Josh's bookshelf: all en-US Thu, 10 Sep 2026 17:28:56 -0700 60 Josh's bookshelf: all 144 41 https://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 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 Josh 5 romantic-fantasies
Nonetheless, this book was one hell of an adventure and I can’t wait to see what happens next. ]]> 4.16 2025 Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Josh
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2026/09/10
date added: 2026/09/10
shelves: romantic-fantasies
review:
I loved this. It was definitely more structured than Iron Flame in the sense that the “ Island Hopping” portion of the book kept the plot together and gave the story a very clear direction to follow. The objectives of this mission were also very clear. As a reader, I always knew what the mission was for the characters and why they were doing the things they were doing. Once again, the battles were epic and the action was great. This was an epic adventure in every sense of the word. As for spice, it’s definitely not as spicy as other sub genres of romance such as Sports Romances (ex: Off Campus) or Historical Romance (ex: Bridgerton). It’s not closed door when it comes to spice but nothing out of the ordinary happens in the spicy scenes. Out of 5 chilli peppers in spice, I’d give it a 1.5 Maybe 2 at most if I’m being generous.

Nonetheless, this book was one hell of an adventure and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
]]> 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 Josh 5 romantic-fantasies
The spice was also much more prominent than the first book. However, it’s still not anywhere near the level of spice you’ll find in standard romance novels nowadays. I’d give it a rating of 1.5 chilly peppers in terms of spice. Other sub-genres of romance such as Historical Romance (ex: Bridgerton) and Sports Romances (ex: Off Campus) are much spicier than this.

If you want to be taken on an epic adventure that’s full of emotion, twists, and magic. I can’t recommend this book enough. This book is the perfect example of what a fantasy novel is supposed to be. If you’re a hardcore romance novel reader looking for something to physically turn you on, this won’t do it at all.

As someone who is primarily a romance novel reader, I approached this book with the mindset of considering it as more of a fantasy/adventure novel. With that approach in mind, I really loved this book. I couldn’t stop reading once I started. It’s got epic battles, treacherous journeys, political tension, and so much more.]]> 4.32 2023 Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Josh
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2026/09/04
date added: 2026/09/07
shelves: romantic-fantasies
review:
I liked this one a lot. It’s a lot bigger in terms of size and scale than the first book. There’s much more adventure and action in this one and I completely immersed myself in this. That being said, I did take much longer to finish this book not only because of the length, but because of the more “abstract” concepts of magic present in this. I had to take more time to fully understand the way things work in the world.

The spice was also much more prominent than the first book. However, it’s still not anywhere near the level of spice you’ll find in standard romance novels nowadays. I’d give it a rating of 1.5 chilly peppers in terms of spice. Other sub-genres of romance such as Historical Romance (ex: Bridgerton) and Sports Romances (ex: Off Campus) are much spicier than this.

If you want to be taken on an epic adventure that’s full of emotion, twists, and magic. I can’t recommend this book enough. This book is the perfect example of what a fantasy novel is supposed to be. If you’re a hardcore romance novel reader looking for something to physically turn you on, this won’t do it at all.

As someone who is primarily a romance novel reader, I approached this book with the mindset of considering it as more of a fantasy/adventure novel. With that approach in mind, I really loved this book. I couldn’t stop reading once I started. It’s got epic battles, treacherous journeys, political tension, and so much more.
]]> <![CDATA[Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)]]> 61431922
"Suspenseful, sexy, and with incredibly entertaining storytelling, the first in Yarros' Empyrean series will delight fans of romantic, adventure-filled fantasy." ―Booklist, starred review

"Fourth Wing will have your heart pounding from beginning to end... A fantasy like you've never read before." ―#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout


Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from #1 New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros

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.

The Empyrean series is best enjoyed in order.
Reading Order:
Book #1 Fourth Wing
Book #2 Iron Flame
Book #3 Onyx Storm]]> 517 Rebecca Yarros 1649374046 Josh 5 romantic-fantasies 4.54 2023 Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Josh
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2026/08/31
date added: 2026/08/31
shelves: romantic-fantasies
review:
Absolutely incredible. Picture perfect in every way. This book had me completely immersed from beginning to end and there weren't any dull phases or dragging moments. The plot twists were completely insane and it made me feel like a complete fool by the end (but in a good way). I never saw those plot twists coming at all. Rebecca Yarros is a genius for coming up with a masterpiece like this.
]]> <![CDATA[Love Song (Campus Diaries, #4)]]> 231474494 New York Times bestselling author Elle Kennedy returns with her signature heat and humor for a Briar universe standalone romance featuring the next generation Off-Campus characters―where one unforgettable summer changes everything.

After a brutal breakup, college junior Blake Logan escapes to her family’s lake house in Tahoe, determined to shut out the world. Her plan is simple: no men, no drama. Until Wyatt Graham shows up. Four years older and far too good at getting under her skin, Wyatt is the living embodiment of a “bad idea,” and the guy who shattered her pride when she confessed her crush at sixteen.

With his music career stalled, Wyatt has come to Tahoe for inspiration. The last thing he expects is to find it with Blake. He’s spent years keeping his distance, convinced he’s all wrong for her, but she’s no longer the innocent girl he once knew. She’s confident, captivating, and impossible to ignore. And the slow-burning tension between them? It’s catching fire fast.

They both know this can’t last, but one reckless kiss turns into another, and soon they’re tangled in something that feels dangerously like more. Just as they finally give in to the pull, tragedy tears them apart, leaving their hearts in pieces.

But forgetting that one, nearly perfect summer? Not a chance. And when fate brings them together again, Blake and Wyatt must decide if this is a second chance…or the final verse.]]> 528 Elle Kennedy 1464241554 Josh 5 contemporary-romances 3.80 2026 Love Song (Campus Diaries, #4)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: Josh
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2026
rating: 5
read at: 2026/08/26
date added: 2026/08/26
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> The Dare (Briar U, #4) 52918684
The dare: seduce the hottest new hockey player in the junior class.

Conor Edwards is a regular at Greek Row parties…and in Greek Row sorority beds. He’s the one you fall for before you learn that guys like him don’t give girls like me a second glance. Except Mr. Popular throws me for a loop—rather than laughing in my face, he does me a solid by letting me take him upstairs to pretend we’re getting busy.

Even crazier, now he wants to keep pretending. Turns out Conor loves games, and he thinks it’s fun to pull the wool over my frenemies’ eyes.

But resisting his easy charm and surfer-boy hotness is darn near impossible. Though I’m realizing there’s much more to Conor’s story than his fan club can see.

And the longer this silly ruse goes on, the greater the danger of it all blowing up in my face.]]> 354 Elle Kennedy Josh 5 contemporary-romances 3.66 2020 The Dare (Briar U, #4)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: Josh
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2026/08/05
date added: 2026/08/26
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> The Deal (Off-Campus, #1) 45484397
All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he's worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he's all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn't take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn't going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.]]> 360 Elle Kennedy Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.11 2015 The Deal (Off-Campus, #1)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: Josh
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2026/06/26
date added: 2026/08/26
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> The Risk (Briar U, #2) 41032121
And that’s who Jake Connelly is. Harvard’s star forward is arrogant, annoying, and too attractive for his own good. But fate is cruel—I require his help to secure a much-coveted internship, and the sexy jerk isn’t making it easy for me.

I need Connelly to be my fake boyfriend.

For every fake date…he wants a real one.

Which means this bad girl is in big trouble. Nothing good can come from sneaking around with Jake Connelly. My father would kill me, my friends will revolt, and my post-college career is on the line. But while it’s getting harder and harder to resist Jake’s oozing sex appeal and cocky grin, I refuse to fall for him.

That’s the one risk I’m not willing to take.]]> 402 Elle Kennedy Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.20 2019 The Risk (Briar U, #2)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: Josh
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2026/07/27
date added: 2026/08/26
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> The Score (Off-Campus, #3) 44593125
He knows how to score, on and off the ice...

Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn’t have the first clue about what she's going to do after college. To make matters worse, she’s nursing a broken heart thanks to the end of her longtime relationship. Wild rebound sex is definitely not the solution to her problems, but gorgeous hockey star Dean Di Laurentis is impossible to resist. Just once, though, because even if her future is uncertain, it sure as heck won’t include the king of one-night stands.

It’ll take more than flashy moves to win her over...

Dean always gets what he wants. Girls, grades, girls, recognition, girls…he’s a ladies man, all right, and he’s yet to meet a woman who’s immune to his charms. Until Allie. For one night, the feisty blonde rocked his entire world—and now she wants to be friends? Nope. It’s not over until he says it’s over. Dean is in full-on pursuit, but when life-rocking changes strike, he starts to wonder if maybe it’s time to stop focusing on scoring…and shoot for love.]]> 384 Elle Kennedy Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.06 2016 The Score (Off-Campus, #3)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: Josh
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2026/07/02
date added: 2026/08/26
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> Flipped 331920 Flipped is a romance told in two voices. The first time Juli Baker saw Bryce Loski, she flipped. The first time Bryce saw Juli, he ran. That's pretty much the pattern for these two neighbors until the eighth grade, when, just as Juli is realizing Bryce isn't as wonderful as she thought, Bryce is starting to see that Juli is pretty amazing. How these two teens manage to see beyond the surface of things and come together makes for a comic and poignant romance.]]> 212 Wendelin Van Draanen 0375825444 Josh 5 young-adult-romances 4.00 2001 Flipped
author: Wendelin Van Draanen
name: Josh
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2022/09/24
date added: 2026/08/26
shelves: young-adult-romances
review:

]]> November 9 25111004 Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

Can Ben’s relationship with Fallon—and simultaneously his novel—be considered a love story if it ends in heartbreak?]]> 310 Colleen Hoover 1501110349 Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.08 2015 November 9
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Josh
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2026/08/26
shelves: contemporary-romances
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.]]> 498 Elle Kennedy 1990101186 Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.17 2023 The Graham Effect (Campus Diaries, #1)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: Josh
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2026/08/11
date added: 2026/08/26
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Charlie Method (Campus Diaries, #3)]]> 212688557 The third in the steamy, hilarious Campus Diaries series by New York Times bestselling author Elle Kennedy, set in the same world as Off Campus and Briar U.

College senior Charlotte Kingston is living two lives―and she's nailing both of them. By day, she's the perfect sorority girl, a STEM student in biomedical engineering, and the adopted daughter of an overachiever family. At night, she's Charlie: a risk-taking daredevil looking for fun who finds herself chatting on a dating app with two anonymous hotties.

Will Larsen may seem like the breezy boy next door, but his congressman father is a constant thorn in his side. After a scandal hits another Division 1 hockey program, Will's dad is determined to distance his son from it, hiring a journalist to prove how squeaky-clean Will and his team are. Which means the last thing Will wants is for anyone to find out he and his best friend Beckett Dunne―a laidback Aussie shielding secret heartache―sometimes share girls in the bedroom.

When Charlie finally meets them in person and realizes she's been chatting with two gorgeous Briar U hockey players, things get steamy―fast. But all their messy secrets are piling up, and real life soon threatens to shatter the fantasy. With Charlie, Will, and Beckett all coming to terms with what they want and what others want for them, difficult decisions will need to be made.

