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smutty TBR'd a book
2d
What You Made Me Do (Swiftmore University Book 1)
Kay Marie
He’s my archnemesis. And my lifeline.
I came to Swiftmore University to reinvent myself after the accident that shattered my life—not fall in a lake on night one and get rescued by Nox Monroe. Swimming golden boy. My roommate’s infuriating twin. And the boy whose bedroom window looks directly into mine.
Now he knows my secret. I’m a marine biology major who's terrified to swim.
He calls me a distraction. I call him an arrogant know-it-all with abs.
Pranks and petty revenge turn to all-out war until we strike a deal. He’ll help me pass my scuba test if I’ll stop interfering with his training. It’s supposed to be temporary. Strictly business.
But the deeper he pulls me into the water—hands on my waist, voice steady in my ear, teaching me how to breathe again—the harder it is to remember why we even hate each other in the first place.
And the worst part?
I’m starting to think he never did.
What You Made Me Do is an enemies-to-lovers college sports romance between an elite athlete and an ambitious STEM-focused heroine featuring forced proximity, competitive sparks, and an angsty slow-burn with Olympic-level stakes.
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2d
Under the Iron Sky
A.T. Emerald
A fallen empire. A warrior determined to protect her people. And the masked soldier who captures her behind enemy lines. This is the first novel in a dark, seductive, and all-consuming trilogy where hope is fickle but the fight is never over.
This deluxe hardcover features a reversible dust jacket, a foil-stamped book case, and stunningly designed endpapers!
Vordell was beautiful once. Its people lived in harmony, and their civilization flourished as they learned to harness and control the power of Light.
Then the darkness came.
The Iron Sky unfolded dark clouds across the land, thick enough to choke out the light of the suns. The ground cracked, releasing vicious creatures and evil magic-wielding soldiers. The Dar’rak—an enemy long believed to be buried and forgotten—returned to claim the world above.
Soraya Tollmere has spent most of her life on the front lines of the brutal war that followed. Now a high-ranking commander, she knows loss better than anyone.
By day, she leads troops across ruined landscapes and guides covert teams through enemy territory. By night, she meets with a Dar’rak defector who has kept humanity alive with his steady stream of secrets.
On a mission to investigate his latest lead—one that could turn the tide of the war—Soraya is captured by the Demon, the Dar’rak’s most feared soldier, his true identity unknown.
His orders are simple: Break the human commander and uncover where the humans are keeping a weapon that could win them the war. But as he gets to know the fierce warrior, the lines between interrogator and enemy, prisoner and ally, begin to blur.
Devastating truths surface and loyalties shatter, forcing Soraya to decide who to trust in a world where Light is dying—and where her greatest enemy may be her only salvation.
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3d
Hag-Seed
Margaret Atwood
When Felix is deposed as artistic director of the Makeshiweg Theatre Festival by his devious assistant and longtime enemy, his production of The Tempest is canceled and he is heartbroken. Reduced to a life of exile in rural southern Ontario—accompanied only by his fantasy daughter, Miranda, who died twelve years ago—Felix devises a plan for retribution.
Eventually he takes a job teaching Literacy Through Theatre to the prisoners at the nearby Burgess Correctional Institution, and is making a modest success of it when an auspicious star places his enemies within his reach. With the help of their own interpretations, digital effects, and the talents of a professional actress and choreographer, the Burgess Correctional Players prepare to video their Tempest. Not surprisingly, they view Caliban as the character with whom they have the most in common. However, Felix has another twist in mind, and his enemies are about to find themselves taking part in an interactive and illusion-ridden version of The Tempest that will change their lives forever. But how will Felix deal with his invisible Miranda’s decision to take a part in the play?
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3d
Our Cut of Salt
Deena Helm
There is something haunting Nuhad's childhood home in Haifa. Cats avoid its perimeter, strange noises come from within, and residents have been known to disappear entirely in its walls without a trace.Our Cut of Salt is an unflinching, sinister and moving take on the haunted house novel, from a bold new Palestinian voice. Perfect for fans of The Only Good Indians and The Haunting of Hill House.Although Nuhad has not returned to her home since the Nakba in 1948, she always held a place for the house in her heart. And, in return, the house did the same for her. After Nuhad passes away, her granddaughter, Marina, is determined to visit her grandmother's home in Haifa after a lifetime of being kept in the dark about her culture and family history. Marina's mother, Haifa-named for the city that was lost to their family-reluctantly agrees to her trip, despite her omnipresent anxiety. When a long-buried spirit of the past begins to haunt both dreams and waking life, Marina develops breathing problems that cause her to feel as if she is drowning on dry land. Despite Nuhad's warnings, Haifa rushes to help her daughter. As the three women converge in their ancestral haunted home, they must learn what the price of the past truly is.
