This HaBO request was sent in by Oyinkansola, who is looking for this romance:
Amputee doctor matchmade from heaven with a florist?
I read this book about 10 years where the hero and heroine’s mothers met in the heaven, got along, and decided to stage a meet cute for their kids. The hero is a medical doctor who is an amputee. To my memory, he is really charming and handsome. The heroine is a florist? I am less certain about her profession. I don’t know if this counts as a spoiler but they did have twin babies at the end of the book…
A short and sweet release week for us. There are contemporary romances, a paranormal, and more.
What are you excited for this week? Let us know in the comments!
Books & Bewitchment
Author: Isla Jewell Released: February 3, 2026 by Del Rey Genre:Paranormal, Romance Series: Arcadia Falls #1
In this cozy, witchy romcom, a young woman works to turn a run-down small-town video store into the bookshop of her dreams, only to discover a powerful magic that’s been lying dormant—and a forbidden love she can’t resist.
Dutiful and hard-working, Rhea Wolfe lives a simple, mundane life with her pet parrot in small-town Alabama. Sure, she may not love her desk job working for an insurance agency. And her on-again-off-again relationship with the local mechanic may not have the fiery passion she’s read about in her favorite books. Still, things are stable, which is more than she can say about the two hopelessly immature younger sisters who rely on her.
But when Rhea’s estranged grandmother dies, leaving her everything—including a magical heritage Rhea never knew she carried—she finds herself in Arcadia Falls, the quaint mountain town her mother made her swear to avoid at all costs. While the defunct business she’s also inherited needs a serious upgrade, Rhea’s lucky that resident handyman Hunter Blakely is more than happy to help—and more than easy on the eyes. If only he wasn’t the grandson of her grandmother’s sworn enemy in witchcraft.
As Rhea works to build a future, strange occurrences begin to make her think someone—or something—is trying to drive her out. As she gets closer to solving the mystery, each clue she uncovers points to Arcadia Falls’s magic hanging in the balance. To keep her new home safe, Rhea must step into her enchanted birthright . . . before it’s too late.
Author: Jill Shalvis Released: February 3, 2026 by That's What She Said Publishing, Inc. Genre:Contemporary Romance, Romance Series: Colburn Brothers #2
College rivals become workplace frenemies-turned-lovers in this warm, sexy contemporary romance from New York Times bestseller Jill Shalvis. First, they were rivals… Now they’re stuck with each other…
Retired hockey player Caleb Colburn needs this construction project to prove himself in the family business, but he also needs to recover from the injury that ended his pro career. Too bad Emma Sumner, architect liaison and Caleb’s college nemesis, is back in town and assigned to the project. They’re going to have to see each other almost every day. Which means once again she’ll make his life a living hell.
As for Emma, her job is on the line with this big project, made all the more challenging by the project manager. Caleb was the one who had snagged the scholarship she’d desperately needed to stay in college. She’s been living hand to mouth ever since and has no intention of ever forgiving the man.
But the beautiful historic building they’re renovating is exactly the kind of project that they both love best. Their surprising common ground and a burning mutual attraction start bringing them closer and closer to a potentially explosive mistake. And that’s even before the secrets come out…
A humorous, swoony, and downright terrifying horror romance in which a young woman gets caught in the middle of a murder spree at a speed-dating event and must use her encyclopedic knowledge of the horror genre to make it as a real-life Final Girl.
When Jamie Prescott and her best friend Laurie attend a speed-dating event, Jamie expects to meet a roster of mediocre men and indulge in some street food afterwards. She doesn’t expect one of her dates to have his throat slit at their table during a blackout. When the lights come back on and there are more bodies on the floor, it becomes clear that speed dating can be a very dangerous pastime.
Armed with makeshift weapons and Jamie’s extensive knowledge of what NOT to do in a horror movie, the remaining speed daters try to find an exit while the killer adds to their body count. As the night progresses and Jamie comes face-to-mask with the murderer, she begins to suspect he is committing the slayings to woo one of the daters and turn her into his real-life Final Girl. But Jamie has a different love story in mind, and as she fights for her life, she can’t help but find herself ensconced in a love triangle with two of the other speed-daters. Will she survive the bloodshed to find her happily ever after? Or does this machete-wielding psychopath have another Final Girl in mind?
For fans of Love in the Time of Serial Killers and Butcher & Blackbird, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates is one killer love story.