Especially when lust starts to look a lot like love.]]> 528 Elle Kennedy 1464219354 Josh 5 contemporary-romances 3.37 2025 The Charlie Method (Campus Diaries, #3)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: Josh
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2026/08/21
date added: 2026/08/21
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Dixon Rule (Campus Diaries, #2)]]> 200338241
Shane just moved into her apartment building and seems dedicated to sleeping his way through her entire cheerleading squad. Sure, he’s a tall, gorgeous hockey player, but he’s messing with her turf. This calls for some ground rules: no parties in her apartment, leave her teammates alone, and—most importantly—leave her alone.

What Diana doesn’t realize is that Shane’s sick of hookups and tired of being on the rebound after his long-term girlfriend called it quits. He wants a relationship. And when his ex comes back into the picture, he pretends he has one to make her jealous…and who better to play the girlfriend role than his sassy new neighbor?

Despite Diana’s reluctance to break her rule, a fake relationship is the perfect solution for her own ex issues, and soon she can’t deny something is sizzling between her and Shane. Something hot and completely unexpected.

And it might just be getting a little too real.]]> 498 Elle Kennedy Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.13 2024 The Dixon Rule (Campus Diaries, #2)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: Josh
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2026/08/18
date added: 2026/08/18
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> The Mistake (Off-Campus, #2) 45756920 283 Elle Kennedy Josh 4 contemporary-romances 3.82 2015 The Mistake (Off-Campus, #2)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: Josh
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2026/06/30
date added: 2026/08/17
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> The Goal (Off-Campus, #4) 32315591 9781533344342

She’s good at achieving her goals…

College senior Sabrina James has her whole future planned out: graduate from college, kick butt in law school, and land a high-paying job at a cutthroat firm. Her path to escaping her shameful past certainly doesn’t include a gorgeous hockey player who believes in love at first sight. One night of sizzling heat and surprising tenderness is all she’s willing to give John Tucker, but sometimes, one night is all it takes for your entire life to change.

But the game just got a whole lot more complicated

Tucker believes being a team player is as important as being the star. On the ice, he’s fine staying out of the spotlight, but when it comes to becoming a daddy at the age of twenty-two, he refuses to be a bench warmer. It doesn’t hurt that the soon-to-be mother of his child is beautiful, whip-smart, and keeps him on his toes. The problem is, Sabrina’s heart is locked up tight, and the fiery brunette is too stubborn to accept his help. If he wants a life with the woman of his dreams, he’ll have to convince her that some goals can only be made with an assist.]]> 384 Elle Kennedy Josh 4 contemporary-romances 3.74 2016 The Goal (Off-Campus, #4)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: Josh
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2026/08/17
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> The Legacy (Off-Campus, #5) 58953656 The international bestselling Off-Campus series returns with a collection of four novellas by New York Times bestselling author and TikTok sensation Elle Kennedy! This brand-new installment provides the much-anticipated answer to the question: Where are they now?

Four stories. Four couples. Three years of real life after graduation…
A wedding.
A proposal.
An elopement.
And a surprise pregnancy.

Life after college for Garrett and Hannah, Logan and Grace, Dean and Allie, and Tucker and Sabrina, isn't quite what they imagined it would be. Sure, they have each other, but they also have real-life problems that four years at Briar U didn't exactly prepare them for. As it turns out, for these four couples, love is the easy part. Growing up is a whole lot harder.

Come for the drama, stay for the laughs! Catch up with your favorite Off-Campus characters as they navigate the changes that come with growing up and discover that big decisions can have big consequences… and big rewards.]]> 339 Elle Kennedy 1990101054 Josh 4 contemporary-romances 3.75 2021 The Legacy (Off-Campus, #5)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: Josh
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2026/08/07
date added: 2026/08/17
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> The Chase (Briar U, #1) 34851664
Everyone says opposites attract. And they must be right, because there’s no logical reason why I’m so drawn to Colin Fitzgerald. I don’t usually go for tattoo-covered, video-gaming, hockey-playing nerd-jocks who think I’m flighty and superficial. His narrow view of me is the first strike against him. It doesn’t help that he’s buddy-buddy with my brother.

And that his best friend has a crush on me.

And that I just moved in with them.

Oh, did I not mention we’re roommates?

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

He knows where to find me.]]> 368 Elle Kennedy 0994054459 Josh 4 contemporary-romances 3.81 2018 The Chase (Briar U, #1)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: Josh
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2026/07/24
date added: 2026/08/17
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> The Play (Briar U, #3) 43877254
But there’s nothing in the rulebook that says I can’t be friends with a woman. And I won’t lie—my new classmate Demi Davis is one cool chick. Her smart mouth is hot as hell, and so is the rest of her, but the fact that she’s got a boyfriend eliminates the temptation to touch her.

Except three months into our friendship, Demi is single and looking for a rebound.

And she’s making a play for me.

Avoiding her is impossible. We’re paired up on a yearlong school project, but I’m confident I can resist her. We’d never work, anyway. Our backgrounds are too different, our goals aren’t aligned, and her parents hate my guts.

Hooking up is a very bad idea. Now I just have to convince my body—and my heart.]]> 422 Elle Kennedy Josh 3 contemporary-romances 3.97 2019 The Play (Briar U, #3)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: Josh
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2026/07/31
date added: 2026/08/17
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> 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 Josh 3 contemporary-romances 4.06 2022 Book Lovers
author: Emily Henry
name: Josh
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2026/07/19
shelves: contemporary-romances
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 Josh 5 contemporary-romances 3.83 2021 People We Meet on Vacation
author: Emily Henry
name: Josh
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/23
date added: 2026/07/19
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> Love, Rosie 147865
She gets into Boston University, Alex gets into Harvard, and everything is falling into place, when on the eve of her departure, Rosie gets news that will change their lives forever: She's pregnant by a boy she'd gone out with while on the rebound from Alex.

Her dreams for college, Alex, and a glamorous career dashed, Rosie stays in Dublin to become a single mother, while Alex pursues a medical career and a new love in Boston. But destiny is a funny thing, and in this novel, structured as a series of clever e-mails, letters, notes, and a trail of missed opportunities, Alex and Rosie find out that fate isn't done with them yet.

Sometimes you have to look at life in a whole new way...

From the bestselling author of PS, I Love You comes a delightfully enchanting novel about what happens when two people who are meant to be together just can't seem to get it right.]]> 512 Cecelia Ahern 0786891084 Josh 4 contemporary-romances 3.95 2004 Love, Rosie
author: Cecelia Ahern
name: Josh
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/28
date added: 2026/07/19
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> Beach Read 52867387
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.

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.]]> 358 Emily Henry 1984806734 Josh 3 contemporary-romances 3.95 2020 Beach Read
author: Emily Henry
name: Josh
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/15
date added: 2026/07/19
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> Happy Place 61718053 Think of your happy place. . . .

HARRIET AND WYN have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.

They broke up five months ago . . . and still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing a 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, blissful 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 laidback 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?]]> 388 Emily Henry 0593441273 Josh 4 contemporary-romances 3.92 2023 Happy Place
author: Emily Henry
name: Josh
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/17
date added: 2026/07/19
shelves: contemporary-romances
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 Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.18 2024 Funny Story
author: Emily Henry
name: Josh
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/07
date added: 2026/07/19
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> Great Big Beautiful Life 218559595
When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.

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

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

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

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

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad… depending on who’s telling it.

Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.]]> 432 Emily Henry Josh 4 contemporary-romances 3.91 2025 Great Big Beautiful Life
author: Emily Henry
name: Josh
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/28
date added: 2026/07/19
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> Our Perfect Storm 239703816
Frankie and George have been best friends since they were eight years old. Both passionate, impulsive, and headstrong—they’ve always clashed . . . and come back together. Until now. It’s the eve of Frankie’s wedding weekend, and she doesn’t know where they stand or even if George will show up as her best man.

Then, at the start of the festivities, in walks George. For one glorious evening, surrounded by her loved ones, Frankie’s life is finally perfect. But it all comes crashing down when her fiancé dumps her the next morning, leaving only a note as an explanation.

Crushed and confused, Frankie returns to her family’s home to wallow. But George has a different idea and a plan for healing Frankie’s broken heart. He wants her to go on her honeymoon. With him. For one week, to the lush rainforests and misty beaches of Tofino.

Frankie agrees, seeing the trip for what it really is: one last chance to repair their friendship. Even if it means unearthing secrets and long buried feelings neither knows how to handle. Even if it means falling apart for good.]]> 432 Carley Fortune 059395324X Josh 5 contemporary-romances 3.96 2026 Our Perfect Storm
author: Carley Fortune
name: Josh
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2026
rating: 5
read at: 2026/05/19
date added: 2026/05/19
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> Woman Down 241458703 In this twisty thriller from New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a frustrated author looks for her muse in a remote hideaway, but what she finds defies all expectations…and reality.

Her words used to set the page on fire. But a viral backlash over her latest film adaptation forced Petra Rose to take a hiatus, resulting in missed deadlines and an overdue mortgage. Branded a fraud and fame-hungry opportunist, she learned the hard way what happens when the internet turns on you. And she’s been uninspired to write ever since.

Now, with her next suspense novel outlined and savings nearly gone, she retreats to a secluded lakeside cabin, hoping to find inspiration. It’s Petra’s last-ditch attempt to save her career—and herself.

Then he shows up.

Detective Nathaniel Saint arrives with disturbing news, his presence igniting a creativity in her she thought long since burned out. Petra’s words return in a rush, and her fictional cop character begins to mirror the very real cop who’s becoming her muse.

Their “research” sessions blur the lines between fantasy and reality. Each glance, every touch pulls Petra deeper into a world she thought she’d never lose herself in again. She’s never felt more alive. But inspiration this powerful comes at a cost.

When Saint starts taking his role in her career a little too seriously, Petra’s forced to confront the chaos she created. But doing so could cost her more than the reputation she’s been trying to salvage. The reputation the world wrote for her—the reputation only she can reclaim.]]> 312 Colleen Hoover 1542025621 Josh 2 contemporary-romances 3.49 2026 Woman Down
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Josh
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2026
rating: 2
read at: 2026/01/16
date added: 2026/01/16
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[To Woo and to Wed (The Regency Vows, #5)]]> 176443242 The final installment in the Regency Vows series follows the heir to a dukedom and a young widow, once very much in love, as they reunite years later to fake an engagement for the benefit of her sister.

West, the Marquess of Weston, and Sophie, Lady Fitzwilliam Bridewell, have lately been spending a considerable amount of time together. But West and Sophie are not new acquaintances. In fact, years ago, they had once been nearly engaged until West’s almost fatal curricle accident and his meddling father threw them off course.

