Kaelie's Reads

Something New by Amanda Abram Cassie Briggs never thought she’d be married at age sixteen—especially not to Dylan Meyers, her boyfriend’s best friend. Of course, they’re not married for real. It’s just a project for their Life Economics class, where each student is randomly paired up to manage finances, make important life decisions, and deal with catastrophic events. It was supposed to be an easy A, but now Cassie is not so sure. Getting paired with Dylan is bad enough, but then Cassie’s boyfriend Elijah gets paired with his ex-girlfriend, Hannah: the former childhood sweetheart who broke his heart. The girl who took him months to get over—if he’s ever gotten over her at all. When the project leads to inevitable heartbreak for Cassie, she begins to find comfort in the most unexpected place: her pretend husband...her now-ex-boyfriend’s best friend...the last guy in the world she should be growing closer to. And as Elijah vows to stop at nothing to win back Cassie’s heart—...

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore From the author of the  Sunday Times  bestseller and viral TikTok phenomenon,  The Pumpkin Spice Café , comes a brand new spicy romance set in Dream Harbor! When a secret message turns up hidden in a book in the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore,  Hazel  can't understand it. As more secret codes appear between the pages, she decides to follow the trail of clues… she just need someone to help her out. Gorgeous and outgoing fisherman,  Noah , is always up for an adventure. And a scavenger hunt sounds like a lot of fun. Even better that the cute bookseller he's been crushing on for months is the one who wants his help! Hazel didn’t go looking for romance, but as the treasure hunt leads her and Noah around Dream Harbor, their undeniable chemistry might be just as hot as the fresh-out-of-the-oven cinnamon buns the bookstore sells… The Cinnamon Bun Book Store  is a cozy romantic mystery with a HEA guaranteed! ...

Twisted in Obsession by Kelly Kelsey I’ve never believed in coincidences. I am a man that believes in facts. It wasn’t a coincidence that my papà was the last person to see Ocean before she disappeared. The deeper I dig into her past, the more I find out about the girl who turned my world upside down. I may be a liar, but Ocean lied too. But now I know who she truly is... and what she is capable of. She may have run and hidden once but it won’t happen again. Because she is mine and if I have to burn the whole world down, just to find her, I will. And when I do? I will make her wish her family found her instead. It’s funny how a single moment can change your life. And in my case, it’s been a series of moments. I spent months running from my family, intending to build myself a better life. Then I met him. Nico Marchetti. The devil in a designer suit. He caught me in his web, consuming me until I had no choice but to fall in love with him. But he didn’t love me back. That mu...

The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore A spicy small-town romance and TikTok phenomenon, perfect for fans of Hannah Grace and Stephanie Archer. When Jeanie's aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbor,  Jeanie  jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job. Logan  is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor's gossip at all costs. But Jeanie's arrival disrupts Logan's routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her. Will Jeanie's happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won't fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes… The Pumpkin Spice Café  is a cozy romantic mystery for fans of Gilmore Girls, with a grumpy x sunshine dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed! Tropes: • grumpy x sunshine • small town • found family •...

Whistleblower by Kay Cove Eden: Where I come from, there’s no forgiveness for a whistleblower, even if I saved countless lives. Unemployed, with a wrecked reputation, my only option is a pity job as a leadership consultant for a secret, government-employed team of assassins. After moving clear across the country, I thought I’d feel safe from the ones who want revenge for my so-called valor, but then I meet him. Linc. The ghost in the shadows, who will never be seen for the hero he is. I should probably be intimidated by the most lethal assassin PALADIN employs, except the monster has the kindest eyes when he's looking at me. Still, the question remains of who I should fear more… The ones who are after me or the ones who promised to protect me. Linc: I love the way she screams my name, but I like how she whispers it too. I vowed to never get attached, but Eden has a hold on me that no one has before. She’s the light and until her, I didn’t realize how lonely the darkne...

Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay Lindsey is getting into her groove as the director of the Briar Creek Public Library when a New York editor visits town, creating quite a buzz. Lindsey's friend Beth wants to sell the editor her children's book, but Beth's boyfriend, a famous author, gets in the way. When they go to confront him, he's found murdered-and Beth is the prime suspect. Lindsey has to act fast before they throw the book at the wrong person. My Review: My rating: 3 of 5 stars DNF @24%

Catch Me If You Candy by Ellie Alexander Things are getting spooky in  Catch Me If You Candy,  the next delicious installment in the Bakeshop Series from author Ellie Alexander, set in Ashland, Oregon! Halloween has arrived in picturesque Ashland, Oregon, and all of the ghouls and goblins have descended on Main Street for the annual parade. It’s a giant street party and Torte is right in the mix. Jules Capshaw and her team have been baking up autumn delights and trick-or-Torte bags filled with sugar cookie cutouts, spiced cider, and mummy munch. It’s the end of the season at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which means that the costumes for the parade are going to be out of this world. The elaborate guises even extend to pets. The grand marshal of this year’s parade is no other than a regal pug aptly named King George. Jules is delighted to get to share the experience with Carlos and Ramiro, but things take a dark turn when she discovers a dragon slumped in front...

Blind Pass by Teagan Hunter What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay there. I would know. I’m coming home with a brand-new ring on my finger. My wife? Ryan Bell. We’re polar opposites. She’s sunshine and happiness. I’m grumpy and scarred—literally. We could get it annulled and no one would be the wiser. Only problem? We posted about it online, and it’s already making headlines. I can’t afford to get that kind of attention and tank my career, and Ryan needs my help too. We make a plan: stay married for one year, play our roles, and divorce amicably at the end. No harm, no foul. Besides, there’s no way the beauty is going to fall for the beast… My Review: My rating: 2 of 5 stars I didn't really enjoy this book, and I don't plan to read more books in this series.

The Sugar Cookie Sweetheart Swap by Donna Kauffman Where There's Smoke by Donna Kauffman When flames from a recipe gone disastrously wrong send hunky fire-fighter Will Mason to pretty Clara Parker's rescue, the sparks really begin to fly! And once Will gets a taste of Clara, he aches for more than just a little sugar from the famously single food columnist... The Gingerbread Man by Kate Angell Folks have always told fun-loving Abby Denton that her anatomically correct Gingerbread cookies are...impressive. But those erotic cookies have nothing on the sexy stranger Abby saves from a snowy country road. Could Lander Reynolds be the Christmas treat she's truly been longing for? Sugar And Spice by Kimberly Kincaid When caterer Lily Callahan goes up against hotshot pastry chef Pete Mancuso in the bake-off of the season, the stakes are high - and scandalously passionate. Will the gorgeous gourmand steal Lily's heart - and the top prize in the Christmas cookie com...

Escort by Skye Warren A male escort. His virgin client. What happens when one night isn't enough? 1 I'm an escort, which means this date is nothing more than a mutually enjoyable transaction. There shouldn't be any surprises, not for one as jaded as me, but when I walk into the penthouse suite of L'Etoile, everything changes. 1) For one thing, Bea is heartstoppingly gorgeous. Pale green eyes and endless freckles. Curves I want to spend all night exploring, as if her body was made for me. 2) Her innocence makes me want to use my entire inventory of bedroom tricks on her and then invent a few more. 3) Except that... she's a virgin. I can initiate her into the world of desire without letting her get attached, can't I? A few hours of tutoring, and at the end of the night a small fortune will be deposited into my bank account. My Review: Mood?  lighthearted Pace?   medium Plot- or character-driven?   A mix Strong character development?    Yes   Lov...