Amanda: I’m here for more horror/romance mashups! (As a note, the Australian cover is much more fun.)
Author: Rufaro Faith Mazarura Released: February 3, 2026 by Flatiron Books Genre:Contemporary Romance, Romance
The weather might be icy, but the tension is red-hot in this fake dating hockey rom-com from the author of Let the Games Begin.
Ari Shumba never expected to make it to the Winter Games, let alone be the one to lead Great Britain’s women’s hockey team through the most important competition of their lives. But when an unexpected injury catapults her to the role of team captain, Ari reluctantly shoulders the responsibility, all while trying to dodge her toxic ex.
Drew Dlamini has always feared taking risks. But after uncovering a family secret, breaking up with his ex-girlfriend and dropping out of graduate school, he’s desperate for a fresh start. So when he finds himself in London for the holidays, he decides to rekindle his hidden dream of becoming a professional photographer.
When Ari and Drew bump into each other on New Year’s Eve, neither one is looking to fall in love. Despite their instant chemistry, they’re from opposite sides of the Atlantic, and when they reveal all of their red flags, they realize that things between them would never work out. But then, when their paths unexpectedly cross two months later in the snowy Swiss Alps, memories of what they almost did that night resurface. And the combination of complicated exes, over-involved families, and stress-inducing teammates convinces them that the perfect solution to their problems is to fake date their way through the Games.
After all, there’s no risk of falling in love if it is doomed from the start . . . right?
A hockey romance just in time for the Olympics to start.
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis Characters/Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Carson Beckett, Aiden Ford Rating: Explicit Length: 8100 Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply Creator Links:astolat on AO3 Themes: Inept in love, Friends to lovers, First time, Favorite fanworks
Summary: In which Rodney and John fail to pay attention.
Reccer's Notes: For me, this is the ultimate "inept in love" fic. It's clever, very funny, and brilliantly written, as Rodney bounces blithely from assumption to oblivious assumption, with John startled by the sudden sex they're having, but somehow never managing to communicate clearly that Rodney's got it all wrong about them being in a relationship - until it's finally totally clear that they both are. An all-time classic!
Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 22 secrets from Secret Submission Post #995. Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ]. Current Secret Submissions Post:here. Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
Hi guys, I’ve decided to participate in a challenge started by Dreamersdare. I’m sorry I don’t know how to add links to entries yet. Basically the challenge is to share a top 10 list of things you love every week of February.
This weeks theme is to share your favorite standalone pieces of media. This list is in no particular order as I kind of just wrote down things as I thought of them haha.
1. Annie (1982) I was never that interested in television, especially when I was a kid. But I was constantly rewatching this movie over and over again and it was literally the only movie I would agree to watch. I still love this movie today.
2. Number The Stars by Lois Lowry I read this book when I was maybe about 10 or 11 and I think it was one of the things that started my love of historical fiction and my interest in history.
3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee I really enjoyed reading this for the first time and I plan on rereading it someday. I really like Scout as the narrator of the story as it’s interesting reading about what she thinks of the situations going on in her life and her community. I like how her perspective adds some humor to it as well.
4. Gender Queer by Maya Kobabe As a nonbinary person myself, this aspect of my identity seems to be something I struggle to accept for multiple reasons. This was the first book I ever read about the topic and it was just nice being able to relate to some of the author’s experiences.
5. Juno (2007) This is my other favorite movie. I’m not even sure why I like it so much other than I just do. Plus I really enjoyed the sound track and it introduced me to Kimya Dawson’s music which I really like.
6. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green This book did make me cry but I really liked it. This was also my first John Green book and now I’m a fan of his and Hank Green as well.
7. Wonder by R. J. Palacio Another book that meant a lot to little me. I could relate to a lot of Auggie’s experiences due to my disability. But I also really liked how the story was told from multiple perspectives. I think I remember Jack Will’s being my favorite. I liked how the story discussed some serious topics but it was also humorous at times so I cried and laughed multiple times throughout reading.
8. Shop: a Pop Opera by Jack Stauber Lol this one might seem a bit random or strange. I’m not sure why YouTube decided to recommend I watch a video about a man trying to do his grocery shopping but keeps having existential crises in which he breaks out into song every time and I’m not sure why I enjoyed it so much that I came back to rewatch it multiple times. When I showed this to my sighted family members they seemed to be a bit freaked out, I guess the visuals are scary looking. But this video was comforting to me in a way and I like the songs. I wonder what I would think if I could see, but I think I’d still like this video.
