick, she is immediately captivated by the story of Windisle Plantation and the tragic tale that is said to have transpired beyond its gate. Legend has it that it is abandoned by all living souls, but to Clara’s great surprise, it is not a ghost she hears through the stone wall surrounding the property, but a flesh and blood man. A scarred stranger with a pain deeper and darker than the churning waters of the Mississippi river that flows beside his self-imposed prison.

The ruined man behind the wall hides himself from the world. The last thing he expects is to find a friend in the selfless girl who speaks to him through the cracks in the rock. The girl who keeps returning week after week. The girl who makes him wish for things he has long since given up on. The girl who strikes both fear and hope within his wounded heart. But there can be no future for them, no life beyond Windisle, for no one knows better than him that monsters only live in the dark.

The Wish Collector is the story of shame and triumph, of loneliness and love, and the miracle of two hearts connecting despite the strongest of barriers between them.]]> 468 Mia Sheridan Katerina 4 4.08 2018 The Wish Collector
author: Mia Sheridan
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/04
date added: 2023/10/05
shelves: 2023-reads, contemporary-romance, retellings
review:

]]> All the Frogs in Manhattan 34462032
Yeah…with foot-destroying stilettos, Uber, and a Twitter horoscope, my life is far from a happily ever after.

In fact, instead of Prince Charming, I end up dating every slimy, scaly, brainless frog in the kingdom of Manhattan. And by frog, I mean all of the stereotypical bad guys that Mom and Lifetime movies warned you about.

The meathead player.
The mommy's boy.
The namedropper.
The cheapskate.

If they suck at relationships, I’ve probably kissed those cold, clammy lips in the hopes of finding love. Until one day, when one man with commitment issues offers to help me find the Romeo to my Juliet.

But what happens when the frog, who was never supposed to turn into a prince, kisses you at midnight? Ok fine, he propositioned me for some afternoon delight after brunch, but not everything can be straight out of a fairytale.]]> 208 Carrie Aarons Katerina 0 to-read 3.74 2017 All the Frogs in Manhattan
author: Carrie Aarons
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Witchlight (The Witchlands, #5)]]> 195790628
But when Safi and Iseult reach the Air Well with the Bloodwitch Aeduan at their side, they discover too late that Eridysi's Lament is not the prophecy they thought it was―and their journeys are only just beginning.]]> 464 Susan Dennard 1250194172 Katerina 0 to-read 3.86 2025 Witchlight (The Witchlands, #5)
author: Susan Dennard
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Unhoneymooners (Unhoneymooners, #1)]]> 42201431
Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs.

Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of... lucky.

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781501128035.]]> 432 Christina Lauren 1501128035 Katerina 3 3.87 2019 The Unhoneymooners (Unhoneymooners, #1)
author: Christina Lauren
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/28
date added: 2023/07/30
shelves: 2022-reads, contemporary-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Deadhouse Gates (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #2)]]> 55401
Set in a brilliantly realized world ravaged by dark, uncontrollable magic, Deadhouse Gates is a novel of war, intrigue and betrayal confirms Steven Eirkson as a storyteller of breathtaking skill, imagination and originality--a new master of epic fantasy.]]> 604 Steven Erikson 0765310023 Katerina 0 to-read 4.27 2000 Deadhouse Gates (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #2)
author: Steven Erikson
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2000
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Beach Read 52867387 A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no-one will fall in love. Really.]]> 358 Emily Henry 1984806734 Katerina 4 3.96 2020 Beach Read
author: Emily Henry
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/01
date added: 2023/07/02
shelves: 2023-reads, contemporary-romance
review:

]]> The Princess Bride 21787
As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's recitation, and only the "good parts" reached his ears.

Now Goldman does Dad one better. He's reconstructed the "Good Parts Version" to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.

What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.

In short, it's about everything.]]> 429 William Goldman 0345418263 Katerina 5 2023-reads, fantasy, classics What can I say? I loved it as much as the movie.]]> 4.27 1973 The Princess Bride
author: William Goldman
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1973
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/01
date added: 2023/05/03
shelves: 2023-reads, fantasy, classics
review:
What can I say? I loved it as much as the movie.
]]> The Prophet 2547 The Prophet, is one of the most beloved classics of our time. Published in 1923, it has been translated into more than twenty languages, and the American editions alone have sold more than nine million copies.

The Prophet is a collection of poetic essays that are philosophical, spiritual, and, above all, inspirational. Gibran’s musings are divided into twenty-eight chapters covering such sprawling topics as love, marriage, children, giving, eating and drinking, work, joy and sorrow, housing, clothes, buying and selling, crime and punishment, laws, freedom, reason and passion, pain, self-knowledge, teaching, friendship, talking, time, good and evil, prayer, pleasure, beauty, religion, and death.]]> 127 Kahlil Gibran 000100039X Katerina 4 2023-reads, classics 4.26 1923 The Prophet
author: Kahlil Gibran
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1923
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/01
date added: 2023/05/03
shelves: 2023-reads, classics
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dial A for Aunties (Aunties, #1)]]> 53310061 What happens when you mix 1 (accidental) murder with 2 thousand wedding guests, and then toss in a possible curse on 3 generations of an immigrant Chinese-Indonesian family?

You get 4 meddling Asian aunties coming to the rescue!

When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, a dead body proves to be a lot more challenging to dispose of than one might anticipate, especially when it is inadvertently shipped in a cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding Meddy, her Ma, and aunties are working at an island resort on the California coastline. It's the biggest job yet for the family wedding business—"Don't leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!"—and nothing, not even an unsavory corpse, will get in the way of her auntie's perfect buttercream flowers.

But things go from inconvenient to downright torturous when Meddy's great college love—and biggest heartbreak—makes a surprise appearance amid the wedding chaos. Is it possible to escape murder charges, charm her ex back into her life, and pull off a stunning wedding all in one weekend?]]> 299 Jesse Q. Sutanto 0593336739 Katerina 3 3.5 hilarious, preposterous (and a little flat) stars]]> 3.66 2021 Dial A for Aunties (Aunties, #1)
author: Jesse Q. Sutanto
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/05/03
date added: 2023/05/03
shelves: contemporary-romance, 2023-reads
review:
3.5 hilarious, preposterous (and a little flat) stars
]]> Book Lovers 58690308 One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming....

Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small-town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.]]> 377 Emily Henry 0593334833 Katerina 5 Book Lovers is a book about book lovers having book related jobs and falling in love while editing books and it's literary bookish heaven.



Pardon my lacking bookish vocabulary, I haven't written coherent reviews in a while, and I doubt it will happen again on a regular basis. However, Book Lovers begged me to talk about it. Nora and Charlie stripped my soul bare, and while the latter is more flayed than House Bolton's sigil, it basked in Sunshine Falls' light and warmth like a starving man. Because that's what Book Lovers is: love and light and warmth I wish I could store in a bottle and carry them with me and inhale them and find comfort on rainy days, when life gets messier than usual.

Emily Henry created two heroes that feel eerily familiar; through banters and capital S Snark and laughter and sisterhood and romance and books, she crafted a story that unhinged me. I don't know whether she has gone through the loss of a parent like Nora, but the depiction of grief, of the devastating truth that it does not go away over time but instead dictates the rest of your life, even subconsiously, was lovingly raw and powerful, desperate and hopeful, because crushing grief means all-encompassing love, and she didn't fail to convey this message again and again. But there is more than grief; she also exposed the fear of losing another loved one, the pressing notion that you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders when you abruptly become the caregiver of your family and amidst your struggles to be the person they need you shut yourself down. It was personal and unsettling.

In addition to Emily Henry's fascinating insight, this loving book filled me with longing for midnight strolls, dusty bookstores, dreamy sunsets and camping under the stars. The small-town setting was endearing, and through Nora and Charlie I was able to grasp a tidbit of the magic that Nora thought was unattainable. Their relationship was so easy; they were enemies that became friends that became lovers, two souls who understood each other, who didn't pressure, didn't demand constant explanations, who talked about their problems, even when their love was presumably doomed. As for their chemistry? I shall keep this PG-rated and won't talk about the massive heat wave and the delicious tension.

Book Lovers is a rainbow of feelings, tears, laugher and sighs meant to caress the hearstrings of book lovers.

[e-arc generously provided via Netgalley]]]> 4.07 2022 Book Lovers
author: Emily Henry
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/11/27
date added: 2023/03/01
shelves: arc, 2022-reads, contemporary-romance, favorites
review:
Book Lovers is a book about book lovers having book related jobs and falling in love while editing books and it's literary bookish heaven.



