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perdueentreleslignes

(lost in between the lines)

208 points

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Level 2
My Taste
The Night Circus
The Ballad of Never After
Anne of Green Gables
Alone With You in the Ether
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
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The Games Lovers Play (Cynster Next Generation, #9)
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The Lovers
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The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels
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The Games Lovers Play (Cynster Next Generation, #9)

The Games Lovers Play (Cynster Next Generation, #9)

Stephanie Laurens

#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens returns to the Cynsters’ next generation with an evocative tale of two people striving to overcome unusual hurdles in order to claim true love. A nobleman wedded to the lady he loves strives to overwrite five years of masterful pretence and open his wife’s eyes to the fact that he loves her as much as she loves him. Lord Devlin Cader, Earl of Alverton, married Therese Cynster five years ago. What he didn’t tell her then and has assiduously hidden ever since—for what seemed excellent reasons at the time—is that he loves her every bit as much as she loves him. For her own misguided reasons, Therese had decided that the adage that Cynsters always marry for love did not necessarily mean said Cynsters were loved in return. She accepted that was usually so, but being universally viewed by gentlemen as too managing, bossy, and opinionated, she believed she would never be loved for herself. Consequently, after falling irrevocably in love with Devlin, when he made it plain he didn’t love her yet wanted her to wife, she accepted the half love-match he offered, and once they were wed, set about organizing to make their marriage the very best it could be. Now, five years later, they are an established couple within the haut ton, have three young children, and Devlin is making a name for himself in business and political circles. There’s only one problem. Having attended numerous Cynster weddings and family gatherings and spent time with Therese’s increasingly married cousins, who with their spouses all embrace the Cynster ideal of marriage based on mutually acknowledged love, Devlin is no longer content with the half love-match he himself engineered. No fool, he sees and comprehends what the craven act of denying his love is costing both him and Therese and feels compelled to rectify his fault. He wants for them what all Therese’s married cousins enjoy—the rich and myriad benefits of marriages based on acknowledged mutual love. Love, he’s discovered, is too powerful a force to deny, leaving him wrestling with the conundrum of finding a way to convincingly reveal to Therese that he loves her without wrecking everything—especially the mutual trust—they’ve built over the past five years. A classic historical romance set amid the glittering world of the London haut ton. A Cynster Next Generation novel—a full-length historical romance of 110,000 words.

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  • The Marriage Bed (Guilty, #3)
    Sep 01, 2026
    The Marriage Bed (Guilty, #3)Laura Lee Guhrke
    3.0
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    The writing was pretty good and the banter between the characters flowed nicely, the fact that the main character stayed on her ground for such a long time was appreciated but completely ruined by the last twenty pages.

    The story by itself was relatively well done if not for the fact that the husband does not possessed a single ounce of empathy and understanding for his woman, I don’t particularly care for mistress in historical romance however the concept of him not acknowledging, even in the slightest, that he was the one causing all the crisis in this mariage is behind my comprehension.

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  • Married to the Marquess (Arrangements, #2)
    Aug 15, 2026
    Married to the Marquess (Arrangements, #2)Rebecca Connolly
    4.0
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    It was pretty lovely and didn’t try to be more than that which is very enjoyable. The writing was impeccable and well fitting and thankfully the story didn’t feel dragged, we could however have done without the unnecessary event of the last chapter which seems more like a way for the writer to quickly conclude the conflict…

    I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of drama (up until the last two chapters… again unnecessary) and grateful to not have to fall once again in the rake MMC and shy virgin FMC cliché, I do not care that historically men could go and do whatever they please and I’m always happy to face a decent man even though historical accuracy is thrown at the window (looking at you Bridgetown).

    However I must say that some element of this book did bothered me, I would have love to have more banter especially in the transition of their relationship, it doesn’t seem that the MMC change as much as the FMC and here actually lie my biggest complaint on this (after the whole fire bullshit) : Katherine is completely replaced by Kate, and by itself it’s not an issue but the quickness of the action makes the whole situation feels a bit rushed and it would probably have been a bit better had the nickname stayed between the two.