9. Mean Girls (2004) This is my favorite movie to watch when I need to have a good laugh. Plus this movie is so quotable and I reference it often haha.
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky This is another one that made me cry especially since some heavy topics were covered. But I did really enjoy it and I like how it was sort of written in diary entries because I like that kind of writing.
This was actually kind of hard. I realized I tend to enjoy a lot of things that are apart of a series.
Yeah. Good luck with that, every-state-but-Florida.
So, unless shadowless weather forecasters are run over by rodent and celebrity driven automobiles, I'd say most of you are due to see a lot more of this:
"Squashed octopodes?"
Er, no. I mean this:
"Blue crabs?"
No, no, no!
THIS:
[crickets chirping]
Oh, never mind.
Happy Grounn Dhog Day, y'all.
Thanks to Brenda M., M.Z., Melissa B., Saundra, Karen C., Jamie, & Kevin H., who would like to remind you to never drive angry. Especially with a quadruped.
See you tomorrow, campers!
Note from john (thoJ): Yes, Groundhog Day was Sunday but what am I gonna do, NOT post this?!
*****
P.S. If by some chance you DON'T have this classic in your film library, I *highly* recommend it. Plus I just discovered it's only $10 Prime right now for the Blu-Ray:
The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey is $1.99! This is book two in Big Shots sports romance series. I remember Elyse mentioning it in Hide Your Wallet and enjoying the series as a whole. A lot of Bailey’s books have been on sale recently, probably because she’s on tour.
A sports rom-com about a burly, surly, single dad who falls head-over-hockey-stick for his quirky live-in nanny…
Tallulah is smart, vivacious, and studying to be a marine biologist. She’s also twenty-six and broke. So when Burgess, a battle-scarred hockey veteran and newly single dad, offers her a job as his live-in nanny, she jumps at the opportunity to get paid while living in a super fancy neighborhood and being around Lissa, his cool but introverted tween.
Her tween charge isn’t the only one who could use some help fitting in, though. According to…well, everyone except Burgess, he needs to get back on the dating scene, and adventurous Tallulah is just the girl to show him how. But as boundaries are slowly crossed and Burgess finds himself pulled between his daughter, who wants her parents back together, and his insane chemistry with Tallulah, a huge rift is formed, and Tallulah does the “right” thing—breaks her own heart and walks away.
Though Burgess knows it’s for the best—he’s too jaded, with too much baggage—a chance meeting, and a new push from his daughter, forces him to put everything on the line and fight to prove he learned his lessons well and is worthy of a happily ever after with Tallulah.
A Rivalry of Hearts by Tessonja Odette is $2.49! This is book one in a series and I picked this one and book two up in hardcover. The covers are really adorable, but I hope they deliver on their promise of spiciness.
Two rival writers.
One prestigious publishing contract.
A bargain of hearts and desire.
They say never bargain with the fae. They also say don’t get drunk on fae wine. Yet romance author Edwina Danforth has managed a blunder with both on her first visit to the infamous faelands. Now she’s trapped in a magic-fueled bet she barely remembers with a man she’d be happier to forget. The terms? Whoever can bed the most lovers during their month-long dueling book tour wins a coveted publishing contract.
The win should be easy for Edwina. She’s known for penning scintillating tales of whirlwind romance. There’s just one problem: her imagination vastly exceeds her bedroom experience. But when failure means plummeting her career back into obscurity, losing isn’t an option.
Her handsome fae rival, William Haywood, poses an even greater challenge. Not only are his looks as aggravatingly perfect as his track record behind closed doors, but he has his own reasons for playing to win, and he won’t go down without a fight. Unless, of course, it’s a different kind of going down. In that case, he’s fair game.
Edwina and William clash in a rivalry of romance. But what happens when their objects of desire…turn out to be each other?
A Rivalry of Hearts is a spicy standalone adult fantasy romcom in the Fae Flings and Corset Strings series. Every book in this interconnected series is a complete story and ends with a HEA. If you like academic rivals, enemies to lovers, and quirky heroines, then you’ll love this sizzling tale.
The Fae Flings and Corset Strings series is set in the same world as The Fair Isle Trilogy and Entangled with Fae. Journey back to this beloved fae world or fall in love for the first time.