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1w
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1w
Dreamland
Olivie Blake
An intimate, contemporary, and visceral Gothic novel about family secrets, unsolved murders, and ill-fated summer love, by multiple-New York Times bestselling sensation Olivie Blake.
The headlines are calling it the "summer of exsanguination" in LA—girls are being murdered, the Santa Ana winds are blowing a strange energy into the city, and all signs point to fire season. But Anya Morris has other things to worry about, like whatever it takes to get a foot in the door of an unfeeling, ever-changing industry after losing the TV pilot that should have been her big break.
Enter William de Witt, a movie star of generational acclaim who poses an his son, Jude, has a rare condition that forces him into a reclusive lifestyle. In exchange for spending time with him, Anya will gain entry to Hollywood’s most powerful circles.
Just like that, a world of money, access, and industry clout sprawls at Anya's feet, like the city below the mysterious de Witt villa in the hills. But behind the gilded veneer of fame lies decades of bloodstained secrets, and it just may be that an occult family curse lives within the villa’s walls—or within Jude himself.
But there’s a dark magnetism to Jude that Anya can’t resist, despite warning signs that scream like sirens in the night. And as the murders across the city continue to ratchet up with the summer heat, something has to give. There’s smoke in the air, but who will be the one to strike the match?
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smutty wrote a review...
1w
4.5 stars. This is B.K. Borisons most profound and special book yet. I can't count how many lovely, sad moments in this book made me burst into tears.
The book follows a Grim Reaper who is desperately lonely and tortured by the profession of her afterlife. She gets sent on an assignment to a town a Guardian is currently protecting. Not only does that friction lend itself to some excellent sexual tension, it allows the characters to go on a really interesting journey throughout the novel.
Borison mentions in the acknowledgments that she wrote this novel for her husband who is a palliative care doctor. His profession allows him the great privilege of being with people in their last moments, doing whatever he can to ease their suffering but can also be incredibly dark. This experience was really beautifully relayed within the context of the novel. The "afterlife" in this novel is really comforting and our FMC learning to appreciate the responsibility of her job as a Reaper while still struggling depression and guilt around it was very well done.
This is one of my favourite romance books of the year, hands down. Can't wait for everyone to read it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc.
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1w
Grim Tidings
B.K. Borison
From #1 New York Times bestselling author B.K. Borison comes a new whimsical, haunting romance. When a runaway grim reaper tries to save a life, she clashes with a skeptical Guardian, forcing them to form an unlikely partnership beyond the grave.
Darcy Moore is tired of death. Which would be fine and good ... if she wasn’t a Grim Reaper. Determined to outrun her designation as the villain, Darcy decides she won’t be dragging her next assignment to the underworld. She’ll be saving him instead.
Unfortunately for Darcy, there’s a complication in her plan. Guardian Angel Gabriel Aetos doesn’t tolerate threats to his little corner of the world, and a Grim Reaper showing up at his bar is as deadly as it gets. But when he realizes Darcy is not as she seems, Gabriel must decide if he can trust his growing feelings or hold on to his long-standing grudge.
But magic doesn’t come without consequences. And the Department of Hauntings & Spirits will eventually come calling for their missing Reaper.
A spooky yet simmering enemies-to-lovers tale to keep you warm this fall.
• Enemies to Lovers
• Angel x Reaper
• Grumpy x grumpy
• Guy who likes everyone except her
• Death but make it corporate
• Star-crossed lovers
• Changing your fate
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smutty started reading...
1w
Dreamland
Olivie Blake
An intimate, contemporary, and visceral Gothic novel about family secrets, unsolved murders, and ill-fated summer love, by multiple-New York Times bestselling sensation Olivie Blake.
The headlines are calling it the "summer of exsanguination" in LA—girls are being murdered, the Santa Ana winds are blowing a strange energy into the city, and all signs point to fire season. But Anya Morris has other things to worry about, like whatever it takes to get a foot in the door of an unfeeling, ever-changing industry after losing the TV pilot that should have been her big break.
Enter William de Witt, a movie star of generational acclaim who poses an his son, Jude, has a rare condition that forces him into a reclusive lifestyle. In exchange for spending time with him, Anya will gain entry to Hollywood’s most powerful circles.
