TheVicariousWinnower

🌎📚🎥 Traversing universes through words

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My Taste

A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)

Reading...

10%

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Time Will Tell (The Improbable Meet-Cute: Second Chances)

TheVicariousWinnower

Feb 16, 2026

2.0

Enjoyment: 2.0Quality: 2.0Characters: 2.0Plot: 2.0

🇨🇦

💌

🇬🇧

Time Will Tell — ⭐️⭐️

Was it an improbable meet-cute? Absolutely. But instead of giving me butterflies, it just… existed.

I found myself more intrigued by their grandmothers than the actual romance, which probably says everything. The setup had potential, but the chemistry didn’t quite land for me.

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Time Will Tell (The Improbable Meet-Cute: Second Chances)

Hannah Bonam-Young

When a mysterious time capsule leads a Toronto teacher to England, she discovers some loves are worth crossing oceans—and decades—to find, from New York Times bestselling author Hannah Bonam-Young. When a history teacher receives a letter from her deceased grandmother revealing a secret love affair in the 1950s, it leads her to a time capsule hidden decades ago. But it’s the charming grandson of her grandmother’s lost love who changes everything, proving that sometimes the heart knows exactly where—and when—it belongs. Hannah Bonam-Young’s Time Will Tell is part of The Improbable Second Chances, stories for star-crossed lovers and hopeless romantics. They can be read or listened to in one sitting. Let’s do it again.

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Nicole8521 set their yearly reading goal to 85

Nicole8521's 2026 Reading Challenge

14 of 85 read

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19h

Mardi Gras + Carnival 2026

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Black Cake

Charmaine Wilkerson

We can’t choose what we inherit. But can we choose who we become? In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage and themselves. Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor’s true history, and fulfill her final request to “share the black cake when the time is right”? Will their mother’s revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever? Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names can shape relationships and history. Deeply evocative and beautifully written, Black Cake is an extraordinary journey through the life of a family changed forever by the choices of its matriarch.

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Black Cake

Charmaine Wilkerson

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Black Cake

Charmaine Wilkerson

55%

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Accidentally Yours (The Improbable Meet-Cute: Second Chances)

TheVicariousWinnower

Feb 12, 2026

4.0

Enjoyment: 4.0Quality: 4.0Characters: 4.0Plot: 4.0

👩‍💻

💌

👨‍💻

Accidentally Yours — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m such a sucker for epistolary stories, so this one had me from the start. There’s just something about watching a connection unfold through messages that makes everything feel more intimate and personal.

It does feel similar to The Exception to the Rule, but it still stands strong on its own. Sweet, charming, and satisfying—a great read if you love romance told through letters or emails.

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Accidentally Yours (The Improbable Meet-Cute: Second Chances)

Christina Lauren

Serendipity works wonders for a woman and her seemingly unattainable crush in a funny and flirty short story by Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners and My Favorite Half-Night Stand. When marketing consultant Veronica accidentally crashes the wrong Zoom meeting and brutally critiques their presentation, she’s shocked to receive a job offer from the company’s intriguing CEO. Their professional email exchanges quickly turn flirty, but Veronica’s mind keeps drifting to her reserved but gorgeous new neighbor. As Valentine’s Day approaches, she’ll discover that sometimes the most improbable meet-cute can lead to the perfect match. Christina Lauren’s Accidentally Yours is part of The Improbable Second Chances, stories for star-crossed lovers and hopeless romantics. They can be read or listened to in one sitting. Let’s do it again.

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Royal Valentine (The Improbable Meet-Cute, #6)

TheVicariousWinnower

Feb 11, 2026

3.0

Enjoyment: 3.0Quality: 3.0Characters: 3.0Plot: 3.0

🇮🇹

📸

👑

Royal Valentine — ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love that all six stories exist in the same universe! Seeing characters referenced across the collection and spotting little Easter eggs was such a fun bonus. It makes the world feel bigger and more connected.

The story itself was cute and easy to read. But honestly? If a different guy had picked her up, this could’ve easily turned into a horror story 😅

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Royal Valentine (The Improbable Meet-Cute, #6)

Sariah Wilson

Valentine’s Day becomes a Roman holiday for a princess in disguise in a dizzyingly romantic short story about making wishes come true by the USA Today bestselling author of The Chemistry of Love. Princess Ilaria has had it up to her tiara with the paparazzi, her own wild reputation, and the public eye. Trading places with her assistant, Ilaria wants just one blissfully ordinary weekend. Then a handsome photographer with a sexy Scottish burr offers to be her guide. Sparks fly, but how long can they last? Ilaria’s secret has to come out—and it could ruin a perfectly serendipitous romance. Sariah Wilson’s Royal Valentine is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute, irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it. They can be read or listened to in one sitting. Let’s make a date of it.

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With Any Luck (The Improbable Meet-Cute, #5)

TheVicariousWinnower

Feb 10, 2026

2.0

Enjoyment: 2.0Quality: 2.0Characters: 2.0Plot: 2.0

🍀

⛪

💋

With Any Luck — ⭐️⭐️

It was… okay. Not bad, just underwhelming. For a story that promises a meet-cute, it really lacked the magic and spark that makes a meet-cute feel special. It didn’t quite capture that instant charm or emotional pull, so it fell a bit flat for me.

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With Any Luck (The Improbable Meet-Cute, #5)

Ashley Poston

Every person she kisses finds their true love, and it’s never her—until now, in this funny and magically romantic short story by the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics. Audrey Love is cursed to be the person before you find your soulmate, the girl you dump for your true love. So when her best friend disappears hours before his Valentine’s Day wedding, Audrey fears that she did the unthinkable and kissed him at last night’s bachelor party. With help from the best man, she retraces her steps to find the missing groom and, with any luck, a true love of her own. Ashley Poston’s With Any Luck is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute, irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it. They can be read or listened to in one sitting. Let’s make a date of it.

TheVicariousWinnower commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum

kathytrithardt

Edited

Readers of the World, Unite!

I thought it would be kind of fun to see where in the world people are, and then folks can make friends with people from the same countries/areas (if they way, not pressure obviously).

I'll go first. I'm Canadian, and more specifically I am in British Columbia (Vancouver Island if you want to get fancy).

Try to find your country and join that thread!

Everyone else?

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Drop, Cover, and Hold On (The Improbable Meet-Cute, #4)

TheVicariousWinnower

Feb 09, 2026

3.5

Enjoyment: 3.5Quality: 3.5Characters: 3.5Plot: 3.5

🥐

👨‍🍳

😍

Drop, Cover, and Hold On — ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5 stars)

Cute and fun, and definitely spicier than the previous books in the series 👀

Also… it made me ridiculously hungry for pastries. Like, craving-level hungry. Cozy, flirty, and a sweet read overall—even if it didn’t fully blow me away.

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Drop, Cover, and Hold On (The Improbable Meet-Cute, #4)

Jasmine Guillory

It takes nothing less than a fateful natural disaster to throw two opposites together in a ground-shakingly charming short story by the New York Times bestselling author of Drunk on Love. This Valentine’s Day, Daisy Murray has her heart set on binge-watching rom-coms. Instead, an earthquake traps her inside a bakery with its impossibly rude and insufferably handsome owner and head baker. They already have a history: she’s always smiled, he’s always scowled. Where better to finally get to know each other than amid the disaster? Then again, they have no choice. Besides, it could have its sweet, undeniable, and unpredictable perks. Jasmine Guillory’s Drop, Cover, and Hold On is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute, irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it. They can be read or listened to in one sitting. Let’s make a date of it.

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