Demon with Benefits by Aurora Ascher is $3.99! This paranormal romance is book three in the Hell Bent series. We’ve featured book one on sale before, and I’ve heard good things.
A hot-headed witch and a lovable bad-boy demon add up to a scorching enemies-to-lovers tale, in the latest spicy paranormal romance from instant New York Timesbestselling author Aurora Ascher.
They can run from their demons . . .
The jokester of the demon brothers, Meph wears his grin like armor and uses humor as a mask. But lately, his composure has been slipping, especially around her. Iris. The blue-haired witch with a vicious temperament. Something about her soothes the darkness within him . . . but he’s not looking for a savior. There’s no such thing for someone like him.
But they can’t hide forever . . .
Bitter and haunted by her traumatic past, Iris Donovan isn’t keen on welcoming demons into her life—even if they’re her sister’s friends. Especially not teasing, tattooed, Meph, with his red eyes and devilish smile. After a toxic relationship, she’s sworn off commitment, and she’s not looking for another Mr. Damaged. Yet she can’t stop craving what she shouldn’t want.
To conquer this monster . . . they must tame it together.
With the return of a deadly enemy, the pain they’ve been suppressing is exposed, and Meph and Iris can no longer deny their feelings. Before Meph is swallowed by his darkness, Iris must overcome her fears and embrace that terrible part of him . . .
Book People by Jackie Ashenden is 99c! This contemporary romance was mentioned on Hide Your Wallet. This was also our third bestselling book of last year.
Don’t miss this utterly charming, spicy, enemies-to-lovers rom-com from Jackie Ashenden!
When Kate, a fledgling bookseller, decides to open a bookshop that celebrates the kinds of genre fiction she loves to read (popular and fun!), she’s surprised to find that not everyone in the town is as excited as she is.
Least excited of all? Sebastian, owner of the highbrow bookshop across the road, who has rules for everything: the kind of books he sells, the clothes he wears, and the people he dates (no-one local).
When the pair find themselves working together on the town’s literary festival, their growing attraction becomes harder and harder to ignore. Professional rivalry aside, just one steamy kiss can’t mean anything, can it?
Don't worry, this isn't going to be a Gangnam Style parody. Promise. It's just that every time I see one of those "baby bump" limbless torso cakes trying so desperately to be sexy, that's all I hear in my head:
"HEEEEEY SEXAH LAY-DAY!"
Plus now I can't stop picturing Psy screaming at all the fondant boobies:
I feel ya, man.
But enough about me. Let's talk about why so many women enjoy displaying edible effigies of their nearly naked torsos for a bunch of other women while celebrating the imminent expulsion of a human being from their bodies.
(When you put it like that, it's kind of messed up, right?)
And while I'll never think pregnant torso cakes are a good idea, at least the ones wearing clothing are a little LESS tacky. The "sexy" ones just make me wonder: who gets all hot and bothered looking at a dismembered pregnant torso?
Before you get too turned on, you should know that the fetus with the unnaturally long spaghetti leg is watching you. Aaaalwaaaays waaaaatching.
That one's not really showing enough skin, though, is it? And don't you think it needs a nice heavy spray tan, too?
Muuuuch better. We'll all be revisiting breakfast in NO time.
(If you look at that just right, you'll see a jowly guy in an aviator cap whistling Dixie around a mouth full of feet. Just sayin'.)
Hey ladies, you know how sometimes we get that little bead of sweat betwixt our womanly bazooms? And you know how the sight of it on other women make you, like, totally hungry?
Mmmm. Sweaty bazoom valley.
(Also, if that lady is pregnant, then I must be expecting twins.)
If I still haven't convinced you that "sexy" torso cakes are a bad idea, though, then let me leave you with this little window into the future:
Peek-a-boo! SEE YOU REAL SOON.
Thanks to Cyndi P., Matt R., Anony M., Kate C., Jason S., & Vicki K. for the sexy, sexy nightmare fuel.
****** You know what's always sexy at a baby shower? Star Wars counting books.
Meet the Newmans is a novel set in 1964 that follows a real-life family playing a TV family. It’s about our authentic selves versus our public selves within the framework of the rise of second wave feminism. It also deals with queer identity.
The Newmans, father Del, mother Dinah, and sons Guy and Shep, are a real life family who also play a sanitized version of themselves on TV. They are the perfect White, middle class, nuclear family with a father who provides and leads, a mother who is the ideal housekeeper and cook, and two boys who are an all American athlete and a popular musician. Think Leave it to Beaver or The Donna Reed Show.