Pardon my lacking bookish vocabulary, I haven't written coherent reviews in a while, and I doubt it will happen again on a regular basis. However, Book Lovers begged me to talk about it. Nora and Charlie stripped my soul bare, and while the latter is more flayed than House Bolton's sigil, it basked in Sunshine Falls' light and warmth like a starving man. Because that's what Book Lovers is: love and light and warmth I wish I could store in a bottle and carry them with me and inhale them and find comfort on rainy days, when life gets messier than usual.

Emily Henry created two heroes that feel eerily familiar; through banters and capital S Snark and laughter and sisterhood and romance and books, she crafted a story that unhinged me. I don't know whether she has gone through the loss of a parent like Nora, but the depiction of grief, of the devastating truth that it does not go away over time but instead dictates the rest of your life, even subconsiously, was lovingly raw and powerful, desperate and hopeful, because crushing grief means all-encompassing love, and she didn't fail to convey this message again and again. But there is more than grief; she also exposed the fear of losing another loved one, the pressing notion that you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders when you abruptly become the caregiver of your family and amidst your struggles to be the person they need you shut yourself down. It was personal and unsettling.

In addition to Emily Henry's fascinating insight, this loving book filled me with longing for midnight strolls, dusty bookstores, dreamy sunsets and camping under the stars. The small-town setting was endearing, and through Nora and Charlie I was able to grasp a tidbit of the magic that Nora thought was unattainable. Their relationship was so easy; they were enemies that became friends that became lovers, two souls who understood each other, who didn't pressure, didn't demand constant explanations, who talked about their problems, even when their love was presumably doomed. As for their chemistry? I shall keep this PG-rated and won't talk about the massive heat wave and the delicious tension.

Book Lovers is a rainbow of feelings, tears, laugher and sighs meant to caress the hearstrings of book lovers.

[e-arc generously provided via Netgalley]
]]> To Have and to Hate 57195801 It might’ve been simple, if my betrothed were anybody else.

On our wedding day, my husband-to-be arrived at the courthouse like a black cloud rolling over Manhattan. Walt didn’t crack smiles or pepper in pleasantries as we exchanged hollow vows in front of the judge.

His disdain for me was so palpable I assumed we’d walk out of that ceremony and resume our regularly scheduled programming. But then fate was like, Hold my beer. I got this.

In desperate need of help and with nowhere else to turn, I had no choice but to ignore a crucial rule in our contract: I shall only contact Mr. Jennings II in case of emergency. But hey, what’s a little fine print between husband and wife?

Turns out, Walt’s a stickler for legalese—I think it might be his love language. Oh, and his attitude at the courthouse wasn’t a put-on. My so-called husband is a jerk. He takes what he wants without giving any consideration to other people—specifically ME, his blushing, contractually-obligated bride!

I knew life with Walt would be no honeymoon, but a marriage of any sort should still come with a few standard guarantees:

To have and to hold.
For richer or poorer.
In sickness and in health.

But after experiencing Walt’s version of wedded bliss, I say let’s forget about all that lovey-dovey crap and just take me straight to death do us part.]]> 337 R.S. Grey Katerina 3 3.80 2021 To Have and to Hate
author: R.S. Grey
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/12/04
date added: 2022/12/04
shelves: 2022-reads, contemporary-romance
review:

]]> How (Not) to Marry a Duke 41032559 A hilarious romantic comedy perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Jo Watson and Meg Cabot.

One minute, Jemma Pears is a struggling theatrical make-up artist in London. The next, she's been left a vast fortune by her estranged grandmother. The catch: she must marry a man with a title to inherit.
Jemma thinks this is truly impossible: she's a romantic, searching for true love, not just a convenient marriage... and besides, where would she even find a titled guy?

Enter Ashford, the new Duke of Burlingham. His legacy: massive debts that he must pay back immediately or risk the bank seizing his assets. Or worse: his mother's wrath!

When their lawyer hears of their situations, a secret match is made despite their mutual hatred of each other: through marrying Ashford, Jemma can inherit and Ashford can pay back his debts immediately. Problem solved. That is, until their marriage is leaked to the press and everyone finds out...

Now they have to play out the charade for at least a year or risk going to jail for fraud!

A hilarious pretense ensues and Jemma must battle against a crazy mother in law, a stuffy aristocracy, and finally, and most surprisingly of all, confusing feelings for Ashford...!]]> 389 Felicia Kingsley 1788548426 Katerina 0 to-read 3.49 2016 How (Not) to Marry a Duke
author: Felicia Kingsley
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/11/28
shelves: to-read
review:

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

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

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

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

Even if it means wielding death itself.

Fans of epic romantic fantasy like Sarah J. Maas and Raven Kennedy will devour this tale of dark magic, passionate romance, vengeance, and redemption.]]> 520 Carissa Broadbent Katerina 0 to-read 4.02 2020 Daughter of No Worlds (The War of Lost Hearts, #1)
author: Carissa Broadbent
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/11/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Falling for My Enemy (Dirty Martini Running Club, #2)]]> 62870045 What happens when frenemies take the experiment out of the lab and into the bedroom?

Corban Nash is a self-proclaimed data nerd with a sexy half smile and a set of abs that leave girls drooling. He developed a theory he claims will make two people fall in love. And after numerous tests on friends and family, it’s been successful for everyone who’s tried it. The problem is, it’s never worked on him. And he doesn’t know why.

Still, he’s determined to prove his theory. The only thing standing in his way? Hazel Kiegen.

Hazel refuses to be distracted by Corban’s adorable awkwardness or his temptingly muscular body. He claims to have cracked the code to falling in love, and she’s going to prove him wrong.

From the moment these two rivals meet, their chemistry is irresistible. And what’s wrong with a little sex between enemies? But when they put Corban’s theory to the test for themselves, the results are deliciously unexpected.

Author’s note: STAND-ALONE romcom featuring a sexy nerd with a great big... heart. Tons of tension and witty banter. Super hot frenemies with benefits. Badass lady friendships with a widening circle of trust. And a romantic HEA that will leave you swooning. Falling for My Enemy was previously titled Love According to Science.]]> 430 Claire Kingsley Katerina 4 2022-reads 3.99 2020 Falling for My Enemy (Dirty Martini Running Club, #2)
author: Claire Kingsley
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/11/13
date added: 2022/11/13
shelves: 2022-reads
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband (Rokesbys, #2)]]> 31931722 An alternate cover edition for ISBN 9780062388186 can be found here.

While you were sleeping...

With her brother Thomas injured on the battlefront in the Colonies, orphaned Cecilia Harcourt has two unbearable choices: move in with a maiden aunt or marry a scheming cousin. Instead, she chooses option three and travels across the Atlantic, determined to nurse her brother back to health. But after a week of searching, she finds not her brother but his best friend, the handsome officer Edward Rokesby. He's unconscious and in desperate need of her care, and Cecilia vows that she will save this soldier's life, even if staying by his side means telling one little lie...

I told everyone I was your wife

When Edward comes to, he's more than a little confused. The blow to his head knocked out six months of his memory, but surely he would recall getting married. He knows who Cecilia Harcourt is—even if he does not recall her face—and with everyone calling her his wife, he decides it must be true, even though he'd always assumed he'd marry his neighbor back in England.

If only it were true...

Cecilia risks her entire future by giving herself—completely—to the man she loves. But when the truth comes out, Edward may have a few surprises of his own for the new Mrs. Rokesby.]]> 393 Julia Quinn Katerina 3 3.85 2017 The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband (Rokesbys, #2)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2022/11/05
date added: 2022/11/05
shelves: 2022-reads, historical-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels, #6)]]> 44285731 Everything has a price.

Railway magnate Tom Severin is wealthy and powerful enough to satisfy any desire as soon as it arises. Anything—or anyone—is his for the asking. It should be simple to find the perfect wife—and from his first glimpse of Lady Cassandra Ravenel, he’s determined to have her. But the beautiful and quick-witted Cassandra is equally determined to marry for love—the one thing he can’t give.

Everything except her.

Severin is the most compelling and attractive man Cassandra has ever met, even if his heart is frozen. But she has no interest in living in the fast-paced world of a ruthless man who always plays to win. When a newfound enemy nearly destroys Cassandra’s reputation, Severin seizes the opportunity he’s been waiting for. As always, he gets what he wants—or does he? There’s one lesson Tom Severin has yet to learn from his new bride: never underestimate a Ravenel.