Just like that, a world of money, access, and industry clout sprawls at Anya's feet, like the city below the mysterious de Witt villa in the hills. But behind the gilded veneer of fame lies decades of bloodstained secrets, and it just may be that an occult family curse lives within the villa’s walls—or within Jude himself.
But there’s a dark magnetism to Jude that Anya can’t resist, despite warning signs that scream like sirens in the night. And as the murders across the city continue to ratchet up with the summer heat, something has to give. There’s smoke in the air, but who will be the one to strike the match?
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smutty TBR'd a book
1w
The Ministry of Time
Kaliane Bradley
A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all: Welcome to The Ministry of Time, the exhilarating debut novel by Kaliane Bradley.
In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.
She is tasked with working as a “bridge”: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as “1847” or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machines,” “Spotify,” and “the collapse of the British Empire.” But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts.
Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry’s project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how—and whether she believes—what she does next can change the future.
An exquisitely original and feverishly fun fusion of genres and ideas, The Ministry of Time asks: What does it mean to defy history, when history is living in your house? Kaliane Bradley’s answer is a blazing, unforgettable testament to what we owe each other in a changing world.
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smutty TBR'd a book
1w
The Monster Baru Cormorant (The Masquerade, #2)
Seth Dickinson
A breathtaking geopolitical fantasy as fraught as Game of Thrones, The Monster Baru Cormorant is the long-anticipated sequel to Seth Dickinson gut-wrenching debut, The Traitor Baru Cormorant.
Baru Cormormant's world was shattered by the Empire of Masks. To exact her revenge, she has clawed her way up razor-edged rungs of betrayal, sacrifice, and compromise, becoming the very thing she seeks to destroy.
Now she strides in the Masquerade's halls of power. To save the world, she must tear it asunder...and with it, all that remains of her soul.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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smutty TBR'd a book
1w
Empire
Sabaa Tahir
The gripping conclusion to the action-packed, ruthless, and romantic fantasy duology that began with HEIR, from the #1 New York Times bestselling and National Book Award–winning author Sabaa Tahir.
A crumbling empire.
An ancient evil.
A lost homeland.
A lie that could destroy the world.
In the crumbling Martial Empire, crown prince Quil Aquilla and his Aunt Helene are losing a battle against the vicious Kegari horde. Quil’s armies dwindle, his faith falters, and the woman he loves vanished months ago, leaving him broken-hearted. Torn between his duty to his people and his desire to discover Sirsha’s fate, Quil embarks on a dangerous quest for aid—from the most treacherous of allies.
Sirsha Westering finds herself tethered to Div, an ancient evil unleashed by a terrible tragedy. Div delights in tormenting Sirsha, hungering for her magical heart. Even as Sirsha fights for control of her own fate, she is desperate to shield Quil from Div’s destructive power. But Div won’t release Sirsha without a fight. To earn her freedom, Sirsha must uncover Div’s past—and face horrors in her own.
Cero bet-Dafra, former right hand of the Kegari leader Aiz, now finds himself pitted against her. As Aiz slips further into violence and delusion, Cero must discover if his people have any hope of a future or if they’re condemned to an unending cycle of violence. His journey will force him to confront hidden truths, ancient secrets and a lie that could destroy the world.
In Empire, #1 New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir returns to the expansive world of fury and vengeance of Heir, weaving a story of legacy and rebellion, of loyalty and freedom, and of what it means to confront the monsters that lurk within us all.
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smutty TBR'd a book
1w
Dead Beat
Leigh Bardugo
Hell is empty and all the devils are here…
Alex Stern made it to hell and back more than once, but this time she left the door open behind her. Demons are creeping through the streets of New Haven and the Yale campus, feeding on the souls of the living, terrifying the dead. Alex and her allies can hunt them, but it’s only a matter of time before the gates to the underworld open and they face a war they cannot win. To stop it, they’ll have to reach deep into the secrets of Yale and its societies, and discover the truth hidden in Alex’s own blood.
While she struggles to hold onto the dream of a future Yale once offered, Alex must contend with the machinations of a corrupt Lethe Board and a deadly vampire with his own connection to the societies. But for the first time in her life, she won’t have to face the fight alone. Dawes, Turner, Mercy, and even Tripp will have a role to play, none more so than Alex’s mentor Darlington, the golden boy who lived so long in her head, now back in the flesh and cursed with dangerous powers of his own. Hell itself is stalking the delegates of Lethe House, and they’re all about to learn that demons don’t play by human rules.