The problem is none of this is real. Del has badly mismanaged his family’s finances, and they don’t know. Dinah can’t cook to save her life and pays a housekeeper to clean her home. She and Del are living separate lives under the same roof, sleeping in separate rooms. Guy is gay. He lets the studio set him up on dates for the tabloids, but the reality is that his “roommate,” Kelly, is his partner. Shep is a teen music idol who experiments with drugs and wants to play edgier music. At the start of the book he’s also gotten a woman pregnant.
The Newmans are facing two crises. The first is that their wholesome image isn’t as popular in 1964 as it was when they started twelve years prior. Viewers see them as square and they aren’t pulling the ratings they once did. The second crisis occurs when Del gets into a car accident and is in a coma.
It looks like the series is about to be canceled, and Dinah, Guy and Shep are left to write and act the final episodes without their patriarch. Without Del running the show, they also have an opportunity to change the finale and make it something more authentic to themselves.
All of the characters in this book (even Del) feel stuck in the roles that TV, and to a larger extent, society have written for them. Dinah is not a “hausfrau” (her term) and worries that she’s not taken seriously as a person due to the fact that TV’s Dinah Newman exists solely to cook, vacuum and comfort the male members of her family. A journalist named Juliet Dunne gives Dinah a copy of The Feminine Mystique and it clicks for her. She begins to worry that not only is she not taken seriously, but that her portrayal of Dinah as the ideal homemaker is damaging to women in general. She feels stifled by her life and the show.
Guy and Shep are trying to live up to their father’s and their viewer’s ideals. Guy has to hide his sexuality, and it creates a complex scenario where he’s terrified of what being outed would do to his family and the show. At the same time he’s trying to keep the show alive by stepping into his dad’s shoes and being the perfect example of an “all American dude.” Shep has fans are a little out of control (think Beatlemania), but he wants to be seen as a person and not a sex symbol.
There’s a really great scene in the book where Shep thinks he’s connecting with a woman over their common love of certain writers, only to wake up the next morning in a bedroom wallpapered with his photos.
Because the patriarchal lynchpin of their family dynamic is removed and because the show is potentially going to be cancelled, Dinah, Guy and Shep are all propelled into action and into flux. This means that they can do a lot of exploring and growing in a relatively short narrative period without it feeling rushed. In some ways, all of these characters have been ruminating on their identities for a long time, but the accident forces them to act on those feelings in a way that feels very authentic.
Even as our three main characters re-evaluate their lives and identities, they also look at what their identity as a family means. Each of their personal journeys could fracture the family dynamic or they could rebuild around it.
The story deeply explores who we are versus who we allow others to believe we are, and is generally just a really enjoyable piece of historical fiction. The Newmans’ internal upheaval is set in a period where feminism, gay rights, and civil rights are all being explored on a national stage. There are historical tidbits woven into the narrative that remind the reader how much happened during this time in history. For example, Juliet is working on an article on The Boston Strangler purely as a background detail to the rest of the plot.
What really made me enjoy Meet the Newmans was how rich it was: rich in historical detail, rich in personal growth, rich in introspection without being naval gaze-y. I think it would be an excellent pick for a book club due to how much there is to discuss about its themes, setting and characters. I would also recommend it to fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid and Lessons in Chemistry.
The countdown is officially on! Escapade is less than a month away: Feb 20th-22nd. There’s still time to register and secure a hotel room. Don’t delay!
Are you an artist who wants to share their visions with other fen? We welcome original art, resales from your collection, prints and digitally created art, 3D pieces, crafts, and more. We display your works lovingly, admire them lasciviously, and, if they get three bids or more, auction them off rapaciously.
Bring your art to the convention or contact us about mailing your art to one of our committee members. Mailed art must be received in southern California by Tuesday Feb 17th.
I’m glad that it’s February. I don’t really like January all that much, and I swear it feels like it lasts about 31 years rather than 31 days lol. I’m hoping it’ll start to get warmer. At least it seems like it will get above freezing temperatures this week.