The chase for Cassandra’s hand may be over. But the chase for her heart has only just begun . . .]]> 384 Lisa Kleypas 0062371959 Katerina 4 4.08 2020 Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels, #6)
author: Lisa Kleypas
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/10/28
date added: 2022/10/31
shelves: 2022-reads, historical-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The American Roommate Experiment (Love Deception, #2)]]> 60114057 From the author of the Goodreads Choice Award winner The Spanish Love Deception, the eagerly anticipated follow-up featuring Rosie Graham and Lucas Martín, who are forced to share a New York apartment.

Rosie Graham has a problem. A few, actually. She just quit her well paid job to focus on her secret career as a romance writer. She hasn’t told her family and now has terrible writer’s block. Then, the ceiling of her New York apartment literally crumbles on her. Luckily she has her best friend Lina’s spare key while she’s out of town. But Rosie doesn’t know that Lina has already lent her apartment to her cousin Lucas, who Rosie has been stalking—for lack of a better word—on Instagram for the last few months. Lucas seems intent on coming to her rescue like a Spanish knight in shining armor. Only this one strolls around the place in a towel, has a distracting grin, and an irresistible accent. Oh, and he cooks.

Lucas offers to let Rosie stay with him, at least until she can find some affordable temporary housing. And then he proposes an outrageous experiment to bring back her literary muse and meet her deadline: He’ll take her on a series of experimental dates meant to jump-start her romantic inspiration. Rosie has nothing to lose. Her silly, online crush is totally under control—but Lucas’s time in New York has an expiration date, and six weeks may not be enough, for either her or her deadline.]]> 400 Elena Armas 1668002779 Katerina 4 3.76 2022 The American Roommate Experiment (Love Deception, #2)
author: Elena Armas
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/10/18
date added: 2022/10/18
shelves: 2022-reads, contemporary-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Faking Ms. Right (Dirty Martini Running Club, #1)]]> 62870038 “When I kissed you last night, I wasn’t pretending.”

Everly Dalton is a walking, talking, martini-drinking dating disaster. Forget kissing frogs. She can’t even get past the first date. But at work, she’s a badass—the longest-running assistant billionaire Shepherd Calloway has ever had. Her coworkers wonder how she handles the big bad wolf—and never gets bit.

Shepherd Calloway isn’t interested in being anyone’s sugar daddy. Tired of women who only want him for his money, he swears off dating, determined to focus on running his empire. Until his gold-digging ex hits him where it hurts, putting him in a difficult position.

His solution—to have Everly pose as his live-in girlfriend—is obviously crazy. But the timing is uncanny. It just so happens Everly needs a favor from her boss—a big and awkward one—and this could ensure everyone gets what they want.

Besides, Everly can totally survive a few months of faux romance. Except there’s a problem. Shepherd is supposed to be a single-minded, unemotional robot boss. Not an actual human with a heart and morning wood. Between the awkward bed-sharing and tingly fake dates, lines are blurring. And as Everly gets to know the real Shepherd, she discovers there’s more to the man behind the bank account.

And faking it gets all too real.

Faking Ms. Right is a hot, STAND-ALONE romantic comedy.]]> 360 Claire Kingsley Katerina 4 3.98 2019 Faking Ms. Right (Dirty Martini Running Club, #1)
author: Claire Kingsley
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2022/10/11
date added: 2022/10/11
shelves: 2022-reads, contemporary-romance
review:

]]> The Luckiest Lady in London 17290655
Louisa Cantwell needs to marry well to support her sisters. She does not, however, want Lord Wrenworth—though he seems inexplicably interested in her. She mistrusts his outward perfection and the praise he garners everywhere he goes. But when he is the only man to propose at the end of the London season, she reluctantly accepts.

Louisa does not understand her husband's mysterious purposes, but she cannot deny the pleasure her body takes in his touch. Nor can she deny the pull this magnetic man exerts upon her. But does she dare to fall in love with a man so full of dark secrets, anyone of which could devastate her, if she were to get any closer?]]> 276 Sherry Thomas 0425268888 Katerina 3 3.83 2013 The Luckiest Lady in London
author: Sherry Thomas
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2022/10/08
date added: 2022/10/11
shelves: 2022-reads, historical-romance
review:

]]> The Bat (Harry Hole, #1) 17345209
Detective Harry Hole is meant to keep out of trouble. A young Norwegian girl taking a gap year in Sydney has been murdered, and Harry has been sent to Australia to assist in any way he can.

HE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO GET TOO INVOLVED.

When the team unearths a string of unsolved murders and disappearances, nothing will stop Harry from finding out the truth. The hunt for a serial killer is on, but the murderer will talk only to Harry.

HE MIGHT JUST BE THE NEXT VICTIM.]]> 369 Jo Nesbø 034580709X Katerina 3 2020-reads, crime 3.43 1997 The Bat (Harry Hole, #1)
author: Jo Nesbø
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.43
book published: 1997
rating: 3
read at: 2020/06/01
date added: 2022/09/16
shelves: 2020-reads, crime
review:

]]> <![CDATA[You Deserve Each Other (You Deserve Each Other, #1)]]> 50027029 When your nemesis also happens to be your fiancé, happily ever after becomes a lot more complicated in this wickedly funny, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy debut.

Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They're preparing for their lavish wedding that's three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.

Naomi wants out, but there's a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.

But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they're finally being themselves--and having fun with the last person they expect: each other.]]> 368 Sarah Hogle Katerina 4 3.85 2020 You Deserve Each Other (You Deserve Each Other, #1)
author: Sarah Hogle
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/09/11
date added: 2022/09/11
shelves: 2022-reads, contemporary-romance
review:
So sweet it gave me diabetes. In the best way possible.
]]> The Overcoat 537094 57 Nikolai Gogol 1419176528 Katerina 5 2022-reads 4.17 1842 The Overcoat
author: Nikolai Gogol
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1842
rating: 5
read at: 2022/09/03
date added: 2022/09/05
shelves: 2022-reads
review:

]]> A Chess Story 18910767
Chess world champion Mirko Czentovic is travelling on an ocean liner to Buenos Aires. Dull-witted in all but chess, he entertains himself on board by allowing others to challenge him in the game, before beating each of them and taking their money. But there is another passenger with a passion for chess: Dr B, previously driven to insanity during Nazi imprisonment by the chess games in his imagination. But in agreeing to take on Czentovic, what price will Dr B ultimately pay?

A moving portrait of one man's madness, A Chess Story is a searing examination of the power of the mind and the evil it can do.

"The rediscovery of this extraordinary writer could well be on a par with last year's refinding of the long-lost Stoner, by John Williams, and which similarly could pluck his name out of a dusty obscurity." - Simon Winchester, Telegraph

"Perhaps the best chess story ever written, perhaps the best about any game. Never mind that you may have never moved a pawn to King four; the story will grip you." - Economist

"His great achievement in short form" - The Times

A staunch pacifist after his time in the Ministry of War during the First World War, Stefan Zweig was, at his peak, one of the bestselling and most widely acclaimed authors in the world. Following Hitler's rise to power, he and his second wife fled Austria; first to England, then to America, and finally, in 1940, they travelled together to Brazil, where the couple took an overdose and died. Much of his work is available from Pushkin Press.]]> 110 Stefan Zweig 1782270116 Katerina 4 2022-reads, classics 4.25 1942 A Chess Story
author: Stefan Zweig
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1942
rating: 4
read at: 2022/09/03
date added: 2022/09/05
shelves: 2022-reads, classics
review:

]]> To Love Jason Thorn 58762117
Oh, how stupidly in love with that boy I was. He was the first boy that made me blush, my first official crush. Sounds beautiful so far, right? That excitement that bubbles up inside you, those famous butterflies you feel for the very first time—he was the reason for them all. But, you only get to live in that fairytale world until they crush your hopes and dreams and then stomp on your heart for good measure. And boy did he crush my little heart into pieces.

After the stomping part he became the boy I did my best to stay away from—and let me tell you, it was pretty hard to do when he slept in the room right across from mine.
When tragedy struck his family and they moved away, I was ready to forget he ever existed.

Now he is a movie star, the one who makes women of all ages go into a screaming frenzy, the one who makes everyone swoon with that dimpled smile of his. Do you think that’s dreamy? I certainly don’t think so. How about me coming face to face with him? Nope still not dreamy. Not when I can’t even manage to look him in the eye.

Me? I’m Olive, a new writer. Actually, I’m THE writer of the book that inspired the movie he is about to star in on the big screen. As of late, I am also referred to as the oh-so-very-lucky girl who is about to become the wife of Jason Thorn.
Maybe you’re thinking yet again that this is all so dreamy? Nope, nothing dreamy going on here. Not even close.