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  • She Who Became the Sun
    Aug 13, 2026
    She Who Became the Sun Shelley Parker-Chan
    3.0
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    Terribly conflicted about this one, I wanted to love it so bad but reading it felt dreadful….

    Despite the writing, the characters and the plot all being interesting the storytelling fail to be captivating or at least to captivate me and they all end up feeling repetitive or disappointing. Often I felt a bit lost, from my understanding Parker-Chan purposefully describe action through their characters emotions and as result gives less dialogue or general explanations which makes it harder to follow especially if you’re not familiar with costums from 1400 China.

    However the story was captivating and intriguing, just difficult too digest for me, but I’ll give it to the author this genuinely felt like an historical Chinese drama : too many characters for my liking and so many political intrigues that I fail to follow what’s really happening.

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  • 5w

    The Poppy War

    The Poppy War

    R.F. Kuang

    When Rin aced the Keju — the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies — it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard — the most elite military school in Nikan — was even more surprising. But surprises aren’t always good. Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power — an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive — and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school. For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away. Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity ... and that it may already be too late.

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  • The Geographer's Map to Romance
    Aug 04, 2026
    The Geographer's Map to Romance India Holton
    5.0
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    I’ll admit I was sometimes a bit bored or lost (especially when they start to travel everywhere really quickly or when too many characters are introduced only three chapters in)… However I’m utterly in love with India Holton writing not only because it’s pretty to read but because it’s so smartly done. All of her books feel like a breath of fresh air especially in a romance industry that feels oversaturated with stereotypical characters, tropes and dynamics ; not only does she mocks those overly done tools but she plays with them to create new and interesting stories !

    (+ i’m always up for a good mariage in crisis romance)

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  • Stellarlune (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #9)
    Jul 25, 2026
    Stellarlune (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #9)Shannon Messenger
    4.0
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    I’m getting tired of reading about a bunch of characters who are unable to listen to one another, do you know how many pages the whole group spend arguing over Glimmer ? 50 !!!! FIFTY PAGES !!!

    I think one of my biggest problems with those books in general is that the author doesn’t seem to really know how everything is supposed to end. Every books a new big thing is created and therefore every little details prior to this one is thrown away : we are constantly hinted that Mr.Forkle has much more identities but we haven’t learn one more since the fourth book, same goes with Sophie’s powers/memories….. That goes without mentioning my biggest pet peeve which is the amount of characters constantly introduced or re-introduced for seemingly no reason up until omg surprise actually the plot of this book revolves around them !

    Truthfully I do really like those books and I know that I’m not the ideal audience (my 12 years old self would have loved this one) and I’ll admit that reading the 9 back to back will make you more aware of Messenger’s formula and plot holes (which wouldn’t happen if I had years between each read). Moreover the author generally gives me what I want (big revelation, declaration and shit) but it always feels like crumbs and that what pissed me off the most with this book : you’ll spend pages, chapters even, reading about the characters not listening and arguing about useless things, complain that nothing happen, but when you finally reach the interesting point (Sophie and Fitz trust exercises, looking for keefe, the whole biological parents fiasco, Kenric cache,…) it often feels empty and brushed away, yes maybe I don’t want five chapters about Fitz and Sophie discussing his anger issues but I don’t think one paragraph is enough when we’ve been told it was a big deal and that it would be interesting on a character building point of view.

    All in all I’m a bit confused by this book, I was definitely moved by it but I can’t help but be frustrated at the amount of pages spend in useless stuff when I was begging for interesting discussions (I’m tired of being told by the characters that another is an asshole without having the material to form my opinion, cause most times I’ll argue they’re just adult facing angry teenagers…….) and I thought I’d be more hooked by its end but I don’t really think much of it, everything was very much so predictable and I can already picture the first chapters of the next book twisting every conclusion around to shape the plot in a different way.

    On a side note : I fucking love how Sophie treats Keefe and I don’t get why everybody accepts to bear the presence of Stina when she arguably more annoying than Lord Cassius.

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