Last night I stayed up until 2:00 in the morning binge reading. I was reading “Because You’ll Never Meet Me” by Leah Thomas. It’s about these two boys who basically live as recluses from society due to their medical conditions. They start writing letters to one another and eventually become best friends. The story is told through their letters to each other. And more of their passed is revealed as you read on. I’m not finished with the book yet. But it’s pretty interesting so far. I enjoy seeing their friendship develop and I’m curious to know more about each boys history. It kind of makes me wish I had a pen pal. I know I could basically message almost anyone from around the world, which is really cool. But I don’t know I guess it just seems like it’d be nice writing letters to someone and looking forward to receiving one. I think I’ve liked the idea of a pen pal ever since I was little. Though it isn’t super easy when you read and write in a code that not very many people understand . Although now that I think of it I do have some vague memories from my childhood of writing to someone I met at some program for blind children. But I think we only wrote to each other a few times.
Hmm, since it’s the month of Valentine’s Day I wonder if I should try reading some romance? For some reason romance tends to frustrate or annoy me a lot. Especially tropes like enemies to lovers or love triangles. But it would be nice to find some romance that I enjoy so perhaps I’ll try looking.
Well I hope everyone has a good day and a good February! See you soon.
Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 28 secrets from Secret Submission Post #995. Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ]. Current Secret Submissions Post:here. Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
Fandom: Good Omens Pairings/Characters: Aziraphale/Crowley Rating: T Length: 5437 words Creator Links: iamtheenemy (Steph) Theme: Inept in love
Summary: Crowley gets orders to seduce Aziraphale to the dark side. It goes about as well as you might expect.
Reccer's Notes: Crowley gets orders from Hell to seduce Aziraphale, and Crowley can't really bring himself to try, despite some half-hearted attempts. That's the first half of the fic, the second half is the two of them after the almost apocalypse, and it's very sweet, even if Crowley's brain stops functioning a few times.
Bring out your failboats! Our theme for February is inept in love.
These fools are unlucky in love—whether it's due to inexperience, obliviousness, social anxiety, or their own terrible choices—or are so in love they can't function properly. This trope is sometimes called "Idiots in Love," but as "idiot" is an ableist term, I ask that you don't use it in your recs, and just as there are all kinds of love, this theme is for all kinds of relationships.
The tag for this round is: theme: inept in love
If you're just joining us, be sure to check out our policy on content notes. Content notes aren't required, but they're nice to include in your recs, especially if a fanwork has untagged content that readers may wish to know about in advance.
D'awwww. And if I'm not mistaken, those are sugar glass gems on the top tier and on the wire sprigs. Way to whip out the SKILLZ, guys!
Now, I know my fellow geeks are waiting for a Cthulhu cake, but I've gotta tell you, I think we posted the best one just a few months ago for Halloween - and believe it or not, good Cthulhu cakes are hard to find!
Besides, just picture this next guy with a body and wings and a seeping aura of horror, and that's basically Cthulhu right there:
Not only are they adorable and fun to play with, but most of the styles flip from happy to sad, so a lot of parents use them as a helpful communication tool with their kids. Love that.
It feels like it’s been forever. I have a couple romances for this round, plus an epistolary and some non-fiction. I really love this selection!
Do you have any recommendations to share? Let us know in the comments!
A Holy Maiden’s Guide to Getting Kidnapped
I saw this while shopping at Lovestruck a week ago. I was super tempted to grab it and the leads are both sort of morally gray, which I love. Unfortunately, it wasn’t what I was after at the time and I was trying to limit myself to only two purchases!
A Holy Maiden should never drink, get kidnapped, nor kiss a Dark Lord, but Ysabel is breaking all the rules to escape her fate as a human sacrifice.
In a world where magical powers are commonplace, Holy Maiden Ysabel is revered as a goddess among her people. She’s the only one able to heal the sick and injured with a simple touch. But her spectacular gift comes at a steep price. For each person she saves, she loses a day of her own conscripted life. To add insult to injury, she’s supposed to maintain a pure image even though she’d rather drink and play dominatrix until her sorrows fade away.
After the corrupt Head Cardinal Jiang abuses her gift, forbids her from leaving the city, and takes her brother hostage, Ysabel doesn’t dare drag anyone else into her problems—especially since it won’t change her fate. But when Dark Lord Kaine arrives at her clinic doorstep grievously wounded, she’s touched by his refusal to accept her healing lest it cost her another day of her life.
The mysterious and sexy Dark Lord awakens forbidden desires in Ysabel, and the nagging survival instinct she tried to drown with booze and drugs comes back with a vengeance. She’s less impressed, however, when he threatens to sack her city in return for his injuries. Fortunately, she can flirt her way to an alliance against the Head Cardinal instead.