Now recently widowed, Sophie has put aside all thoughts of romance. But when her widowed sister, Alexandra, mentions a fondness for an earl, Sophie realizes that she may be holding her sister back. Alexandra won’t move forward with an engagement until Sophie, too, settles down again, and so Sophie approaches West with a plan. They will announce their engagement and break things off once Alexandra is happily married. It’ll be simple. After all, it’s not like she is going to fall for West a second time, not when Sophie has sworn not to risk her heart again.]]> 325 Martha Waters 1668007924 Josh 3 19th-century-england-romances 3.71 2024 To Woo and to Wed (The Regency Vows, #5)
author: Martha Waters
name: Josh
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/10/31
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Lady's Guide to Scandal (A Lady's Guide, #2)]]> 63018956 Internationally bestselling author Sophie Irwin brings us another fresh, witty take on a romantic escape led by a deeply lovable heroine determined to start living on her own terms

When shy Miss Eliza Balfour married the austere Earl of Somerset, twenty years her senior, it was the match of the season--no matter that he was not the husband Eliza would have chosen.

But ten years later, Eliza is widowed. And at eight and twenty years, she is suddenly left titled, rich, and, for the first time in her life, utterly in control of her own future. Instead of living out her mourning quietly, Eliza heads to Bath with her cousin Margaret. After years of living according to everyone else's rules, Eliza has resolved, at last, to do as she wants.

But when the ripples of the dowager Lady Somerset's behavior reach the new Lord Somerset--whom Eliza knew, once, as a younger woman--Eliza is forced to confront the fact that freedom does not come without consequences, though it also brings unexpected opportunities . . .]]> 359 Sophie Irwin 0593492005 Josh 3 19th-century-england-romances 3.77 2023 A Lady's Guide to Scandal (A Lady's Guide, #2)
author: Sophie Irwin
name: Josh
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/09/07
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days]]> 202942192 From the Sunday Times bestselling author of A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting comes a delicious new Regency romance…

Rich, handsome, and titled Lord Ashford, has every lady in England longing for his hand in marriage.

Everyone, that is, except Miss Lydia Hanworth – the only young woman Ashford wishes to marry.

Pressured into accepting Ashford’s proposal, Lydia has just ten days to free herself from her obligations before the engagement is publicly announced… what can go wrong?]]> 384 Sophie Irwin 0008696748 Josh 3 19th-century-england-romances 3.78 2025 How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days
author: Sophie Irwin
name: Josh
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/11/11
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Not That Duke (Would-Be Wallflowers, #3)]]> 63135522 The Duke of Huntington has no interest in an eccentric redhead who frowns at him over her spectacles…until he realizes that she is the only possible duchess for him. A new enemies-to-lovers romance by New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James.

Bespeckled and freckled, Lady Stella Corsham at least has a dowry that has attracted a crowd of fortune-hunting suitors—which definitely doesn’t include the sinfully handsome Silvester Parnell, Duke of Huntington, who laughingly calls her “Specs” as he chases after elegant rivals.

And then—

The worst happens. Marriage.

To the duke. To a man marrying her for all the wrong reasons.

How can Silvester possibly convince Stella that he’s fallen in love with the quirky woman he married? Especially after she laughingly announces that she’s in love—but not with that duke.

Not with her husband.]]> 384 Eloisa James 0063139626 Josh 3 19th-century-england-romances 3.70 2023 Not That Duke (Would-Be Wallflowers, #3)
author: Eloisa James
name: Josh
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/07/18
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Reluctant Countess (Would-Be Wallflowers, #2)]]> 60569776 New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James returns to the Would-Be Wallflowers series with an enemies-to-lovers romance between a proper earl and an entirely improper lady--whom he can't stop thinking about.

Giles Renwick, Earl of Lilford, has never made a fool of himself over a woman--until he meets Lady Yasmin Régnier. Yasmin is ineligible for his attentions in every way: not as a wife, certainly not as a mistress (she is a lady!), nor even as a friend, since they vehemently dislike each other. Her gowns are too low, and her skirts are dampened to cling to admittedly lovely thighs. She loves to gossip--and giggle.

She isn't dignified, or polite, or even truly British, given that her father's French ancestry clearly predominated. Not to mention the fact that her mother had been one of Napoleon's mistresses, a fact she makes no effort to hide.

So what--in heaven's name--possesses him to propose?

And what will he do if she says yes?]]> 384 Eloisa James 006313957X Josh 3 19th-century-england-romances 3.57 2022 The Reluctant Countess (Would-Be Wallflowers, #2)
author: Eloisa James
name: Josh
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/07/13
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Duke for Diana (Designing Debutantes, #1)]]> 58955225 From the beloved New York Times bestselling author comes a dazzling new series perfect for fans of Bridgerton, featuring a talk-of-the-ton trio of young women who’ve eschewed working as governesses to utilize their talents for fashion, food, and music, by running their own party planning enterprise, Elegant Occasions. And if they, and their wealthy clients, happen to find love along the way, it just makes their efforts all the more rewarding…

Goodreads Summer Romance Reading Recommendation

Self-made civil engineer Geoffrey Brookhouse has unexpectedly inherited the dukedom of Grenwood. But he has a secret that could ruin his family. Hoping to save his timid sister from that fate, he seeks to marry her off to a respectable, protective gentleman. With the London Season imminent, Geoffrey hires Elegant Occasions to orchestrate her debut. Yet Lady Diana Harper, spirited fashion expert, proves more than he bargained for. Suddenly, Geoffrey’s sister is emerging from her shell, and he is beleaguered with social invitations and gossip! Worse, Diana is attempting to transform him into a presentable duke—when all he really wants is to win her heart...

Diana doesn’t know what to make of the handsome, disheveled duke. The man bristles at the very idea that his fashion faux pas might spoil his sister’s chances. Yet Geoffrey’s stubbornness simply inspires Diana to ruffle his feathers—by setting him on a course of self-improvement. Although there’s something endearing, even irresistible about his flaws, can a man who hates the ton tolerate a woman who makes her living catering to them? Little does either know that they have more in common than they suspect—and that two can create a society all their own...

]]> 352 Sabrina Jeffries 1420153773 Josh 3 19th-century-england-romances 3.55 2022 A Duke for Diana (Designing Debutantes, #1)
author: Sabrina Jeffries
name: Josh
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/18
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Worst Duke in London (Taming of the Dukes, #3)]]> 204594051 Book #3 from the series: Taming of the Dukes
🎧Run Time = 9 hours and 58 minutes

From a “must-read author” ( Jodi Picoult) comes a “wickedly witty, sublimely sensual” Regency romance (Booklist). Lady Evangeline Raine wants nothing to do with suitors, but when Duke Gage Croft is paid to pursue her, she turns the tables with a scandalous proposal. What begins as pretense ignites real passion neither of them can ignore… ✳Performed by an Audie Award–winning narrator!

Bridgerton meets 10 Things I Hate About You in this spicy enemies-to-lovers Regency romance from a "must-read author" (Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author).

Lady Evangeline Raine prefers animals to people and has no interest in marriage—much to the dismay of her flirty younger sister, Viola. Because their father has one Viola may be courted, only if Effie has a suitor as well.

Saddled with debt, Gage Croft, Duke of Vale, is determined to rebuild his estates. When the owner of his vowels offers him a fortune to charm the impervious Lady Evangeline for the season so Lady Viola can be courted, the game is on, even if it means pretending to seduce an unconventional wallflower.

But Gage gets much more than he bargains for in an adversary who wants to make her own scandalous arrangement. Effie will go to London for the season, but only if Gage agrees to be her lover. Yet when their fake courtship leads to passionate feelings, will their indecent proposal end with the season or be the start of something real?]]> 384 Amalie Howard 1538737787 Josh 3 19th-century-england-romances 3.75 2024 The Worst Duke in London (Taming of the Dukes, #3)
author: Amalie Howard
name: Josh
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/10
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Runaway Duchess (Duke Undone, #2)]]> 57407536 A runaway bride dumps a duke and rewrites her own love story in this enchanting Victorian historical romance from the author of The Duke Undone.

Pretty and pampered, Lavinia Yardley always dreamed of becoming a duchess. But family disgrace forces her into marriage with the most vile duke in England, and she finds herself desperate for a way out. When a rustic stranger mistakes her for globe-trotting botanist Muriel Pendrake at a train station, Lavinia has a split second to decide whether to submit to her fate or steal someone else's.

Neal Traymayne spent his youth traveling the world as Varnham Nursery's most daring plant hunter. Now he runs the nursery and is ready to settle down with a like-minded wife who'll fit right in with his large, happy, down-to-earth family. His correspondence with Muriel Pendrake proved they're the perfect match. Odd that the woman in the flesh seems more like a society belle than a scientist.

As they tramp the Cornish moors together, Lavinia and Neal discover a wild and rare desire. But this blossoming love is rooted in lies, and when the real Muriel Pendrake shows up, they can't hide from who they are. The truth may wither their hopes of happiness, or it may bloom into the sweetest love of all.

]]> 336 Joanna Lowell 0593198301 Josh 3 19th-century-england-romances 3.56 2022 The Runaway Duchess (Duke Undone, #2)
author: Joanna Lowell
name: Josh
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/08
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Duke Undone (Duke Undone, #1)]]> 54614581 An artist stumbles upon a naked duke and an unlikely love story begins in this captivating Victorian historical romance.

When Royal Academy painting student Lucy Coover trips over a naked man passed out in an East End alley, she does the decent thing. She covers him up and fetches help. Trouble is, she can't banish his muscular form from her dreams as easily. She finds herself compelled to put every detail down on canvas. What she doesn't know is that she's painting the infamous Duke of Weston, and that her life will never be the same.

A second son, Anthony Philby thought he could flee his brutal family legacy and become his own man. Forced back to London by his brother's death, he inherits a fortune... with strings attached. One scandal will sink his bid for independence. It's in his best interest to burn Lucy Coover's shocking painting and pretend he never met the bewitching young artist. Instead, he finds himself offering a devil's bargain. He'll save her aunt's dressmaking shop from ruin, if she'll seek out his missing sister, Effie.

As they work together, an unexpected passion ignites between them. But the hunt for Effie leads to unexpected danger, and soon they find themselves risking everything... for a love that might destroy them both.]]> 363 Joanna Lowell 059319828X Josh 3 19th-century-england-romances 3.58 2021 The Duke Undone (Duke Undone, #1)
author: Joanna Lowell
name: Josh
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/05
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Only a Duke Will Do (School for Heiresses, #2)]]> 106550 “Jeffries fans will devour this treat!” — Romantic Times

]]> 367 Sabrina Jeffries 1416516093 Josh 2 19th-century-england-romances 3.88 2006 Only a Duke Will Do (School for Heiresses, #2)
author: Sabrina Jeffries
name: Josh
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2006
rating: 2
read at: 2023/07/04
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Day of the Duchess (Scandal & Scoundrel, #3)]]> 31307650 The one woman he will never forget…
Malcolm Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven, has lived the last three years in self-imposed solitude, paying the price for a mistake he can never reverse and a love he lost forever. The dukedom does not wait, however, and Haven requires an heir, which means he must find himself a wife by summer’s end. There is only one problem—he already has one.