Red Sin by Aleatha Romig Red is the color of blood, sacrifice, danger, and courage. It’s also associated with heat, passion, and sexuality. When two people meet unexpectedly with an inexplicable attraction that defies common understanding...it can be called RED SIN. Julia and Van found one another in a shaken snow globe. Stranded in a blizzard, they embraced being two individuals with no last names. The plan was to walk away from each other with no regrets—until that plan changed. Julia’s life was delivered a staggering blow the day she discovered her fiancé’s infidelity. The night she met a handsome stranger, one who showed her the possibility of a life filled with more than the fulfillment of expectations, she took a chance. When it comes to business, Donovan Sherman is a wolf—a bloodthirsty carnivore who leaves wounded prey and victims in his wake. He learned from the best, his onetime nemesis and now-mentor, Lennox Demetri, who showed him that opportunities are only r...

The Cruiser by Rowan Rossler The jet-set romance romp of 2022! Morgan de Rohan-Chabot is Monaco’s most notorious yacht designer. A maverick playboy with a reputation for leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake. Young, talented, not to mention sexy AF, he’s also got a boatload of attitude. In other words, he’s my perfect public relations challenge. So what if he’s trouble with a capital T? I’m a pro. Vandana Hillman: the Queen of Luxury PR. My life’s just blown up, I need a distraction, and Morgan wants me to join him on the glittering shores of Monaco to help him land a conservative Saudi Prince as a client. Ten days. In and out. No biggie, right? What could possibly go wrong?   My Review  Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%. My rating: 1 of 5 stars I do not like this book at all to me it was too slow and too confusing to even get into it for me that is why I had to DNF  

Hound Dog by Katana Collins I live a double life… and no one in my family knows it. No, I’m not a spy or CIA or special forces or anything… but sometimes it seems like being a matchmaker is nearly as dangerous. Men and women come from all over for my business, Hound Dog, where I utilize rescue dogs as a way to help people attract and find their perfect match. Over eighty percent of my clients end up adopting the dogs I pair them with. And ninety percent of them find their “soulmate" after using my services. Too bad I don’t believe in soulmates. But fact is, that sort of cynicism won’t pay the bills. Or at least, it didn’t…until Haylee Rogers came back to town. The only girl I've ever loved. The girl I made a promise to six years ago. And the girl I ghosted. Turns out, she's the only living relative of Ol’ Lady Meryl—the delightfully crazy dog hoarder who lives in town. So when Haylee asks me to help find homes for her aunt’s dogs, I’m powerless to say no. The...

209 Wedding Lane by Lucy Darling I was a child groom. It’s not how it sounds. I was a willing groom to a sweet girl who said she was dying. Her final wish was to get married, and I was all too happy to grant it. So right there in that hospital, two kids got hitched. It was the best day of my young life. . . Until I couldn’t find her. Until she was gone. It broke my heart. She took the pieces with her. I got older, but I never forgot about the little girl with the innocent smile and face of an angel. I had no idea when I took her hand that day, she would guide me down a path to greatness. Then I found her. She was alive and in Cherry Falls. I knew I had to have her, to keep her safe, and make her mine. I just have to convince my wife to do me the honor of becoming my bride once again. I got married when I was a kid, when I didn’t know what love really meant. But now I do, and I’m never going to let it go.   My Review: Did not finish book. Stopped at 4%. My rating: 1 of 5 star...

Love Notes by Staci Hart Bestselling author Staci Hart brings you another installment of the Austen Series, inspired by the works of Jane Austen, with a heartfelt contemporary retelling of  Sense and Sensibility. When Annie Daschle arrives in New York City, the only thing she can control is her list. Not her father’s death or the loss of her home. Not the hole in her heart or the defective valve that’s dictated so much of her life. But she can put pen to paper to make a list of all the ways she can live out loud, just like her dad would have wanted. See the city from the top of the Empire State Building: Check. Eat hot dogs on the steps of The Met: Check. Get a job at Wasted Words: Check. What wasn’t on her list: Greg Brandon. And just when she thinks she’s figured out where to put him, everything changes. In the span of a few staggering heartbeats, she finds herself her caught in the middle of something she can’t find her way out of, with no clear answers and no rule...