Armed with only a ferociously loyal female bodyguard named Alzira, Ysabel attempts to make the most of her mere months left to live, protect the refugees around her city, prevent a war, and hide her face blindness. But before her life flickers to its sad end, she must either die a proper Holy Maiden or risk it all to run off with Kaine.
Shout out to Katie! While giving Katie quarterly recs as part of After Dark, she mentioned she loves Cate C. Wells in her survey. As someone who wasn’t sure where to start, I asked her for some suggestions. I blew through The Tyrant Alpha’s Rejected Mate, but she also put this one on my radar with a few caveats about the hero. I immediately bought it, though haven’t started it just yet.
My high school bully is now my fake boyfriend.
Cash Wall has been messing with me since junior high.
Nuisance stuff, mostly. Name calling. Pranks.
Honestly, he’s nowhere near the worst of my problems. Back in school, I had bigger fish to fry, and now, I’ve got a “scarlet letter” situation going on. The whole town hates me.
For some reason, Cash offers himself up as my knight in shining armor.
So now my former bully is my fake boyfriend. What could possibly go wrong?
Cash
Glenna Dobbs thinks I’m an idiot, and she’s mostly right.
I hunt. Fish. Go mudding. I’m not a “brain” type. I’m not really a “thinker.”
But I ain’t stupid. When I see that Glenna needs a rescue, I’m in.
‘Cause what Glenna doesn’t know? I’ve been in this whole time, and once I’ve got her, I’m not letting her go.
Against a Wall is a small-town, enemies-to-lovers romance. It is the second book in the Stonecut County series, but it can be read as a standalone. Intended for adult readers.
If you love mysteries that feel more like a puzzle, this one makes clever use of epistolary elements.
Told in emails, text messages, and essays, this innovative pause-resister follows a group of students in an art master’s program that goes dangerously awry.
Gela Nathaniel, head of Royal Hastings University’s new Multimedia Art course, must find six students from all walks of life across the United Kingdom for her new master’s program before the university cuts her funding. The students are nothing but trouble from day one.
There’s Jem, a talented sculptor recently graduated from her university program and eager to make her mark as an artist at any cost. Jonathan, who has little experience in art practice aside from running his family’s gallery. Patrick runs an art supply store, but can barely operate his phone, much less design software. Ludya is a single mother and graphic designer more interested in a paycheck than homework. Cameron is a marketing executive in search of a hobby or a career change. And Alyson, already a successful artist, seems to be overqualified. Finally, there is the examiner, the man hired to grade students’ final works—an art installation for a local cloud-based solutions company that may have an ulterior agenda—and who, in sifting through final essays, texts, and message boards, warns that someone is in danger…or already dead. And nothing about this course has been left up to chance.
With her trademark “unique and exhilarating” (Megan Collins, author of The Family Plot) voice, Janice Hallett weaves a fresh and mind-bending mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.
I honestly wish I had this when my bio dad died (I was his only surviving relative). My partner’s mom unexpectedly passed in the fall and has had to take the lead on making arrangements, handling things that come up, etc. It’s never a good time to think about these things, but I can’t overstate the need to be prepared.
An approachable, expert-fueled guide to dealing with the legal, financial, and logistical hurdles of parent death—without losing your sense of humor.
Whether you’ve recently lost a parent or are just trying to plan for the toughest day of your life so far, you’re probably experiencing a lot of dizzying emotions. Unfortunately, our legal and financial systems don’t care about your feelings. Whether you’re holding it together or falling apart, you are going to need to enter an overwhelming labyrinth of paperwork and bureaucracy.
But you don’t have to do it alone.
After losing both parents, Becky Robison devoted herself to making death and post-death logistics easier on others—reading up on estate law, becoming a trained death doula, and starting her website DeadParentsWhatNow.com. She draws on her own experience, plus interviews with experts from monument makers to morticians, to hold your hand through:
– Asking your parents about their end-of-life wishes while you can
– Getting a body buried, cremated, or donated to science
– Planning a funeral
– Securing a death certificate
– Dealing with your parents’ property—or debt
– Handling even more tricky issues you never wanted to be in charge of
– And still being able to laugh, a little, sometimes
Nothing about this is easy. The good news is, you have someone on your side.
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