The one man she will never forgive…
After years in exile, Seraphina, Duchess of Haven, returns to London with a single goal—to reclaim the life she left and find happiness, unencumbered by the man who broke her heart. Haven offers her a deal; Sera can have her freedom, just as soon as she finds her replacement…which requires her to spend the summer in close quarters with the husband she does not want, but somehow cannot resist.

A love that neither can deny…
The duke has a single summer to woo his wife and convince her that, despite their broken past, he can give her forever, making every day The Day of the Duchess.]]> 405 Sarah MacLean 0062379461 Josh 3 19th-century-england-romances 3.83 2017 The Day of the Duchess (Scandal & Scoundrel, #3)
author: Sarah MacLean
name: Josh
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/16
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Brighter Than the Sun (The Lyndon Sisters, #2)]]> 110389
Ellie never dreamed she’d marry a stranger, especially one with such a devastating combination of rakish charm and debonair wit. She tries to keep him at arm’s length, at least until she discovers the man beneath the handsome surface. But Charles can be quite persusasive—even tender—when he puts his mind to it, and Ellie finds herself slipping under his seductive spell. And as one kiss leads to another, this unlikely pair discovers that their marriage is not so inconvenient after all… and just might lead to love.]]> 384 Julia Quinn 0380789345 Josh 3 19th-century-england-romances 3.87 1997 Brighter Than the Sun (The Lyndon Sisters, #2)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Josh
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1997
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/29
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Romancing the Duke (Castles Ever After, #1)]]> 18052985 In the first in Tessa Dare's captivating Castles Ever After series, a mysterious fortress is the setting for an unlikely love . . .

As the daughter of a famed author, Isolde Ophelia Goodnight grew up on tales of brave knights and fair maidens. She never doubted romance would be in her future, too. The storybooks offered endless possibilities.

And as she grew older, Izzy crossed them off. One by one by one.

Ugly duckling turned swan?
Abducted by handsome highwayman?
Rescued from drudgery by charming prince?

No, no, and… Heh.

Now Izzy’s given up yearning for romance. She’ll settle for a roof over her head. What fairy tales are left over for an impoverished twenty-six year-old woman who’s never even been kissed?

This one.]]> 370 Tessa Dare 0062240196 Josh 3 19th-century-england-romances 3.85 2014 Romancing the Duke (Castles Ever After, #1)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Josh
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2023/02/25
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Splendid (The Splendid Trilogy, #1)]]> 110382 There are two things everyone knows about Alexander Ridgely. One, he's the Duke of Ashbourne. And two, he has no plans to marry anytime soon...

That is until a redheaded American throws herself in front of a carriage to save his young nephew's life. She's everything Alex never thought a woman could be—smart and funny, principled and brave. But she's a servant, completely unsuitable for a highborn duke—unless, perhaps, she's not quite what she seems...

American heiress Emma Dunster might be surrounded by Englishmen, but that doesn't mean she intends to marry one—even if she has agreed to participate in one London Season. When she slipped out of her cousins' home, dressed as a kitchen maid, all she wanted was one last taste of anonymity before her debut. She never dreamed she'd find herself in the arms of a dangerously handsome duke... or that he'd be quite so upset when he discovered her true identity. But true love tends to blossom just when one least expects it, and passion can melt even the most stubborn of hearts.]]> 396 Julia Quinn 0380780747 Josh 3 19th-century-england-romances 3.82 1995 Splendid (The Splendid Trilogy, #1)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Josh
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1995
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/02
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[First Comes Scandal (Rokesbys, #4)]]> 42874513
Georgiana Bridgerton isn't against the idea of marriage. She'd just thought she'd have some say in the matter. But with her reputation hanging by a thread after she's abducted for her dowry, Georgie is given two options: live out her life as a spinster or marry the rogue who has ruined her life.

Enter Option #3

As the fourth son of an earl, Nicholas Rokesby is prepared to chart his own course. He has a life in Edinburgh, where he's close to completing his medical studies, and he has no time -- or interest -- to find a wife. But when he discovers that Georgie Bridgerton -- his literal girl-next-door -- is facing ruin, he knows what he must do.

A Marriage of Convenience

It might not have been the most romantic of proposals, but Nicholas never thought she'd say no. Georgie doesn't want to be anyone's sacrifice, and besides, they could never think of each other as anything more than childhood friends... or could they?

But as they embark upon their unorthodox courtship they discover a new twist to the age-old rhyme. First comes scandal, then comes marriage. But after that comes love...]]> 288 Julia Quinn 0062975064 Josh 3 19th-century-england-romances 3.73 2020 First Comes Scandal (Rokesbys, #4)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Josh
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2022/11/16
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
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 Josh 2 19th-century-england-romances 3.72 2011 A Night to Surrender (Spindle Cove, #1)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Josh
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2024/05/29
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem (Ladies Most Scandalous, #1)]]> 52041374 An intrepid female reporter matches wits with a serious, sexy detective in award-winning author Manda Collins' fun and flirty historical rom-com!

England, 1865 : As one of England's most notorious newspaper columnists, Lady Katherine Bascomb believes knowledge is power. And she's determined to inform and educate the ladies of London on the nefarious-and deadly-criminals who are preying on the fairer sex. When her reporting leads to the arrest of a notorious killer, however, Katherine flees to a country house party to escape her newfound notoriety-only to witness a murder on her very first night. And when the lead detective accuses Katherine of inflaming-rather than informing-the public with her column, she vows to prove him wrong.

Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham's refusal to compromise his investigations nearly cost him his own career, and he blames Katherine. To avoid bad publicity, his superiors are pressuring him to solve cases quickly rather than correctly. When he discovers she's the key witness in a new crime, he's determined to prevent the beautiful widow from once again wreaking havoc on his case. Yet as Katherine proves surprisingly insightful and Andrew impresses Katherine with his lethal competency, both are forced to admit the fire between them is more flirtatious than furious. But to explore the passion between them, they'll need to catch a killer.]]> 352 Manda Collins 1538736136 Josh 2 19th-century-england-romances 3.42 2020 A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem (Ladies Most Scandalous, #1)
author: Manda Collins
name: Josh
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2023/07/25
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Lady of Persuasion (The Wanton Dairymaid Trilogy, #3)]]> 6087884
Isabel is determined to marry a wealthy, powerful lord and become a lady of influence, using her rank and fortune to fight social injustice. Sir Toby, with his paltry title and infamous reputation, is unsuitable husband material—but he makes her blood race, her heart pound, and her long-buried passions come to the surface. If she can reform the charming devil, she’ll get exactly what she craves: society’s respect. But it’s a dangerous gamble. For if Toby wins this battle of persuasion, Isabel could lose her heart.]]> 345 Tessa Dare 034550688X Josh 2 19th-century-england-romances 3.31 2009 A Lady of Persuasion (The Wanton Dairymaid Trilogy, #3)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Josh
average rating: 3.31
book published: 2009
rating: 2
read at: 2023/06/30
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Everything and the Moon (The Lyndon Sisters, #1)]]> 11978910 Original cover edition for this ISBN is here

Seven years ago she broke his heart...

When Robert Kemble stumbles across Victoria Lyndon in hedgerow maze, he can't believe his eyes. The girl who'd torn him in two, who let him plan on elopement and then left him standing by the side of the road, was suddenly within arm's reach, and even though his fury still knew no bounds, she was impossible to resist...

Seven years ago he left her all but ruined...

Victoria's father had told her an earl would never marry a vicar's daughter, and he was right. Robert had promised her marriage, then danced off to London while she suffered the shame of a foiled elopement. But even though Victoria doesn't particularly enjoy her new life as a governess, when Robert offers her a job of a different sort—his mistress—she refuses, unable to sacrifice her honor, even for him.

But Robert won't take no for an answer, and he vows to make her his, through any means possible. Can these star-crossed lovers learn to trust again? And is love really sweeter the second time around?]]> 372 Julia Quinn 0380789337 Josh 2 19th-century-england-romances 3.73 2009 Everything and the Moon (The Lyndon Sisters, #1)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Josh
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2009
rating: 2
read at: 2023/04/27
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Portrait of a Scotsman (A League of Extraordinary Women, #3)]]> 55053187 Going toe-to-toe with a brooding Scotsman is rather bold for a respectable suffragist, but when he happens to be one's unexpected husband, what else is an unwilling bride to do?

London banking heiress Hattie Greenfield wanted just three things in life:

1. Acclaim as an artist.
2. A noble cause.
3. Marriage to a young lord who puts the gentle in gentleman.

Why then does this Oxford scholar find herself at the altar with the darkly attractive financier Lucian Blackstone, whose murky past and ruthless business practices strike fear in the hearts of Britain's peerage? Trust Hattie to take an invigorating little adventure too far. Now she's stuck with a churlish Scot who just might be the end of her ambitions....

When the daughter of his business rival all but falls into his lap, Lucian sees opportunity. As a self-made man, he has vast wealth but holds little power, and Hattie might be the key to finally setting long-harbored political plans in motion. Driven by an old desire for revenge, he has no room for his new wife's apprehensions or romantic notions, bewitching as he finds her.

But a sudden journey to Scotland paints everything in a different light. Hattie slowly sees the real Lucian and realizes she could win everything—as long as she is prepared to lose her heart.]]> 448 Evie Dunmore 198480572X Josh 2 19th-century-england-romances 3.83 2021 Portrait of a Scotsman (A League of Extraordinary Women, #3)
author: Evie Dunmore
name: Josh
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2023/02/24
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![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 Josh 2 19th-century-england-romances 3.92 2013 The Sum of All Kisses (Smythe-Smith Quartet, #3)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Josh
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at: 2023/02/03
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
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 Josh 5 19th-century-england-romances 3.83 2012 A Night Like This (Smythe-Smith Quartet, #2)
author: Julia Quinn
name: Josh
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/11/11
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> Remain 228691222 A one-of-a-kind novel that grapples with the supernatural mysteries of life, death, and human connection—an unprecedented collaboration between the globally bestselling author of love stories like The Notebook and the renowned writer and director of blockbuster thriller films like The Sixth Sense.

When New York architect Tate Donovan arrives in Cape Cod to design his best friend’s summer home, he is hoping to make a fresh start following the loss of his beloved sister. Sylvia’s deathbed revelation—that she can see spirits who are still tethered to the living world, a gift that runs in their family—sits uneasily with Tate, who struggles to believe in more than what reason can explain. But when he takes up residence at a historic bed-and-breakfast on the Cape, he encounters a beautiful young woman named Wren who will challenge every assumption he has about his logical and controlled world.

Tate and Wren find themselves forging an immediate connection, one that neither has ever experienced before. But Tate gradually discovers that below the surface of Wren’s idyllic small-town life, hatred, jealousy, and greed are festering. Tate realizes that in order to free Wren from an increasingly desperate fate, he will need to unearth the truth about her past before time runs out. Love—while transformative—can sometimes be frightening.