To Love Jason Thorn is a full-length standalone, which also contains some pretty hot and descriptive sex scenes. *winks*]]> 428 Ella Maise Katerina 3 3.67 2015 To Love Jason Thorn
author: Ella Maise
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2022/08/28
date added: 2022/08/29
shelves: 2022-reads, contemporary-romance
review:

]]> Marriage for One 45694898 520 Ella Maise Katerina 4 3.85 2022 Marriage for One
author: Ella Maise
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/08/17
date added: 2022/08/17
shelves: 2022-reads, contemporary-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Realm Breaker (Realm Breaker, #1)]]> 54513688 Alternate cover edition of ASIN B08CZHZSRW.
---
Save the world or end it.

A strange darkness is growing in the Ward. Even Corayne an-Amarat can feel it, tucked away in her small town at the edge of the sea.

Fate knocks on her door, in the form of a mythical immortal and a lethal assassin, who tell Corayne that she is the last of an ancient lineage—with the power to save the world from destruction.

Because a man who would burn kingdoms to the ground is raising an army unlike any seen before, bent on uprooting the foundations of the world. With poison in his heart and a stolen sword in his hand, he'll break the realm itself to claim it. And only Corayne can stop him.

Alongside an unlikely group of reluctant allies, Corayne finds herself on a desperate journey to complete an impossible task, with untold magic singing in her blood and the fate of the world on her shoulders.]]> 576 Victoria Aveyard Katerina 3 2022-reads, fantasy 3.56 2021 Realm Breaker (Realm Breaker, #1)
author: Victoria Aveyard
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/08/16
date added: 2022/08/16
shelves: 2022-reads, fantasy
review:

]]> The Wall of Winnipeg and Me 29367958
But when Aiden Graves shows up at her door wanting her to come back, she's beyond shocked.

For two years, the man known as The Wall of Winnipeg couldn't find it in him to tell her good morning or congratulate her on her birthday. Now? He's asking for the unthinkable.

What do you say to the man who is used to getting everything he wants?]]> 475 Mariana Zapata Katerina 4 4.16 2016 The Wall of Winnipeg and Me
author: Mariana Zapata
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2022/07/01
date added: 2022/08/09
shelves: 2022-reads, contemporary-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Battle Royal (Palace Insiders, #1)]]> 55921509 Beloved author Lucy Parker pens a delicious new romantic comedy that is a battle of whisks and wits.

Ready…

Four years ago, Sylvie Fairchild charmed the world as a contestant on the hit baking show, Operation Cake. Her ingenious, colorful creations captivated viewers and intrigued all but one of the judges, Dominic De Vere, the hottest pastry chef in London. When her glittery unicorn cake went spectacularly sideways, Dominic was quick to vote her off the show. Since then, Sylvie has managed to use her fame to help fulfill her dream of opening a bakery, Sugar Fair. The toast of Instagram, Sugar Fair has captured the attention of the Operation Cake producers…and a princess.

Set…

Dominic is His Majesty the King’s favorite baker, the go-to for sweet-toothed A-List celebrities, and a veritable British institution. He’s brilliant, talented, hard-working. And an icy, starchy grouch. Learning that the irksome Sylvie will be joining him on the Operation Cake judging panel is enough to make the famously dour baker even more grim. Her fantastical baking is only slightly more troublesome than the fact that he can’t stop thinking about her pink-streaked hair and irrepressible dimple.

Match…

When Dominic and Sylvie learn they will be fighting for the once in a lifetime opportunity to bake a cake for the upcoming wedding of Princess Rose, the flour begins to fly as they’re both determined to come out on top.

The bride adores Sylvie’s quirky style. The palace wants Dominic’s classic perfection.

In this royal battle, can there be room for two?]]> 397 Lucy Parker 0063040069 Katerina 4 3.70 2021 Battle Royal (Palace Insiders, #1)
author: Lucy Parker
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/07/01
date added: 2022/08/09
shelves: 2022-reads, contemporary-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia, #2)]]> 317501 The four Pevensies help Caspian battle Miraz and ascend his rightful throne.

NARNIA... the land between the lamp-post and the castle of Cair Paravel, where animals talk, where magical things happen... and where the adventure begins.

Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are returning to boarding school when they are summoned from the dreary train station (by Susan's own magic horn) to return to the land of Narnia—the land where they had ruled as kings and queens and where their help is desperately needed.]]> 216 C.S. Lewis 0020442408 Katerina 4 fantasy 3.95 1951 Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia, #2)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1951
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/07/29
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Where the Blame Lies (Where, #1)]]> 52320637 Abducted.
Terrorized.
Imprisoned.

At nineteen-years-old, college student Josie Stratton was kidnapped by a madman and held shackled for ten months in an abandoned warehouse before she finally escaped her hellish prison.

Eight years later, when the body of a young woman is found chained in the basement of a vacant house, Cincinnati Police Detective Zach Copeland is instantly reminded of the crime committed against Josie Stratton. Zach was just a rookie on the perimeter of that case, but he’s never forgotten the traumatized woman with the haunted eyes.

As more information emerges, the crimes take on an even more sinister similarity. But Josie’s attacker died by suicide. Does the city have a copycat on its hands? A killer who picked up where the original perpetrator left off? Or are they facing something far more insidious?

Josie has spent the last eight years attempting to get her life back on track, but now there’s a very real chance she could be the unknown suspect’s next target. As Zach vows to keep her safe, and Josie finds herself responding to him in a way she hasn’t responded to any man in almost a decade, the investigation takes on an even more complex edge of danger.

As past and present collide, Josie and Zach are thrust toward a shocking and chilling truth. A revelation that threatens not only Josie’s life, but everything she’s been fighting so desperately to reclaim.]]> 426 Mia Sheridan 1689781491 Katerina 0 to-read 4.23 2019 Where the Blame Lies (Where, #1)
author: Mia Sheridan
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Night to Surrender (Spindle Cove, #1)]]> 10429836 Welcome to Spindle Cove, where the ladies with delicate constitutions come for the sea air, and men in their prime are... nowhere to be found. Or are they?

Spindle Cove is the destination of choice for certain types of well-bred young ladies: the painfully shy, young wives disenchanted with matrimony, and young girls too enchanted with the wrong men; it is a haven for those who live there.

Victor Bramwell, the new Earl of Rycliff, knows he doesn't belong here. So far as he can tell, there's nothing in this place but spinsters... and sheep. But he has no choice, he has orders to gather a militia. It's a simple mission, made complicated by the spirited, exquisite Susanna Finch—a woman who is determined to save her personal utopia from the invasion of Bram's makeshift army.

Susanna has no use for aggravating men; Bram has sworn off interfering women. The scene is set for an epic battle... but who can be named the winner when both have so much to lose?]]> 372 Tessa Dare 0062049836 Katerina 3 3.72 2011 A Night to Surrender (Spindle Cove, #1)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2022/07/01
date added: 2022/07/27
shelves: 2022-reads, historical-romance
review:

]]> The Boss Project 61200650
Well, technically, I’d met him twenty minutes earlier when he’d barged into a fitting room a few doors down from my appointment.

I yelled. He yelled. After an argument while standing in my bra, I proceeded to smash the door into the gorgeous jerk, trying to yank it shut.

As you might imagine, I was freaked out when I discovered that the rude guy was my potential new boss.

Yet he didn’t seem to recognize me. Or so I thought… Until we wound up bickering again during my interview and he told me to go sniff my armpit.

Okay, so maybe I hadn’t exactly been changing when he walked in on me. In my defense, I’d been stuck on a hot train for two hours and wanted to make sure I didn’t smell.

I obviously didn’t expect to get the job. But somehow an invitation to a second interview arrived in my inbox.

Before I left, I asked to see Merrick. I needed to know why I was even in consideration after our disastrous start.

Turned out, Merrick only wanted to hire me because I was the least competent candidate. It seemed his board was making him fill the position, against his wishes.

I didn’t really want to work in a place where my boss expected me to fail. But I figured maybe I’d enjoy proving him wrong. It was a little thing I dubbed the boss project.

What I wasn’t prepared for was that there would be other things I’d enjoy doing to Merrick Crawford.

Getting involved with the boss wasn’t the smartest choice.

But you know what they say about choices: Some we regret, some we are proud of. I just had no idea where this one was going to land.]]> 351 Vi Keeland 1951045734 Katerina 3 3.5 stars 3.93 2022 The Boss Project
author: Vi Keeland
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/07/25
date added: 2022/07/27
shelves: 2022-reads, contemporary-romance
review:
3.5 stars
]]> <![CDATA[A Curse of Queens (Kingmaker Chronicles, #4)]]> 59922692 Discover an all-new adventure in USA Today Bestselling author Amanda Bouchet’s thrilling, white-hot fantasy series, The Kingmaker Chronicles!