Reached by Ally Condie After leaving Society to desperately seek The Rising, and each other, Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again. Cassia is assigned undercover in Central city, Ky outside the borders, an airship pilot with Indie. Xander is a medic, with a secret. All too soon, everything shifts again. My review: My rating: 1 of 5 stars Did not finish book. Stopped at 0% DNF I did this because I saw the little synopsis on the back end, I did not like it I also read the 2nd book at the end it gives you a little bit about the next book I did not like the little bit that it gave me.

Her Beautiful Bastard by Victoria Vale A kiss neither will ever forget … a forbidden attraction that can’t be denied … After a disastrous first Season, Lydia Darling abandons all hope of love and marriage. A simple country girl, she does not belong amongst the debutantes of the ton. Rather than rely on her family for the rest of her days, she chooses to find work as a governess, a position that allows her to hide away from the society that shunned her. However, she cannot seem to forget the mysterious stranger she encountered at a ball during her Season … a man whose kiss haunts her dreams. He never even told her his name, yet Lydia cannot forget the one man who made her crave his touch in a way no other has been able to since. Sinclair Clayton thought he’d never see the young lady he kissed in a garden during a London ball four years ago … until she turns up on his doorstep applying for the position of governess to his young son. He finds his heart quickly ensnared by Lydia, t...

Dominating Mr. Darling by Victoria Vale Lady Amelia Fitzwilliam is approaching her thirtieth year, and her umpteenth Season without selecting a husband. Her elder brother is so concerned over this state of affairs that he’s tripled her already obscene dowry in hopes that the coming Season will finally see her leg-shackled. Opposed to the establishment of marriage to begin with, Amelia has no intention of giving up her freedom—or the taboo predilections she engages in behind closed doors. After all, what lord of the ton would submit himself to a woman who enjoys subjecting her bedmates to pain and domination for life? Since she has yet to meet such a man, Amelia contents herself with the long life of spinsterhood stretching out before her. Michael Darling is a simple gentleman farmer, satisfied to live out his days rusticating in the country. He has no reason to run off to London searching for a bride—except for the matter of his dire financial straits. Debt has bled his ...

Scandalous Christmas Encounters by Victoria Vale You are cordially invited to a house party at Hexthorne Manor, the country estate of the Duke and Duchess of Avonleah. While gathering to celebrate Christmas with the duke and duchess, the members of the  ton  will indulge in their most wicked desires. Witness the scandalous Christmas encounters of the lords and ladies of London, as they escape to the country for a bit of revelry, a dash of indulgence, and a healthy dose of scandal. Part One: A Christmas Masquerade At a ball hosted during their Christmas house party, the Duke and Duchess of Avonleah sneak away for a bit of privacy. With social obligations and motherhood stretching Margaret Rycroft thin, her husband hopes that a night away from it all will be just the thing she needs. Little do they know, some of their guests have similar plans, or that their garden maze will be transformed into a hotbed of debauchery by their houseguests. Part Two: A Christmas Mos...

Tempting Two by Victoria Vale Penelope Hunt is well on her way to becoming a spinster. When Colin Worthing courted her secretly for an entire season before making off with her virginity, he ensured that she could never make a good match … or put the pieces of her broken heart back together again. His duplicity has her convinced that men are not to be trusted, and that she would be foolish to bind herself in marriage to one for the rest of her life. Deciding that life as a spinster has its benefits, she vows to avoid matrimony and enjoy her life in any way that she can—the inheritance to be had on her twenty-fifth birthday will see her endowed to do just that. When the commissioned officer returns home years later, much older and wiser than the young rake who ruined her, he wants nothing more than to put his past behind him and make amends for his treatment of Penelope by marrying her. Setting out to woo her and convince her he’s changed, he never expects competition in t...