A story about the power of transcendent emotion, Remain asks us all: Can love set us free not only from our greatest sorrows, but even from the boundaries of life and death?]]> 335 Nicholas Sparks Josh 5 contemporary-romances 3.70 2025 Remain
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Josh
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/10/21
date added: 2025/10/21
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[To Swoon and to Spar (The Regency Vows, #4)]]> 61273343
When the two meet in London, neither is terribly impressed. Penvale finds Jane headstrong and sharp-tongued. Jane finds him cold and aloof. Nevertheless, they agree to a marriage in name only and return to the estate. There, Jane enlists her housekeeper for a scheme: to stage a haunting so that Penvale will return to London, leaving her to do as she pleases at Trethwick Abbey. But Penvale is not as easily scared as his uncle and as their time together increases, Jane realizes that she might not mind her husband’s company all that much.

With her trademark “arch sense of humor and a marvelously witty voice” (Entertainment Weekly), Martha Waters crafts another delightful romp for all historical romance fans.]]> 325 Martha Waters 1668007908 Josh 4 19th-century-england-romances 3.57 2023 To Swoon and to Spar (The Regency Vows, #4)
author: Martha Waters
name: Josh
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/10/10
date added: 2025/10/10
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![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 Josh 4 19th-century-england-romances 3.91 2022 A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting (A Lady's Guide, #1)
author: Sophie Irwin
name: Josh
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/08/31
date added: 2025/08/31
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Be a Wallflower (Would-Be Wallflowers, #1)]]> 58460799 From New York Times bestseller Eloisa James, a new Regency-set novel in which a heiress with the goal of being a wallflower engages a rugged American in a scorchingly sensual, witty wager that tests whether clothing does indeed make the man—or the wallflower!

Miss Cleopatra Lewis is about to be launched in society by her aristocratic grandfather. But since she has no intention of marrying, she visits a costume emporium specifically to order unflattering dresses guaranteed to put off any prospective suitors.

Powerful and charismatic Jacob Astor Addison is in London, acquiring businesses to add to his theatrical holdings in America—as well as buying an emerald for a young lady back in Boston. He's furious when a she-devil masquerading as an English lady steals Quimby's Costume Emporium from under his nose.

Jake strikes a devil's bargain, offering to design her “wallflower wardrobe” and giving Cleo the chance to design his. Cleo can't resist the fun of clothing the rough-hewn American in feathers and flowers. And somehow in the middle of their lively competition, Jake becomes her closest friend.

It isn't until Cleo becomes the toast of all society that Jake realizes she's stolen his fiercely guarded heart. But unlike the noblemen at her feet, he doesn't belong in her refined and cultured world.

Caught between the demands of honor and desire, Jake would give up everything to be with the woman he loves—if she'll have him!

]]> 384 Eloisa James 0063139537 Josh 3 19th-century-england-romances 3.63 2022 How to Be a Wallflower (Would-Be Wallflowers, #1)
author: Eloisa James
name: Josh
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/28
date added: 2025/06/28
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Notebook (The Notebook, #1)]]> 33648131
Like a puzzle within a puzzle, the story of Noah and Allie is just the beginning. As it unfolds, their tale miraculously becomes something different, with much higher stakes. The result is a deeply moving portrait of love itself, the tender moments and the fundamental changes that affect us all. It is a story of miracles and emotions that will stay with you forever.]]> 227 Nicholas Sparks Josh 4 contemporary-romances 4.32 1996 The Notebook (The Notebook, #1)
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Josh
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/06/04
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[One Golden Summer (Barry's Bay, #2)]]> 217245639 A radiant escape to the lake from #1 New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After and This Summer Will Be Different.

I never anticipated Charlie Florek.

Good things happen at the lake. That’s what Alice’s grandmother says, and it’s true. Alice spent just one summer there at a cottage with Nan when she was seventeen—it’s where she took that photo, the one of three grinning teenagers in a yellow speedboat, the image that changed her life.

Now Alice lives behind a lens. As a photographer, she’s most comfortable on the sidelines, letting other people shine. Lately though, she’s been itching for something more, and when Nan falls and breaks her hip, Alice comes up with a plan for them both: another summer in that magical place, Barry’s Bay. But as soon as they settle in, their peace is disrupted by the roar of a familiar yellow boat, and the man driving it.

Charlie Florek was nineteen when Alice took his photo from afar. Now he’s all grown up—a shameless flirt, who manages to make Nan laugh and Alice long to be seventeen again, when life was simpler, when taking pictures was just for fun. Sun-slanted days and warm nights out on the lake with Charlie are a balm for Alice’s soul, but when she looks up and sees his piercing green gaze directly on her, she begins to worry for her heart.

Because Alice sees people—that’s why she is so good at what she does—but she’s never met someone who looks and sees her right back.]]> 370 Carley Fortune 0593638913 Josh 4 contemporary-romances 4.24 2025 One Golden Summer (Barry's Bay, #2)
author: Carley Fortune
name: Josh
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/13
date added: 2025/05/13
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Lady Never Surrenders (Hellions of Halstead Hall, #5)]]> 11280745
With two months left to find a husband and fulfill her grandmother’s ultimatum, Celia sets her sights on three eligible bachelors. Becoming betrothed to one of these wealthy, high-ranking men will surely prove her capable of getting married, so hopefully the wedding itself won’t be necessary for Celia to receive her inheritance. Step two of her audacious plan is hiring the dark and dangerously compelling Bow Street Runner, Jackson Pinter, to investigate the three men she’s chosen.

With Lady Celia bedeviling Jackson’s days and nights, the last thing he wants is to help her find a husband. And when she recalls shadowed memories that lead his investigation into her parents’ mysterious deaths in a new direction, putting her in danger, Jackson realizes the only man he wants Celia to marry is himself!]]> 388 Sabrina Jeffries 1451642458 Josh 5 19th-century-england-romances 4.12 2012 A Lady Never Surrenders (Hellions of Halstead Hall, #5)
author: Sabrina Jeffries
name: Josh
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[To Wed a Wild Lord (Hellions of Halstead Hall #4)]]> 11250008 Drowning in guilt over his best friend's death seven years ago, Lord Gabriel Sharpe, the Angel of Death, knows his only hope at redemption is a race against a shocking opponent.

Shrouded in darkness for the past seven years, the infamous racer Lord Gabriel Sharpe is known to accept every challenge to race thrown at him. When his next challenge comes in the form of his late best friend's sister, Virginia Waverly, Gabe is shocked. Yet she presents just the opportunity Gabe needs--marriage to fulfill his grandmother's ultimatum and ensure his inheritance. What he didn't count on was needing her love.]]> 384 Sabrina Jeffries Josh 5 19th-century-england-romances 4.06 2011 To Wed a Wild Lord (Hellions of Halstead Hall #4)
author: Sabrina Jeffries
name: Josh
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/03
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Woo a Reluctant Lady (Hellions of Halstead Hall, #3)]]> 8192917
When a charming rogue proposes she marry him to meet her grandmother's ultimatum, the Sharpe clan's strong-willed sister makes a tempting counter-offer that preserves her inheritance and ignites his imagination.

Lady Minerva Sharpe has the perfect plan to thwart her grandmother's demands: become engaged to a rogue! Surely Gran would rather release her inheritance than see her wed a scoundrel. And who better to play the part of Minerva's would-be husband than wild barrister Giles Masters, the very inspiration for the handsome spy in the popular Gothic novels she writes? The memory of his passionate kiss on her nineteenth birthday has lingered in Minerva's imagination, though she has no intention of really falling for such a rakehell, much less marrying him.

Little does she know, he really is a covert government operative. When they team up to investigate the mystery behind her parents' deaths, their fake betrothal leads to red-hot desire. Then Minerva discovers Giles's secret double life, and he must use all the cunning tricks of his trade to find his way back into her heart.]]> 345 Sabrina Jeffries 1439167559 Josh 4 19th-century-england-romances 4.05 2011 How to Woo a Reluctant Lady (Hellions of Halstead Hall, #3)
author: Sabrina Jeffries
name: Josh
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Hellion in Her Bed (Hellions of Halstead Hall, #2)]]> 7645928 Furious at his grandmother's ultimatum to marry or lose his inheritance, Lord Jarret Sharpe wagers his luck--and his heart--at the card table against a most unlikely opponent.

Mired in scandal after his parents' mysterious deaths, notorious gambler Lord Jarret Sharpe agrees to tamely run the family brewery for a year if his Machiavellian grandmother rescinds her ultimatum that he marry. But the gambler in him can't resist when beguiling Annabel Lake proposes a wager. If she wins their card game, he must help save her family's foundering brewery. But if he wins, she must spend a night in his bed. The outcome sets off a chain of events that threatens to destroy all his plans . . . and unveils the secret Annabel has held for so long. When Jarret discovers the darker reason behind her wager, he forces her into another one--and this time he intends to win not just her body, but her heart.]]> 354 Sabrina Jeffries 1439167540 Josh 5 19th-century-england-romances 3.99 2010 A Hellion in Her Bed (Hellions of Halstead Hall, #2)
author: Sabrina Jeffries
name: Josh
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/12
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, #1)]]> 6596594 Hellions of Halstead Hall

They're the scandalous Sharpes, five hell-raising siblings tainted by a shocking family legacy. Now each faces a daunting ultimatum: marry by year's end—or kiss their inheritance good-bye.

In the two decades since a tragic "accident" took the lives of his parents, Oliver Sharpe, the Marquess of Stoneville, has survived the scandal surrounding that fateful night by living as an unrepentant rakehell. And with his grandmother vowing to disinherit him if he doesn't settle down and wed, he plans to fulfill the bargain in true Sharpe style—by bringing home a fake fiancée from a brothel! But his scheme is derailed when he rescues an American beauty in a dire predicament instead.

Maria Butterfield came to London to track down her groom-to-be, who's gone missing, but her engagement won't stop Oliver from getting what he wants: her, in his bed. His rebellious masquerade may call his grandmother's bluff, but it's soon made all too real—by a love that tempts him to be a hellion no more.]]> 392 Sabrina Jeffries 1439167516 Josh 5 19th-century-england-romances 4.00 2009 The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall, #1)
author: Sabrina Jeffries
name: Josh
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/04
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Accidentally His (Designing Debutantes #3)]]> 138378627
As a viscount’s heir, Rafe Wolfford is obligated to take a wife someday. But she must be the right sort of wife—not too independent, and not inclined to delve into his escapades as a spy. The forthright, perceptive Lady Verity is altogether the wrong choice. But Rafe’s courtship is merely a ruse to discover whether Verity or anyone else associated with Elegant Occasions is leaking crucial information to the French. That mission is all that
matters—until fate, and desire, intervene.