The queen has been cursed, and no one knows who’s behind the plot to threaten the realm’s fragile peace. Desperate to help, Jocasta hatches a plan to find Circe’s Garden, a fabled island where she hopes to discover an antidote. But she can’t do it alone. She needs the strong arm and unflinching bravery of the warrior she’s loved since childhood—her brother’s right-hand-man and captain of the guard, Flynn of Sinta.

Together they can do the impossible. Yet with treachery brewing on Mount Olympus, one thing is clear: Thalyria and its new royals are still pawns in an epic game of power—one that might end in a War of Gods.]]> 505 Amanda Bouchet 1728230055 Katerina 5 2022-reads, fantasy-romance 4.03 2022 A Curse of Queens (Kingmaker Chronicles, #4)
author: Amanda Bouchet
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/06/01
date added: 2022/07/27
shelves: 2022-reads, fantasy-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Devil's Daughter (The Ravenels, #5)]]> 40404706 A scintillating tale of a beautiful, young widow who finds passion with the one man she shouldn't . . .

Although beautiful young widow Phoebe, Lady Clare, has never met West Ravenel, she knows one thing for certain: he's a mean, rotten bully. Back in boarding school, he made her late husband's life a misery, and she'll never forgive him for it. But when Phoebe attends a family wedding, she encounters a dashing and impossibly charming stranger who sends a fire-and-ice jolt of attraction through her. And then he introduces himself—as none other than West Ravenel.

West is a man with a tarnished past. No apologies, no excuses. However, from the moment he meets Phoebe, West is consumed by irresistible desire . . . not to mention the bitter awareness that a woman like her is far out of his reach. What West doesn't bargain on is that Phoebe is no straitlaced aristocratic lady. She's the daughter of a strong-willed wallflower who long ago eloped with Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent—the most devilishly wicked rake in England.

Before long, Phoebe sets out to seduce the man who has awakened her fiery nature and shown her unimaginable pleasure. Will their overwhelming passion be enough to overcome the obstacles of the past? Only the devil's daughter knows.]]> 375 Lisa Kleypas 0062371932 Katerina 4 4.10 2019 Devil's Daughter (The Ravenels, #5)
author: Lisa Kleypas
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/01
date added: 2022/07/27
shelves: 2022-reads, historical-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hello Stranger (The Ravenels, #4)]]> 34379276 A woman who defies her time.

Dr. Garrett Gibson, the only female physician in England, is as daring and independent as any man—why not take her pleasures like one? Yet she has never been tempted to embark on an affair, until now. Ethan Ransom, a former detective for Scotland Yard, is as gallant as he is secretive, a rumored assassin whose true loyalties are a mystery. For one exhilarating night, they give in to their potent attraction before becoming strangers again.

A man who breaks every rule.

As a Ravenel by-blow spurned by his father, Ethan has little interest in polite society, yet he is captivated by the bold and beautiful Garrett. Despite their vow to resist each other after that sublime night, she is soon drawn into his most dangerous assignment yet. When the mission goes wrong, it will take all of Garrett's skill and courage to save him. As they face the menace of a treacherous government plot, Ethan is willing to take any risk for the love of the most extraordinary woman he's ever known.]]> 400 Lisa Kleypas 0062371894 Katerina 4 3.99 2018 Hello Stranger (The Ravenels, #4)
author: Lisa Kleypas
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/01
date added: 2022/07/27
shelves: 2022-reads, historical-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ransom (Highlands' Lairds, #2)]]> 107776 576 Julie Garwood 074347418X Katerina 4 4.30 1999 Ransom (Highlands' Lairds, #2)
author: Julie Garwood
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/01
date added: 2022/07/27
shelves: 2022-reads, historical-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[So Wrong It's Right (Boston Love Story, #5)]]> 41588696 Alternate cover edition of ASIN B07H12ZXH4

Shelby Hunt has the perfect life, married to the perfect man.

At least, that’s what anyone would think, looking at her. They couldn’t possibly know about the past five years of lonely nights, or the divorce papers still sitting unsigned on her husband’s desk, or the shady business practices he’s brought home on more than one occasion — often in the form of scary men with loaded guns and briefcases full of laundered cash.

The truth is, Shelby’s perfect life is starting to feel like a prison… one she’s not sure she’ll escape from alive…

When her husband’s illegal exploits put her in criminal crosshairs, Shelby finds herself at the mercy of Special Agent Conor Gallagher — head of Boston’s elite Organized Crime division. The seasoned FBI agent is brash, bossy, and boyishly handsome in a way that makes Shelby’s breath catch… even when he’s interrogating her as a potential suspect.

With dangerous enemies closing in all around them — and dangerous attraction flaring to life between them — Shelby starts to realize she’s dreading the day Conor catches her no-good husband. Not because she wants to save her marriage… but because she can’t bear to say goodbye to the man who has quickly become her fiercest protector…

SO WRONG IT’S RIGHT is a comedic contemporary romance about a woman trying to escape a broken marriage… and the bossy perpetual bachelor who steps in to keep her safe. It is the fifth installment of the internationally bestselling BOSTON LOVE STORY series and can be read as a complete standalone. Due to sexy-times, strong language, and suspenseful themes, it is recommended to readers ages 17 and up.]]> 266 Julie Johnson Katerina 4 O how I love thee, Julie Johnson.

I've come to believe that Julie Johnson can write a good, give-you-all-the-feels romance with her eyes closed. She has yet to disprove my theory, or shake my conviction that she is, and will always be, the Queen of Hearts, Lady of Binge-Reading, Protector of Real Love and Warden of Dreams.
Long may she reign!
❝I am Shelby Hunt. The perfect woman.
The perfect ghost.❞

Shelby Hunt has been trapped in an unhappy marriage for ten years. Ten years of stifling herself, trying to fit in the box of the perfect wife her abusive husband wanted. And when she finally decides to do the unthinkable, to leave him and move on, she realizes that she never really knew him. Enter Conor Asshole Gallagher, her knight in a not-so-shinny armor, the FBI agent who saves her from the Bratva thanks to her dear ex-husband's dealings with the infamous crime syndicate, and his not-so-clever decision to steal something extremely valuable from them. Between gunfights, interrogations, safe houses and explosions, Shelby finally feels that she is not alone, that there is someone she can trust, someone who sees all the things she tries to hide and embraces them. If only their lives were not hanging by a thread...
❝I saw you, Shelby. I still see you. I think, if I ever go blind, I'll see you in my dreams for the rest of my life.❞

So Wrong It's Right is the perfect blend of suspense and sweep-you-off-your-feet, set-your-cheeks-ablaze romance laced with danger and oh-so-powerful feelings. Julie Johnson's unique writing consists of a heavy dose of reality, dry humor and beautiful metaphors that make your chest clench and your heart ache with yearning. She pours her soul in every word and page, in every kiss and touch, giving them breath, turning them into whirlwinds that devour you while you devour them.
❝What are you more afraid of - abandonment or committment? Loneliness or love? Never putting yourself out there? Or potentially being blown off when you actually do?❞

It is refreshing to feel that you are not alone in your fears, that someone, even a fictional character, dreads the same monsters. It gives you the power to face them. Shelby was a heroine that managed to appear as well-composed, in control even when everything was breaking apart. The hurt she hid, the insecurity, the knowledge that she was invinsible and alone sent a mournful melody straight to my core. Conor was the bandage to her wounds, despite his tough exterior and his bossy ways. I've wanted him to be happy for so long, that seeing him fall head over heels for feisty Shelby seemed surreal. They were equally stubborn and controlling, but their fights were fogged up with steam. Conor gives the definition to alpha male, and let's just say that I wouldn't mind being locked up in a cell with him...



There is one thing, though, that didn't sit right with me, that seemed far-fetched, even in a book dealing with the freaking Bratva (yes I knew all about Bratva because I am a well-educated woman who watches Arrow); while my heart was busy doing her drum thing and my stomach cartwheeling, a tiny voice belonging to the stiff, cynical old lady known as reason kept repeating that everything happened way too fast. This never bothered me before, since (with the exception of Phoebe and Nate) the previous Boston Love stories also unfold in a short time-period. However, in this instance, I couldn't ignore the voice, and the nagging feeling of insta-love that was a cloud to the perfect sunny day of So Wrong It's Right. I know things like that happen in real life; according to my intel, my own parents got engaged after dating for two weeks (Mother claims it was love at first sight, Father that is was a case of dark sorcery or voodoo). I fear, though, that this connection and committment is difficult to establish this soon. This issue, in conjuntion with the occasions where Shelby was a little over the top with her reactions and refusal to listen to Conor, led me to rate it with 4 stars.
❝I'm learning the hard way that real life is nothing like the movies. ❞

So Wrong It's Right is a sweet, emotional and intense story about finding home, that will speak to every romantic soul out there!