After enduring one disastrous engagement, Verity won’t easily open her heart again, preferring to devote herself to Elegant Occasions. Rafe is charming, handsome, and kisses like the very devil, but she knows he’s harboring secrets. Still, when her ex-fiancé tries to ruin her reputation, Rafe offers his hand. For the sake of her family and business, Verity has little choice but to accept. Yet turning this arrangement into a true marriage will require daring and trust—which neither will embrace easily, making surrender all the sweeter . . .]]> 353 Sabrina Jeffries 1420153811 Josh 5 19th-century-england-romances 3.74 Accidentally His (Designing Debutantes #3)
author: Sabrina Jeffries
name: Josh
average rating: 3.74
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/01
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[What Happens in the Ballroom (Designing Debutantes, #2)]]> 62991678
Foxstead’s family situation makes it difficult for him to marry, so his visceral attraction to his best friend’s widow is an unwelcome complication. Burdened by family secrets and those of his commanding officer, he’s determined to do his duty even when it means being around Eliza every day. But how can he resist when the fetching Eliza keeps tempting him to break his own rules? For if he dares to expose the truth, will she ever forgive him? Or will she banish him from her life forever . . .]]> 288 Sabrina Jeffries 142015379X Josh 5 19th-century-england-romances 3.71 2023 What Happens in the Ballroom (Designing Debutantes, #2)
author: Sabrina Jeffries
name: Josh
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Muse of Maiden Lane (Belles of London, #4)]]> 208894878
Stella Hobhouse is a brilliant rider, stalwart friend, skilled sketch artist—and completely overlooked. Her outmodish gray hair makes her invisible to London society. Combined with her brother’s pious restrictions and her dwindling inheritance, Stella is on the verge of a lifetime marooned in Derbyshire as a spinster. Unless she does something drastic…like posing for a daring new style of portrait by the only man who’s ever really seen her.

Aspiring painter Edward “Teddy” Hayes knows true beauty when he sees it. He would never ask Stella to risk her reputation as an artist’s model but in the five years since a virulent bout of scarlet fever left him partially paralyzed, Teddy has learned to heed good fortune when he finds it. He’ll do anything to persuade his muse to pose for him, even if he must offer her a marriage of convenience.

After all, though Teddy has yearned to trace Stella’s luminous beauty on canvas since their chance meeting, her heart is what he truly aches to capture….]]> 356 Mimi Matthews 0593639278 Josh 5 19th-century-england-romances 3.92 2024 The Muse of Maiden Lane (Belles of London, #4)
author: Mimi Matthews
name: Josh
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Lily of Ludgate Hill (Belles of London, #3)]]> 157024794 Fortune favors the bold—but is a confirmed spinster daring enough to loosen the reins and accept a favor from the wicked gentleman who haunts her dreams?

Lady Anne Deveril doesn’t spook easily. A woman of lofty social standing known for her glacial beauty and starchy opinions, she’s the unofficial leader of her small group of equestriennes. Since her mother’s devastating plunge into mourning six years ago, Anne voluntarily renounced any fanciful notions of love and marriage. And yet, when fate puts Anne back into the entirely too enticing path of Mr. Felix Hartford, she’s tempted to run…right into his arms.

No one understands why Lady Anne withdrew into the shadows of society, Hart least of all. The youthful torch he once held for her has long since cooled. Or so he keeps telling himself. But now Anne needs a favor to help a friend. Hart will play along with her little ruse—on the condition that Anne attend a holiday house party at his grandfather’s country estate. No more mourning clothes. No more barriers. Only the two of them, unrequited feelings at last laid bare.

Finally free to gallop out on her own, Anne makes the tantalizing discovery that beneath the roguish exterior of her not-so-white knight is a man with hidden depths, scorching passions—and a tender heart.]]> 400 Mimi Matthews 0593337182 Josh 5 19th-century-england-romances 3.83 2024 The Lily of Ludgate Hill (Belles of London, #3)
author: Mimi Matthews
name: Josh
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/26
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> Mansfield Park 45032 488 Jane Austen Josh 3 19th-century-england-romances 3.86 1814 Mansfield Park
author: Jane Austen
name: Josh
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1814
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> Counting Miracles 205126997
“Sparks is superb at what he does. The setting is postcard perfect. The characters are immensely likable. . . . This is a tidy miracle you can count on.”—The Washington Post

Tanner Hughes was raised by his grandparents, following in his grandfather’s military footsteps to become an Army Ranger. His whole life has been spent abroad, and he is the proverbial rolling stone: happiest when off on his next adventure, zero desire to settle down. But when his grandmother passes away, her last words to him are find where you belong. She also drops a bombshell, telling him the name of the father he never knew—and where to find him.

Tanner is due at his next posting soon, but his curiosity is piqued, and he sets out for Asheboro, North Carolina, to ask around. He’s been in town less than twenty-four hours when he meets Kaitlyn Cooper, a doctor and single mom. They both feel an immediate connection; Tanner knows Kaitlyn has a story to tell, and he wants to hear it. To Kaitlyn, Tanner is mysterious, exciting—and possibly leaving in just a few weeks.

Meanwhile, nearby, eighty-three-year-old Jasper lives alone in a cabin bordering a national forest. With only his old dog, Arlo, for company, he lives quietly, haunted by a tragic accident that took place decades before. When he hears rumors that a white deer has been spotted in the forest—a creature of legend that inspired his father and grandfather—he becomes obsessed with protecting the deer from poachers.

As these characters’ fates orbit closer together, none of them is expecting a miracle . . . but that may be exactly what is about to alter their futures forever.]]> 368 Nicholas Sparks 0593449592 Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.02 2024 Counting Miracles
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Josh
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/27
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> This Girl (Slammed, #3) 15784909 Librarian's Note: The ISBN 9789383260195 for this book was also used by "Shekhar Kapur's Devi - Vol. 1" by Samit Basu.

There are two sides to every love story. Now hear Will’s.

Colleen Hoover’s New York Times bestselling Slammed series has brought countless readers to their knees with a whirlwind of love, passion, and heartache.

Layken and Will’s love has managed to withstand the toughest of circumstances and the young lovers, now married, are beginning to feel safe and secure in their union. As much as Layken relishes their new life together, she finds herself wanting to know everything there is to know about her husband, even though Will makes it clear he prefers to keep the painful memories of the past where they belong. Still, he can’t resist his wife’s pleas and so he begins to untangle his side of the story, revealing for the first time his most intimate feelings and thoughts, retelling both the good and bad moments, and sharing a few shocking confessions of his own from the time when they first met.

In This Girl, Will tells the story of their complicated relationship from his point of view. Their future rests on how well they deal with the past in this final installment of the beloved Slammed series.]]> 306 Colleen Hoover 938326019X Josh 5 contemporary-romances 3.70 2013 This Girl (Slammed, #3)
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Josh
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/19
date added: 2024/09/19
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Point of Retreat (Slammed, #2)]]> 19390926 277 Colleen Hoover Josh 5 contemporary-romances 3.93 2012 Point of Retreat (Slammed, #2)
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Josh
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/10
date added: 2024/09/10
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> Slammed (Slammed, #1) 30333938
Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.]]> 354 Colleen Hoover Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.05 2012 Slammed (Slammed, #1)
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Josh
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/06
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> Heart Bones 51007311
With only two short months separating her from the future she's built and the past she desperately wants to leave behind, an unexpected death leaves Beyah with no place to go during the interim. Forced to reach out to her last resort, Beyah has to spend the remainder of her summer on a peninsula in Texas with a father she barely knows. Beyah's plan is to keep her head down and let the summer slip by seamlessly, but her new neighbor Samson throws a wrench in that plan.

Samson and Beyah have nothing in common on the surface.

She comes from a life of poverty and neglect; he comes from a family of wealth and privilege. But one thing they do have in common is that they're both drawn to sad things. Which means they're drawn to each other. With an almost immediate connection too intense for them to continue denying, Beyah and Samson agree to stay in the shallow end of a summer fling. What Beyah doesn't realize is that a rip current is coming, and it's about to drag her heart out to sea.]]> 338 Colleen Hoover Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.19 2020 Heart Bones
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Josh
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/01
date added: 2024/09/01
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Things We Left Behind (Knockemout, #3)]]> 116536542
Kuid lõkkele puhutud leek enam ei hääbu. Bioloogilise kella tiksumise pärast muretsev Sloane on valmis astuma järgmise sammu. Paraku ei soovi Lucian sellest midagi kuulda ja Sloane ei andesta talle hülgamist.

Samal ajal hakkab võimuesindajate silmus ümbruskonnas hävingut külvanud maffiabossi ümber kokku tõmbuma ja Lucian avastab oma õuduseks, et Sloaneʼist loobudes on ta naise jätnud kaitseta rünnakute ees.

Teie ees on Knockemouti sarja viimane osa. Varem on ilmunud „Asjad, millest me üle ei saa“ (2024) ja „Asjad, mida me varjame valguse eest“ (2025).]]> 698 Lucy Score Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.39 2023 Things We Left Behind (Knockemout, #3)
author: Lucy Score
name: Josh
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/27
date added: 2024/08/27
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[We'll Always Have Summer (Summer, #3)]]> 8680278 291 Jenny Han 1416995587 Josh 4 young-adult-romances 3.77 2011 We'll Always Have Summer (Summer, #3)
author: Jenny Han
name: Josh
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/25
date added: 2024/08/20
shelves: young-adult-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Things We Hide from the Light (Knockemout, #2)]]> 62022434 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lucy Score returns to Knockemout, Virginia, following fan-favorite Things We Never Got Over with Knox's brother Nash's story.

Nash Morgan was always known as the good Morgan brother, with a smile and a wink for everyone. But now, this chief of police is recovering from being shot and his Southern charm has been overshadowed by panic attacks and nightmares. He feels like a broody shell of the man he once was. Nash isn't about to let anyone in his life know he's struggling. But his new next-door neighbor, smart and sexy Lina, sees his shadows. As a rule, she's not a fan of physical contact unless she initiates it, but for some reason Nash's touch is different. He feels it too. The physical connection between them is incendiary, grounding him and making her wonder if exploring it is worth the risk.

Too bad Lina's got secrets of her own, and if Nash finds out the real reason she's in town, he'll never forgive her. Besides, she doesn't do relationships. Ever. A hot, short-term fling with a local cop? Absolutely. Sign her up. A relationship with a man who expects her to plant roots? No freaking way. Once she gets what she's after, she has no intention of sticking around. But Knockemout has a way of getting under people's skin. And once Nash decides to make Lina his, he's not about to be dissuaded…even if it means facing the danger that nearly killed him.]]> 594 Lucy Score Josh 3 contemporary-romances 4.03 2023 Things We Hide from the Light (Knockemout, #2)
author: Lucy Score
name: Josh
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/20
date added: 2024/08/20
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout, #1)]]> 60060431 Bearded, bad-boy barber Knox prefers to live his life the way he takes his coffee: Alone. Unless you count his basset hound, Waylon.
Knox doesn’t tolerate drama, even when it comes in the form of a stranded runaway bride.

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

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

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

At least, that’s the plan until the trouble turns to real danger.]]> 572 Lucy Score 1945631848 Josh 3 contemporary-romances 4.13 2022 Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout, #1)
author: Lucy Score
name: Josh
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/05
date added: 2024/08/20
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[One Last Time (The Kissing Booth, #3)]]> 55708034 INSPIRED BY THE KISSING BOOTH 3 - NOW A MAJOR NETFLIX FILM!

It started with a kiss. It ends with a chance to rewrite the rules.

For one last time, join Elle, Noah, Lee and all your favourite Kissing Booth characters for the conclusion to this incredible romantic story!