*ARC generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*

Review also posted on BookNest!]]> 3.98 2018 So Wrong It's Right (Boston Love Story, #5)
author: Julie Johnson
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2018/10/30
date added: 2022/07/16
shelves: to-read, 2018-reads, arc, contemporary-romance, romantic-suspense
review:
O how I love thee, Julie Johnson.

I've come to believe that Julie Johnson can write a good, give-you-all-the-feels romance with her eyes closed. She has yet to disprove my theory, or shake my conviction that she is, and will always be, the Queen of Hearts, Lady of Binge-Reading, Protector of Real Love and Warden of Dreams.
Long may she reign!
❝I am Shelby Hunt. The perfect woman.
The perfect ghost.❞

Shelby Hunt has been trapped in an unhappy marriage for ten years. Ten years of stifling herself, trying to fit in the box of the perfect wife her abusive husband wanted. And when she finally decides to do the unthinkable, to leave him and move on, she realizes that she never really knew him. Enter Conor Asshole Gallagher, her knight in a not-so-shinny armor, the FBI agent who saves her from the Bratva thanks to her dear ex-husband's dealings with the infamous crime syndicate, and his not-so-clever decision to steal something extremely valuable from them. Between gunfights, interrogations, safe houses and explosions, Shelby finally feels that she is not alone, that there is someone she can trust, someone who sees all the things she tries to hide and embraces them. If only their lives were not hanging by a thread...
❝I saw you, Shelby. I still see you. I think, if I ever go blind, I'll see you in my dreams for the rest of my life.❞

So Wrong It's Right is the perfect blend of suspense and sweep-you-off-your-feet, set-your-cheeks-ablaze romance laced with danger and oh-so-powerful feelings. Julie Johnson's unique writing consists of a heavy dose of reality, dry humor and beautiful metaphors that make your chest clench and your heart ache with yearning. She pours her soul in every word and page, in every kiss and touch, giving them breath, turning them into whirlwinds that devour you while you devour them.
❝What are you more afraid of - abandonment or committment? Loneliness or love? Never putting yourself out there? Or potentially being blown off when you actually do?❞

It is refreshing to feel that you are not alone in your fears, that someone, even a fictional character, dreads the same monsters. It gives you the power to face them. Shelby was a heroine that managed to appear as well-composed, in control even when everything was breaking apart. The hurt she hid, the insecurity, the knowledge that she was invinsible and alone sent a mournful melody straight to my core. Conor was the bandage to her wounds, despite his tough exterior and his bossy ways. I've wanted him to be happy for so long, that seeing him fall head over heels for feisty Shelby seemed surreal. They were equally stubborn and controlling, but their fights were fogged up with steam. Conor gives the definition to alpha male, and let's just say that I wouldn't mind being locked up in a cell with him...



There is one thing, though, that didn't sit right with me, that seemed far-fetched, even in a book dealing with the freaking Bratva (yes I knew all about Bratva because I am a well-educated woman who watches Arrow); while my heart was busy doing her drum thing and my stomach cartwheeling, a tiny voice belonging to the stiff, cynical old lady known as reason kept repeating that everything happened way too fast. This never bothered me before, since (with the exception of Phoebe and Nate) the previous Boston Love stories also unfold in a short time-period. However, in this instance, I couldn't ignore the voice, and the nagging feeling of insta-love that was a cloud to the perfect sunny day of So Wrong It's Right. I know things like that happen in real life; according to my intel, my own parents got engaged after dating for two weeks (Mother claims it was love at first sight, Father that is was a case of dark sorcery or voodoo). I fear, though, that this connection and committment is difficult to establish this soon. This issue, in conjuntion with the occasions where Shelby was a little over the top with her reactions and refusal to listen to Conor, led me to rate it with 4 stars.
❝I'm learning the hard way that real life is nothing like the movies. ❞

So Wrong It's Right is a sweet, emotional and intense story about finding home, that will speak to every romantic soul out there!

*ARC generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*

Review also posted on BookNest!
]]> Clap When You Land 52516332 In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…

In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.

Separated by distance—and Papi’s secrets—the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.

And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.]]> 432 Elizabeth Acevedo 0062882767 Katerina 0 to-read 4.20 2020 Clap When You Land
author: Elizabeth Acevedo
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/06/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> People We Meet on Vacation 54985743 Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love.

Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.

Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven’t spoken since.

Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows without a doubt it was on that ill-fated final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees.

Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?]]> 361 Emily Henry 1984806750 Katerina 5 Hello there, new obsession. 3.84 2021 People We Meet on Vacation
author: Emily Henry
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/06/14
date added: 2022/06/15
shelves: 2022-reads, contemporary-romance
review:
Hello there, new obsession.
]]> <![CDATA[The Inadequate Heir (The Bridge Kingdom, #3)]]> 59574141 Return to the world of The Bridge Kingdom in this sensuous fantasy full of romance and intrigue that is perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Silver Flames.

A soldier raised as heir to an empire, Zarrah is motivated by two truths. The first is that the Veliant family murdered her mother. And the second is that her pursuit of vengeance will put every last one of them in their graves.

The Endless War between Maridrina and Valcotta has raged for generations, leaving thousands of Zarrah’s people dead and countless more orphaned. So when she’s given command of the contested city of Nerastis, Zarrah is prepared to do whatever it takes to destroy the Maridrinian forces who oppose her. And to kill the Veliant prince who leads them.

Yet a chance encounter with an anonymous, and handsome, Maridrinian causes Zarrah to question whether the violence she’s perpetrated is justice or a crime. And as she continues to meet the nameless man each night, she finds common ground - and fiery passion - in his arms.

But when identities are revealed, Zarrah must decide whether to embrace a chance at peace…or march to the drums of war.]]> 545 Danielle L. Jensen 1737924889 Katerina 0 to-read 4.24 2022 The Inadequate Heir (The Bridge Kingdom, #3)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy (Smythe-Smith Quartet, #4)]]> 22046656
Iris Smythe–Smith is used to being underestimated. With her pale hair and quiet, sly wit she tends to blend into the background, and she likes it that way. So when Richard Kenworthy demands an introduction, she is suspicious. He flirts, he charms, he gives every impression of a man falling in love, but she can't quite believe it's all true. When his proposal of marriage turns into a compromising position that forces the issue, she can't help thinking that he's hiding something . . . even as her heart tells her to say yes.]]> 378 Julia Quinn 0062072943 Katerina 3 3.58 2015 The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy (Smythe-Smith Quartet, #4)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2022/05/12
shelves: 2020-reads, historical-romance, regency
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Because of Miss Bridgerton (Rokesbys, #1)]]> 25657772 Sometimes you find love in the most unexpected of places...

This is not one of those times.

Everyone expects Billie Bridgerton to marry one of the Rokesby brothers. The two families have been neighbors for centuries, and as a child the tomboyish Billie ran wild with Edward and Andrew. Either one would make a perfect husband... someday.

Sometimes you fall in love with exactly the person you think you should...

Or not.

There is only one Rokesby Billie absolutely cannot tolerate, and that is George. He may be the eldest and heir to the earldom, but he's arrogant, annoying, and she's absolutely certain he detests her. Which is perfectly convenient, as she can't stand the sight of him, either.

But sometimes fate has a wicked sense of humor...

Because when Billie and George are quite literally thrown together, a whole new sort of sparks begins to fly. And when these lifelong adversaries finally kiss, they just might discover that the one person they can't abide is the one person they can't live without...]]> 375 Julia Quinn 0062388142 Katerina 4 Because if you're on romance binge, Julia Quinn is always the answer.]]> 3.90 2016 Because of Miss Bridgerton (Rokesbys, #1)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/01
date added: 2022/05/12
shelves: 2020-reads, historical-fiction, historical-romance, regency, 2022-reads
review:
Because if you're on romance binge, Julia Quinn is always the answer.
]]> <![CDATA[The Sum of All Kisses (Smythe-Smith Quartet, #3)]]> 15702268 He thinks she's an annoying know-it-all...

Hugh Prentice has never had patience for dramatic females, and if Lady Sarah Pleinsworth has ever been acquainted with the words shy or retiring, she's long since tossed them out the window. Besides, a reckless duel has left this brilliant mathematician with a ruined leg, and now he could never court a woman like Sarah, much less dream of marrying her.

She thinks he's just plain mad...

Sarah has never forgiven Hugh for the duel he fought that nearly destroyed her family. But even if she could find a way to forgive him, it wouldn't matter. She doesn't care that his leg is less than perfect, it's his personality she can't abide. But forced to spend a week in close company they discover that first impressions are not always reliable. And when one kiss leads to two, three, and four, the mathematician may lose count, and the lady may, for the first time, find herself speechless ...

New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn's enchanting third novel in the Smythe-Smith quartet is guaranteed to make you laugh out loud and tug at your heartstrings in equal measures.]]> 373 Julia Quinn 0062072927 Katerina 4 3.92 2013 The Sum of All Kisses (Smythe-Smith Quartet, #3)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/05/12
shelves: 2020-reads, regency, historical-romance
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Night Like This (Smythe-Smith Quartet, #2)]]> 12925200 Anne Wynter might not be who she says she is...

But she's managing quite well as a governess to three highborn young ladies. Her job can be a challenge—in a single week she finds herself hiding in a closet full of tubas, playing an evil queen in a play that might be a tragedy (or might be a comedy—no one is sure), and tending to the wounds of the oh-so-dashing Earl of Winstead. After years of dodging unwanted advances, he's the first man who has truly tempted her, and it's getting harder and harder to remind herself that a governess has no business flirting with a nobleman.

Daniel Smythe-Smith Might be in mortal danger...

But that's not going to stop the young earl from falling in love. And when he spies a mysterious woman at his family's annual musicale, he vows to pursue her, even if that means spending his days with a ten-year-old who thinks she's a unicorn. But Daniel has an enemy, one who has vowed to see him dead. And when Anne is thrown into peril, he will stop at nothing to ensure their happy ending...]]> 373 Julia Quinn 0062072900 Katerina 4 3.83 2012 A Night Like This (Smythe-Smith Quartet, #2)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/05/12
shelves: 2020-reads, historical-romance, regency
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ten Things I Love About You (Bevelstoke, #3)]]> 6950445
1. Sebastian Grey is a devilishly handsome rogue with a secret.

2. Annabel Winslow's family voted her The Winslow Most Likely to Speak Her Mind and The Winslow Most Likely to Fall Asleep in Church.

3. Sebastian's uncle is the Earl of Newbury, and if he dies without siring an heir, Sebastian inherits everything.

4. Lord Newbury detests Sebastian and will stop at nothing to prevent this from happening.

5. Lord Newbury has decided that Annabel is the answer to all of his problems.

6. Annabel does not want to marry Lord Newbury, especially when she finds out he once romanced her grandmother.

7 is shocking, 8 is delicious, and 9 is downright wicked, all of which lead the way to

10. Happily. Ever. After.]]> 377 Julia Quinn 0061491896 Katerina 3 <b>3.5 stars</b> 3.96 2010 Ten Things I Love About You (Bevelstoke, #3)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2019/01/01
date added: 2022/05/12
shelves: 2019-reads, regency, historical-romance
review:
3.5 stars
]]> <![CDATA[The Wedding (Lairds' Fiancées, #2)]]> 107778
1119. Journeying from England to Scotland to wed a highlander, Lady Brenna had resigned herself to the arranged match. But when a band of fierce, painted warriors captured her en route, she fearlessly met their demand to marry their leader -- the quick-tempered laird Connor MacAlister. She couldn't know that her capture was merely the first act of vengeance against her betrothed, Connor's sworn enemy.

Brenna harbored no illusions that her husband was in love with her; after a hasty forest wedding, MacAlister assured her she could return home once she had borne him a son. But she could not deny that she had once proposed to MacAlister -- ten years ago, when she was just a child, and the visitor to her father's castle charmed her with his dazzling, unexpected smile. Now, as she sets out to win the brave chieftain whom she has come to adore, a legacy of revenge ensnares Brenna in a furious clan war -- and only her faith in her gallant hero can save her....]]> 384 Julie Garwood 0743467213 Katerina 0 4.14 1995 The Wedding (Lairds' Fiancées, #2)
author: Julie Garwood
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at: 2021/09/01
date added: 2022/05/12
shelves: 2021-reads, historical-romance, regency
review:
3.5 stars because I liked it a lot, but The Bride remains my favorite.
]]> <![CDATA[The Bride (Lairds' Fiancées, #1)]]> 107779
But Jamie has vowed to never surrender to this fierce highland barbarian. He is everything she had been warned against—an arrogant scoundrel whose rough good looks hint at savage pleasures. And though his scorching kisses fire her blood, she brazenly resists him…until one rapturous moment quells their clash of wills, and something far more dangerous than desire threatens to conquer her completely.]]> 352 Julie Garwood 0743452925 Katerina 4 4.5 stars because, in all honesty, I loved it!

✔️ Highlander romance, oh my!
✔️ A witty heroine who managed to tame the bad-tempered laird with her fiery attitude, non-stop comebacks and compassion (and caused three wars in a week but who counts?)
✔️ An alpha hero who was determined to view his new wife as an object but ended up cherising her like his most precious treasure
✔️ Laugh-out-loud banters and moments
✔️ Saucy times between the kilts
✔️ Kilts
✔️ A dash of politics and a killer on the loose
✔️ NO SEPARATION DRAMA

Romance lovers out there, drop everything you're doing and read The Bride!]]> 4.21 1989 The Bride (Lairds' Fiancées, #1)
author: Julie Garwood
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1989
rating: 4
read at: 2021/08/24
date added: 2022/05/12
shelves: 2021-reads, historical-romance, regency
review:
4.5 stars because, in all honesty, I loved it!

✔️ Highlander romance, oh my!
✔️ A witty heroine who managed to tame the bad-tempered laird with her fiery attitude, non-stop comebacks and compassion (and caused three wars in a week but who counts?)
✔️ An alpha hero who was determined to view his new wife as an object but ended up cherising her like his most precious treasure
✔️ Laugh-out-loud banters and moments
✔️ Saucy times between the kilts
✔️ Kilts
✔️ A dash of politics and a killer on the loose
✔️ NO SEPARATION DRAMA

Romance lovers out there, drop everything you're doing and read The Bride!
]]> <![CDATA[The Secret (Highlands' Lairds, #1)]]> 107770
In a spirited clash of wills and customs, Judith revelled in the melting bliss of Iain's searching kisses, his passionate caresses. Perplexed by her sprightly defiance, bemused by her tender nature, Iain felt his soul growing into the light and warmth of her love. Surely nothing would wrench her from the affection and trust of Iain and his clan...not even the truth about her father, a devastating secret that could shatter the boldest alliance, and the most glorious of loves.]]> 379 Julie Garwood 0671744216 Katerina 4 Julie Garwood is my Achilles' heel when it comes to Scottish lairds.]]> 4.23 1992 The Secret (Highlands' Lairds, #1)
author: Julie Garwood
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/01
date added: 2022/05/11
shelves: 2022-reads, historical-romance, regency
review:
Julie Garwood is my Achilles' heel when it comes to Scottish lairds.
]]> <![CDATA[La catedral del mar (La catedral del mar, #1)]]> 54984
Una construcción que es paralela a la azarosa historia de Arnau, un siervo de la tierra que huye de los abusos de su señor feudal y se refugia en Barcelona, donde se convierte en ciudadano y, con ello, en hombre libre.

El joven Arnau trabaja como palafrenero, estibador, soldado y cambista. Una vida extenuante, siempre al amparo de la catedral de la mar, que le iba a llevar de la miseria del fugitivo a la nobleza y la riqueza. Pero con esta posición privilegiada también le llega la envidia de sus pares, que urden una sórdida conjura que pone su vida en manos de la Inquisición...

"La catedral del mar" es una trama en la que se entrecruzan lealtad y venganza, traición y amor, guerra y peste, en un mundo marcado por la intolerancia religiosa, la ambición material y la segregación social. Todo ello convierte esta obra no sólo en una novela absorbente, sino también en la más fascinante y ambiciosa recreación de las luces y sombras de la época feudal.]]> 670 Ildefonso Falcones Katerina 4
A solid, raw, devastating yet peculiarly hopeful journey.]]> 4.21 2006 La catedral del mar (La catedral del mar, #1)
author: Ildefonso Falcones
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/01
date added: 2022/05/11
shelves: 2022-reads, historical-fiction
review:
The Pillars of the Earth, but in Spain.