Summer is here, and Elle can't wait to spend it with her two favourite boys: Noah and Lee! Better yet, they'll be chilling at the Flynn family beach home, where Elle and Lee discover the Beach Bucket List - their childhood wishlist of crazy things they swore they'd do together before going to college.

Elle is determined to make this the best summer ever . . . because she's facing the hardest decision of her life. Should she move across the country to join Noah at Harvard, or fulfil her lifelong promise to go to college with Lee at Berkeley?

Soon, between spending time with Noah, picking a school, and doing the bucket list with Lee, Elle feels like she's running around like a crazy person. But when you decide to escape reality, eventually you're going to have to come back to it.

And maybe it's time for Elle to stop thinking about what the boys expect . . . and decide which future she wants.

Whose heart will break as The Kissing Booth trilogy comes to an end?]]> Beth Reekles Josh 4 young-adult-romances 3.50 One Last Time (The Kissing Booth, #3)
author: Beth Reekles
name: Josh
average rating: 3.50
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/08/20
shelves: young-adult-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Finding Perfect (Hopeless, #3.5)]]> 49018309
For the best reading experience, make sure you’ve read all four books that come together to make up this heartwarming story: Hopeless, Losing Hope, Finding Cinderella, and All Your Perfects.]]> 128 Colleen Hoover Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.06 2019 Finding Perfect (Hopeless, #3.5)
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Josh
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/29
date added: 2024/07/29
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Finding Cinderella (Hopeless, #2.5)]]> 18631291
When their hour is up and the girl rushes off like Cinderella, Daniel tries to convince himself that what happened between them only seemed perfect because they were pretending it was perfect. Moments like that with girls like her don’t happen outside of fairytales.

One year and one bad relationship later, his disbelief in insta-love is stripped away the day he meets Six: a girl with a strange name and an even stranger personality. But Daniel soon realizes that fairytales don’t exist, and unfortunately for Daniel, finding Cinderella doesn’t guarantee their happily ever after…it only further threatens it.

Will an unbearable secret from the past jeopardize Daniel and Six's only chance at saving each other?]]> 176 Colleen Hoover Josh 4 contemporary-romances 3.81 2013 Finding Cinderella (Hopeless, #2.5)
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Josh
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/25
date added: 2024/07/25
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> The Wish 56625098
By 2019, Maggie is a renowned travel photographer. She splits her time between running a successful gallery in New York and photographing remote locations around the world. But this year she is unexpectedly grounded over Christmas, struggling to come to terms with a sobering medical diagnosis. Increasingly dependent on a young assistant, she finds herself becoming close to him.

As they count down the last days of the season together, she begins to tell him the story of another Christmas, decades earlier—and the love that set her on a course she never could have imagined.]]> 387 Nicholas Sparks 1538728621 Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.24 2021 The Wish
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Josh
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/07/23
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> Reminders of Him 58341222 A troubled young mother yearns for a shot at redemption in this heartbreaking yet hopeful story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover. After serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake, Kenna Rowan returns to the town where it all went wrong, hoping to reunite with her four-year-old daughter. But the bridges Kenna burned are proving impossible to rebuild. Everyone in her daughter’s life is determined to shut Kenna out, no matter how hard she works to prove herself. The only person who hasn’t closed the door on her completely is Ledger Ward, a local bar owner and one of the few remaining links to Kenna’s daughter. But if anyone were to discover how Ledger is slowly becoming an important part of Kenna’s life, both would risk losing the trust of everyone important to them. The two form a connection despite the pressure surrounding them, but as their romance grows, so does the risk. Kenna must find a way to absolve the mistakes of her past in order to build a future out of hope and healing.]]> 335 Colleen Hoover 1542025605 Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.29 2022 Reminders of Him
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Josh
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/07/23
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> Losing Hope (Hopeless, #2) 17340050 In the follow-up to Colleen Hoover’s #1 New York Times bestseller Hopeless, the charming and irresistible Dean Holder tells the passionate story that has melted thousands of hearts.

In Hopeless, Sky left no secret unearthed, no feeling unshared, and no memory forgotten, but Holder’s past remained a mystery.

Still haunted by the little girl he let walk away, Holder has spent his entire life searching for her in an attempt to finally rid himself of the crushing guilt he has felt for years. But he could not have anticipated that the moment they reconnect, even greater remorse would overwhelm him…

Sometimes in life, if we wish to move forward, we must first dig deep into our past and make amends. In Losing Hope, bestselling author Colleen Hoover reveals what was going on inside Holder’s head during all those hopeless moments—and whether he can gain the peace he desperately needs.]]> 321 Colleen Hoover Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.09 2013 Losing Hope (Hopeless, #2)
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Josh
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/13
date added: 2024/07/13
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> Hopeless (Hopeless, #1) 62967897
That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.]]> 408 Colleen Hoover Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.12 2012 Hopeless (Hopeless, #1)
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Josh
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/08
date added: 2024/07/08
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Past Present Future (Rowan & Neil, #2)]]> 199310463
When longtime rivals Rowan Roth and Neil McNair confessed their feelings on the last day of senior year, they knew they’d only have a couple months together before they left for college. Now summer is over, and they’re determined to make their relationship work as they begin school in different states.

In Boston, Rowan is eager to be among other aspiring novelists, learning from a creative writing professor she adores. She’s just not sure why she suddenly can’t seem to find her voice.

In New York, Neil embraces the chaos of the city, clicking with a new friend group more easily than he anticipated. But when his past refuses to leave him alone, he doesn’t know how to handle his rapidly changing mental health—or how to talk about it with the girl he loves.

Over a year of late-night phone calls, weekend visits, and East Coast adventures, Rowan and Neil fall for each other again and again as they grapple with the uncertainty of their new lives. They’ve spent so many years at odds with each other—now that they’re finally on the same team, what does the future hold for them?]]> 384 Rachel Lynn Solomon 1665901950 Josh 5 young-adult-romances 3.75 2024 Past Present Future (Rowan & Neil, #2)
author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
name: Josh
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/03
date added: 2024/07/03
shelves: young-adult-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Today Tonight Tomorrow (Rowan & Neil, #1)]]> 52766407 The Hating Game meets Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by way of Morgan Matson in this unforgettable romantic comedy about two rival overachievers whose relationship completely transforms over the course of twenty-four hours.

Today, she hates him.

It’s the last day of senior year. Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been bitter rivals for all of high school, clashing on test scores, student council elections, and even gym class pull-up contests. While Rowan, who secretly wants to write romance novels, is anxious about the future, she’d love to beat her infuriating nemesis one last time.

Tonight, she puts up with him.

When Neil is named valedictorian, Rowan has only one chance at victory: Howl, a senior class game that takes them all over Seattle, a farewell tour of the city she loves. But after learning a group of seniors is out to get them, she and Neil reluctantly decide to team up until they’re the last players left—and then they’ll destroy each other.

As Rowan spends more time with Neil, she realizes he’s much more than the awkward linguistics nerd she’s sparred with for the past four years. And, perhaps, this boy she claims to despise might actually be the boy of her dreams.

Tomorrow … maybe she’s already fallen for him.]]> 364 Rachel Lynn Solomon 1534440240 Josh 5 young-adult-romances 4.01 2020 Today Tonight Tomorrow (Rowan & Neil, #1)
author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
name: Josh
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2022/09/18
date added: 2024/06/25
shelves: young-adult-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Any Duchess Will Do (Spindle Cove, #4)]]> 15724338 What’s a duke to do, when the girl who’s perfectly wrong becomes the woman he can’t live without?

Griffin York, the Duke of Halford, has no desire to wed this season—or any season—but his diabolical mother abducts him to “Spinster Cove” and insists he select a bride from the ladies in residence. Griff decides to teach her a lesson that will end the marriage debate forever. He chooses the serving girl.

Overworked and struggling, Pauline Simms doesn’t dream about dukes. All she wants is to hang up her barmaid apron and open a bookshop. That dream becomes a possibility when an arrogant, sinfully attractive duke offers her a small fortune for a week’s employment. Her duties are simple: submit to his mother’s “duchess training"... and fail miserably.

But in London, Pauline isn’t a miserable failure. She’s a brave, quick-witted, beguiling failure—a woman who ignites Griff’s desire and soothes the darkness in his soul. Keeping Pauline by his side won’t be easy. Even if Society could accept a serving girl duchess—can a roguish duke convince a serving girl to trust him with her heart?]]> 375 Tessa Dare 0062240129 Josh 5 19th-century-england-romances 4.00 2013 Any Duchess Will Do (Spindle Cove, #4)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Josh
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/08
date added: 2024/06/08
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Lady by Midnight (Spindle Cove, #3)]]> 13061255 A temporary engagement, a lifetime in the making . . .

After years of fending for herself, Kate Taylor found friendship and acceptance in Spindle Cove—but she never stopped yearning for love. The very last place she'd look for it is in the arms of Corporal Thorne. The militia commander is as stone cold as he is brutally handsome. But when mysterious strangers come searching for Kate, Thorne steps forward as her fiancé. He claims to have only Kate's safety in mind. So why is there smoldering passion in his kiss?

Long ago, Samuel Thorne devoted his life to guarding Kate's happiness. He wants what's best for her, and he knows it's not marriage to a man like him. To outlast their temporary engagement, he must keep his hands off her tempting body and lock her warm smiles out of his withered heart. It's the toughest battle of this hardened warrior's life . . . and the first he seems destined to lose.]]> 374 Tessa Dare 0062049895 Josh 5 19th-century-england-romances 3.81 2012 A Lady by Midnight (Spindle Cove, #3)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Josh
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/05
date added: 2024/06/05
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Week to be Wicked (Spindle Cove, #2)]]> 11738128 When a devilish lord and a bluestocking set off on the road to ruin... time is not on their side.

Minerva Highwood, one of Spindle Cove's confirmed spinsters, needs to be in Scotland.

Colin Sandhurst, Lord Payne, a rake of the first order, needs to be... anywhere but Spindle Cove.

These unlikely partners have one week to
• fake an elopement
• convince family and friends they're in "love"
• outrun armed robbers
• survive their worst nightmares
• travel four hundred miles without killing each other
All while sharing a very small carriage by day and an even smaller bed by night.

What they don't have time for is their growing attraction. Much less wild passion. And heaven forbid they spend precious hours baring their hearts and souls.

Suddenly one week seems like exactly enough time to find a world of trouble. And maybe... just maybe... love.]]> 356 Tessa Dare 0062049879 Josh 5 19th-century-england-romances 4.06 2012 A Week to be Wicked (Spindle Cove, #2)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Josh
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/01
date added: 2024/06/01
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> Every Summer After 58014893
Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek—the man she never thought she’d have to live without.

For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family’s restaurant and curling up together with books—medical textbooks for him and work-in-progress horror short stories for her—Percy and Sam had been inseparable. Eventually that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more, before it fell spectacularly apart.

When Percy returns to the lake for Sam’s mother’s funeral, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until Percy can confront the decisions she made and the years she’s spent punishing herself for them, they’ll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.

Told over the course of six years and one weekend, Every Summer After is a big, sweeping nostalgic look at love and the people and choices that mark us forever.

Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.]]> 320 Carley Fortune Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.13 2022 Every Summer After
author: Carley Fortune
name: Josh
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/24
date added: 2024/05/24
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> Meet Me at the Lake 61797464
At thirty-two, Fern's life doesn't look at all how she once imagined it would. Instead of living in the city, Fern's back home, running her mother's Muskoka lakeside resort—something she vowed never to do. The place is in disarray, her ex-boyfriend's the manager, and Fern doesn't know where to begin.

She needs a plan—a lifeline. To her surprise, it comes in the form of Will, who arrives nine years too late, with a suitcase in tow and an offer to help on his lips. Will may be the only person who understands what Fern's going through. But how could she possibly trust this expensive-suit wearing mirage who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago. Will is hiding something, and Fern's not sure she wants to know what it is.

But ten years ago, Will Baxter rescued Fern. Can she do the same for him?]]> 336 Carley Fortune 0735243786 Josh 5 contemporary-romances 3.64 2023 Meet Me at the Lake
author: Carley Fortune
name: Josh
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/15
date added: 2024/05/15
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> This Summer Will Be Different 197577126
It’s easier said than done.

Each year, Lucy escapes to PEI for a big breath of coastal air, fresh oysters and crisp vinho verde with her best friend, Bridget. Every visit begins with a long walk on the beach, beneath soaring red cliffs and a golden sun. And every visit, Lucy promises herself she won’t wind up in Felix’s bed. Again.

If Lucy can’t help being drawn to Felix, at least she’s always kept her heart out of it.

When Bridget suddenly flees Toronto a week before her wedding, Lucy drops everything to follow her to the island. Her mission is to help Bridget through her crisis and resist the one man she’s never been able to. But Felix’s sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy’s beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.

This summer they’ll keep their promise. This summer they won't give into temptation. This summer will be different.]]> 368 Carley Fortune 0593638883 Josh 3 contemporary-romances 3.91 2024 This Summer Will Be Different
author: Carley Fortune
name: Josh
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/10
date added: 2024/05/10
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> Dear John 5526
But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else.

Dear John, the letter read... and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love—and face the hardest decision of his life.]]> 276 Nicholas Sparks 0446528056 Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.05 2006 Dear John
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Josh
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/05/10
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> The Longest Ride 17407748
A few miles away, at a local rodeo, a Wake Forest College senior’s life is about to change. Recovering from a recent break-up, Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke, who bears little resemblance to the privileged frat boys she has encountered at school. Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes of survival and success, ruin and reward -- even life and death – loom large in everyday life. As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans -- a future that Luke has the power to rewrite . . . if the secret he’s keeping doesn’t destroy it first.

Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples who have little in common, and who are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys: beyond despair, beyond death, to the farthest reaches of the human heart.]]> 398 Nicholas Sparks Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.16 2012 The Longest Ride
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Josh
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/05/09
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[True Believer (Jeremy Marsh & Lexie Darnell, #1)]]> 3464 Scientific American, he's just made his first appearance on national TV. When he receives a letter from the tiny town of Boone Creek, North Carolina, about ghostly lights that appear in a legend-shrouded cemetery, he can't resist driving down to investigate. Here, in this tightly knit community, Lexie Darnell runs the town's library, just as her mother did before the accident that left Lexie an orphan. Disappointed by past relationships, including one that lured her away from home, she is sure of one thing: her future is in Boone Creek, close to her grandmother and all the other people she loves. Jeremy expects to spend a quick week in "the sticks" before speeding back to the city. But from the moment he sets eyes on Lexie, he is intrigued and attracted to this beautiful woman who speaks with a soft drawl and confounding honesty. And Lexie, while hesitating to trust this outsider, finds herself thinking of Jeremy more than she cares to admit. Now, if they are to be together, Jeremy Marsh must make a difficult choice: return to the life he knows, or do something he's never done before--take a giant leap of faith. A story about taking chances and following your heart, True Believer will make you, too, believe in the miracle of love.]]> 465 Nicholas Sparks 044669651X Josh 5 contemporary-romances 3.80 2003 True Believer (Jeremy Marsh & Lexie Darnell, #1)
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Josh
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/05/09
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> Every Breath 38212843 In the romantic tradition of The Notebook and Nights in Rodanthe, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks returns with a story about a chance encounter that becomes a touchstone for two vastly different individuals -- transcending decades, continents, and the bittersweet workings of fate.

Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At thirty-six, she's been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family's cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future.

Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother's early life and recapture memories lost with her death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable . . . but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways.

Illuminating life's heartbreaking regrets and enduring hope, Every Breath explores the many facets of love that lay claim to our deepest loyalties -- and asks the question, How long can a dream survive?]]> 321 Nicholas Sparks 1538728532 Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.08 2018 Every Breath
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Josh
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/05/09
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> The Guardian 15925 224 Nicholas Sparks 0446696110 Josh 4 contemporary-romances 4.16 2003 The Guardian
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Josh
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/05/09
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> Layla 52089753 From author Colleen Hoover comes a novel that explores life after tragedy and the enduring spirit of love.

When Leeds meets Layla, he’s convinced he’ll spend the rest of his life with her—until an unexpected attack leaves Layla fighting for her life. After weeks in the hospital, Layla recovers physically, but the emotional and mental scarring has altered the woman Leeds fell in love with. In order to put their relationship back on track, Leeds whisks Layla away to the bed-and-breakfast where they first met. Once they arrive, Layla’s behavior takes a bizarre turn. And that’s just one of many inexplicable occurrences.

Feeling distant from Layla, Leeds soon finds solace in Willow—another guest of the B&B with whom he forms a connection through their shared concerns. As his curiosity for Willow grows, his decision to help her find answers puts him in direct conflict with Layla’s well-being. Leeds soon realizes he has to make a choice because he can’t help both of them. But if he makes the wrong choice, it could be detrimental for all of them.
]]> 305 Colleen Hoover 1542000181 Josh 1 contemporary-romances 3.63 2020 Layla
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Josh
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2020
rating: 1
read at: 2023/03/29
date added: 2024/05/09
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dreaming of You (The Gamblers of Craven's, #2)]]> 330721 She stood at danger's threshold—then love beckoned her in.

A prim, well-bred gentlewoman, Sara Fielding is a writer who puts pen to paper to create dreams. But now curiosity is luring her from the shelter of her country cottage into the dangerous world of Derek Craven—handsome, tough, and tenacious—and the most exciting man Sara has ever met.

Derek rose from poverty to become the wealthy lord of London’s most exclusive gambling house. And now duty demands that he allow Sara Fielding to enter his perilous realm of ever-shifting fortunes—with her impeccable manners and her infuriating innocence. But there is a hidden strength and sensuality to the lady that captivates him beyond his better judgment.

And in this world, where danger lurks behind every shadow, even a proper “mouse” can be transformed into a breathtaking enchantress—and a cynical gambler can be shaken to his core by the power of passion and the promise of love.]]> 373 Lisa Kleypas 038077352X Josh 5 19th-century-england-romances 4.15 1994 Dreaming of You (The Gamblers of Craven's, #2)
author: Lisa Kleypas
name: Josh
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1994
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/29
date added: 2024/04/29
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Then Came You (The Gamblers of Craven's, #1)]]> 114170 A woman with a secret.

Reckless beauty Lily Lawson delights in shocking London society. She will break any rule to get what she wants . . . and she is determined to stop her younger sister from marrying Alex, Lord Wolverton, a handsome and arrogant earl who has vowed never to fall in love.

A man who will do anything to possess her.

To Alex's fury, the headstrong hellion presents a temptation he can't resist. He vows to make her pay dearly for her interference—with her body, her soul, and her stubborn, well-guarded heart. As Alex and Lily challenge each other at every turn, they are caught up in a white-hot desire that burns through every defence and exposes the mystery of Lily's past . . . and together they discover that love is the most dangerous game of all.]]> 371 Lisa Kleypas 038077013X Josh 5 19th-century-england-romances 3.93 1993 Then Came You (The Gamblers of Craven's, #1)
author: Lisa Kleypas
name: Josh
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/27
date added: 2024/04/27
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> Verity 59344312
Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.]]> 336 Colleen Hoover Josh 5 contemporary-romances 4.27 2018 Verity
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Josh
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2023/03/28
date added: 2024/04/26
shelves: contemporary-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Never Fall for Your Fiancée (The Merriwell Sisters, #1)]]> 56268954 The first in a new historical rom-com series, a handsome earl hires a fake fiancée to keep his matchmaking mother at bay, but hilarity ensues when love threatens to complicate everything.

The last thing Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, ever wants is a wife. Unfortunately for him, his mother is determined to find him one, even from across the other side of the ocean. So, Hugh invents a fake fiancée to keep his mother’s matchmaking ways at bay. But when Hugh learns his interfering mother is on a ship bound for England, he realizes his complicated, convoluted but convenient ruse is about to implode. Until he collides with a beautiful woman, who might just be the miracle he needs.

Minerva Merriwell has had to struggle to support herself and her two younger sisters ever since their feckless father abandoned them. Work as a woodcut engraver is few and far between, and the Merriwell sisters are nearly penniless. So, when Hugh asks Minerva to pose as his fiancée while his mother is visiting, she knows that while the scheme sounds ludicrous, the offer is too good to pass up.

Once Minerva and her sisters arrive at Hugh's estate, of course, nothing goes according to his meticulous plan. As hilarity and miscommunication ensue, while everyone tries to keep their tangled stories straight, Hugh and Minerva’s fake engagement starts to turn into a real romance. But can they trust each other, when their relationship started with a lie?

]]> 359 Virginia Heath 1250787769 Josh 5 19th-century-england-romances 3.53 2021 Never Fall for Your Fiancée (The Merriwell Sisters, #1)
author: Virginia Heath
name: Josh
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/20
date added: 2024/04/26
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

]]> <![CDATA[To Have and to Hoax (The Regency Vows, #1)]]> 52210045 Librarian Note: Older cover of B07THBFMMT.

An estranged husband and wife in Regency England feign accidents and illness in an attempt to gain attention—and maybe just win each other back in the process.

Five years ago, Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley met, fell in love, and got married. Four years ago, they had a fight to end all fights, and have barely spoken since.

Their once-passionate love match has been reduced to one of cold, detached politeness. But when Violet receives a letter that James has been thrown from his horse and rendered unconscious at their country estate, she races to be by his side—only to discover him alive and well at a tavern, and completely unaware of her concern. She’s outraged. He’s confused. And the distance between them has never been more apparent.

Wanting to teach her estranged husband a lesson, Violet decides to feign an illness of her own. James quickly sees through it, but he decides to play along in an ever-escalating game of manipulation, featuring actors masquerading as doctors, threats of Swiss sanitariums, faux mistresses—and a lot of flirtation between a husband and wife who might not hate each other as much as they thought. Will the two be able to overcome four years of hurt or will they continue to deny the spark between them?]]> 367 Martha Waters Josh 4 19th-century-england-romances 3.34 2020 To Have and to Hoax (The Regency Vows, #1)
author: Martha Waters
name: Josh
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/11
date added: 2024/04/26
shelves: 19th-century-england-romances
review:

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