A solid, raw, devastating yet peculiarly hopeful journey.
]]> <![CDATA[A Discovery of Witches (All Souls, #1)]]> 8667848
Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.]]> 592 Deborah Harkness 0670022411 Katerina 4


Can't complain.]]> 4.01 2011 A Discovery of Witches (All Souls, #1)
author: Deborah Harkness
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/01
date added: 2022/05/11
shelves: paranormal, urban-fantasy, 2022-reads
review:
With Matthew Clairmont, vampires are back in fashion.



Can't complain.
]]> <![CDATA[Devil in Spring (The Ravenels, #3)]]> 30179647
Most debutantes dream of finding a husband. Lady Pandora Ravenel has different plans. The ambitious young beauty would much rather stay at home and plot out her new board game business than take part in the London Season. But one night at a glittering society ball, she’s ensnared in a scandal with a wickedly handsome stranger.

A cynical rake

After years of evading marital traps with ease, Gabriel, Lord St. Vincent, has finally been caught by a rebellious girl who couldn’t be less suitable. In fact, she wants nothing to do with him. But Gabriel finds the high-spirited Pandora irresistible. He’ll do whatever it takes to possess her, even if their marriage of convenience turns out to be the devil’s own bargain.

A perilous plot

After succumbing to Gabriel’s skilled and sensuous persuasion, Pandora agrees to become his bride. But soon she discovers that her entrepreneurial endeavors have accidentally involved her in a dangerous conspiracy–and only her husband can keep her safe. As Gabriel protects her from their unknown adversaries, they realize their devil’s bargain may just turn out to be a match made in heaven.]]> 384 Lisa Kleypas Katerina 4 My favorite Ravenels instalment so far.

You know why? Because not keeping secrets and actually communicating your issues (therefore avoiding unnecessary drama) is sexy, people!]]> 4.04 2017 Devil in Spring (The Ravenels, #3)
author: Lisa Kleypas
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/02
date added: 2022/05/11
shelves: historical-fiction, historical-romance, regency, 2022-reads
review:
My favorite Ravenels instalment so far.

You know why? Because not keeping secrets and actually communicating your issues (therefore avoiding unnecessary drama) is sexy, people!
]]> <![CDATA[The Match (It Happened in Charleston, #1)]]> 53257881 Sometimes, love finds you when you least expect it...

Having worked for Southern Service Paws for a few years now, I like to think I’m prepared for just about any client meeting under the sun. I am dead wrong.

The day I meet with single dad, Jacob Broaden, about potentially matching his daughter with one of our service dogs, I learn a few valuable lessons.

1) Always set my alarm clock.
2) Single dads are way hotter than I previously thought.
3) It is possible to go from fantasizing about kissing someone to wishing they would be run over by a truck in a matter of two minutes.

Unfortunately, I don’t hold that opinion of him for very long. Not when he shows me a different side of himself—one that’s sweet as maple syrup and hot as apple pie fresh out of the oven. And after a few days of working closely with him and his daughter, he starts looking at me with fire in his eyes, making me dream of something I probably shouldn’t…
A family.

The Match is a feel-good, closed-door romantic comedy! Perfect for readers who enjoy sweet, sizzling chemistry with passionate kissing only. ]]> 284 Sarah Adams Katerina 0 to-read 3.92 2020 The Match (It Happened in Charleston, #1)
author: Sarah Adams
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A River Enchanted (Elements of Cadence, #1)]]> 58132544
As Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together, they find they make better allies than rivals as their partnership turns into something more. But with each passing song, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected, and an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all.]]> 467 Rebecca Ross 0063055988 Katerina 0 to-read 4.05 2022 A River Enchanted (Elements of Cadence, #1)
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked, #1)]]> 52735921 Two sisters.
One brutal murder.
A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself...
And an intoxicating romance.

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

Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked—princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia's side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women's murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems...]]> 372 Kerri Maniscalco 0316428469 Katerina 3 STUPID decisions.]]> 3.86 2020 Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked, #1)
author: Kerri Maniscalco
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2021/08/01
date added: 2021/12/31
shelves: 2021-reads, fantasy, paranormal
review:
I would have enjoyed it more if not for Emilia's parade of STUPID decisions.
]]> The Death of Ivan Ilych 18386
How, Tolstoy asks, does an unreflective man confront his one and only moment of truth?

This short novel was an artistic culmination of a profound spiritual crisis in Tolstoy's life, a nine-year period following the publication of Anna Karenina during which he wrote not a word of fiction.
A thoroughly absorbing, and, at times, terrifying glimpse into the abyss of death, it is also a strong testament to the possibility of finding spiritual salvation.]]> 86 Leo Tolstoy Katerina 0 2021-reads, classics 4.13 1886 The Death of Ivan Ilych
author: Leo Tolstoy
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1886
rating: 0
read at: 2021/12/26
date added: 2021/12/31
shelves: 2021-reads, classics
review:
I can't rate this one because (A) it's Tolstoy and (B) it's one of the shortest books I've ever read that left me a mess, probably because reading about death, dying, regrets and the meaning of life was not the smartest decision at the moment. Its huge impact, however, is an attestation to Tolstoy's exquisite pen and astonishing depiction of human nature.
]]> <![CDATA[Sips & Strokes (Unlikely Pairings, #1)]]> 57145262
Enter Calder Ross. The sexy Scot’s abs have graced the cover of many romance novel bestsellers, but the reformed playboy needs a more serious image if he wants to land his dream job as the spokesman for Sonce Whisky. Modeling for Lily’s figure drawing class is step one in the right direction.

After their very adorable—and very naked—meet-cute, Lily and Calder realize that they can be each other’s saving grace. Lily can bring Calder to the wedding as her fake boyfriend to ward off pitying stares. Calder can bring Lily to Sonce events as his fake girlfriend to show he’s the responsible, relationship-minded guy that execs want as the face of their brand.

But the longer Lily and Calder play pretend, the harder it becomes to deny the very real chemistry between them. Will they play it safe and stick to their fake roles? Or will they throw out the playbook completely and risk it all for love?]]> 253 Sarah Skye Katerina 3 3.61 2021 Sips & Strokes (Unlikely Pairings, #1)
author: Sarah Skye
name: Katerina
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2021/12/22
date added: 2021/12/31
shelves: 2021-reads, contemporary-romance
review:
3.5 stars? I don't know, leave me alone.
]]> The Love Hypothesis 56732449 When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman's carefully calculated theories on love into chaos

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships—but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor—and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. And when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding. . . six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.]]> 400 Ali Hazelwood 0593336828 Katerina 4 The hype is strong with this one.

]]> 4.08 2021 The Love Hypothesis
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/21
date added: 2021/12/30
shelves: 2021-reads, contemporary-romance
review:
The hype is strong with this one.


]]> Emma 6969 The newest edition is here. Another alternate cover can be found here.

Emma Woodhouse is one of Austen's most captivating and vivid characters. Beautiful, spoilt, vain and irrepressibly witty, Emma organizes the lives of the inhabitants of her sleepy little village and plays matchmaker with devastating effect.]]> 474 Jane Austen 0141439580 Katerina 5 classics 4.05 1815 Emma
author: Jane Austen
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1815
rating: 5
read at: 2021/10/01
date added: 2021/12/30
shelves: classics
review:
The 2009 BBC adaptation ruined me for life. Just give me Mr. Knightley already.
]]> <![CDATA[Marrying Winterborne (The Ravenels, #2)]]> 26242354 A ruthless tycoon.

Savage ambition has brought common-born Rhys Winterborne vast wealth and success. In business and beyond, Rhys gets exactly what he wants. And from the moment he meets the shy, aristocratic Lady Helen Ravenel, he is determined to possess her. If he must take her virtue to ensure she marries him, so much the better . . .

A sheltered beauty.

Helen has had little contact with the glittering, cynical world of London society. Yet Rhys’s determined seduction awakens an intense mutual passion. Helen’s gentle upbringing belies a stubborn conviction that only she can tame her unruly husband. As Rhys’s enemies conspire against them, Helen must trust him with her darkest secret. The risks are unthinkable . . . the reward, a lifetime of incomparable bliss.

And it all begins with . . . marrying Mr. Winterborne]]> 380 Lisa Kleypas 0062371843 Katerina 3 Meh. 4.07 2016 Marrying Winterborne (The Ravenels, #2)
author: Lisa Kleypas
name: Katerina
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2021/10/01
date added: 2021/12/30
shelves: 2021-reads, historical-romance, regency
review:
Meh.
]]>