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smutty TBR'd a book
1w
Taipei Story
R.F. Kuang
A wryly humorous and profoundly moving coming-of-age novel that grapples with grief, language, and culture shock—all set against the backdrop of an unforgettable summer in Taipei.
College freshman Lily Chen is off to spend the summer in Taipei at an intensive language program like so many Chinese American students before her, hoping to connect with the culture she inherited but never fully understood. But a promising start quickly unravels. Her classes are grueling, her roommate is driving her insane, and a reckless trip to the hot springs with a guy she barely knows soon has her classmates viciously gossiping. She feels adrift, a foreigner in a country she thought would feel like home.
Then shocking news Lily’s grandfather has passed away. The loss forces her to grapple with now-unanswerable questions about her family history. As Lily grieves, she’s drawn into a journey of self-discovery—piecing together memories, stories, and silences over a series of hilarious and devastating attempts at connection.
What if the diaspora fantasy of homecoming never comes true? What if learning a language can’t bring you any closer to the people you’re trying to reach? What if you search for your family’s history, but your family doesn’t want to share? What if you wait too long to ask the right questions? As Lily struggles for answers, her summer becomes a poignant search for understanding—of herself, her family, and the meaning of home.
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smutty TBR'd a book
1w
The Knave and the Moon
Rachel Gillig
Rachel Gillig, the queen of gothic romantasy, returns with higher stakes, darker mysteries, and deeper longings in this gorgeous sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling sensation The Knight and the Moth.
Aisling Cathedral is in ruins. Rodrick Myndacious, Bartholomew, and Maude Bauer are rumored to be dead—and the king has taken Sybil Delling as his bride. To show off their union and solidify his power over Traum, Benji proposes a series of tournaments throughout the hamlets. Captive and drugged, Sybil remains determined to vanquish him as she once did the Omens, even if she destroys the kingdom’s faith—and herself—in the process. But then a mysterious knave rises to the top of the tournament lists, a man with no name and no memory who may just be Sybil’s ticket to undoing Benji’s power. For in a land where stories repeat themselves, where a king can prove as cruel as a god, the only way to truly destroy the Stonewater Kingdom’s faith is to save it.
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smutty started reading...
1w
Grim Tidings
B.K. Borison
From #1 New York Times bestselling author B.K. Borison comes a new whimsical, haunting romance. When a runaway grim reaper tries to save a life, she clashes with a skeptical Guardian, forcing them to form an unlikely partnership beyond the grave.
Darcy Moore is tired of death. Which would be fine and good ... if she wasn’t a Grim Reaper. Determined to outrun her designation as the villain, Darcy decides she won’t be dragging her next assignment to the underworld. She’ll be saving him instead.
Unfortunately for Darcy, there’s a complication in her plan. Guardian Angel Gabriel Aetos doesn’t tolerate threats to his little corner of the world, and a Grim Reaper showing up at his bar is as deadly as it gets. But when he realizes Darcy is not as she seems, Gabriel must decide if he can trust his growing feelings or hold on to his long-standing grudge.
But magic doesn’t come without consequences. And the Department of Hauntings & Spirits will eventually come calling for their missing Reaper.
A spooky yet simmering enemies-to-lovers tale to keep you warm this fall.
• Enemies to Lovers
• Angel x Reaper
• Grumpy x grumpy
• Guy who likes everyone except her
• Death but make it corporate
• Star-crossed lovers
• Changing your fate
1
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smutty finished a book
1w
Longshadow
Olivia Atwater
Proper Regency ladies are not supposed to become magicians – but Miss Abigail Wilder is far from proper.
The marriageable young ladies of London are dying mysteriously, and Abigail Wilder intends to discover why. Abigail's father, the Lord Sorcier of England, believes that a dark lord of faerie is involved – but while Abigail is willing to match her magic against Lord Longshadow, neither her father nor high society believe that she is capable of doing so.
Thankfully, Abigail is not the only one investigating the terrible events in London. Mercy, a street rat and self-taught magician, insists on joining Abigail to unravel the mystery. But while Mercy's own magic is strange and foreboding, she may well post an even greater danger to Abigail's heart.
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smutty started reading...
1w
Our Cut of Salt
Deena Helm
There is something haunting Nuhad's childhood home in Haifa. Cats avoid its perimeter, strange noises come from within, and residents have been known to disappear entirely in its walls without a trace.Our Cut of Salt is an unflinching, sinister and moving take on the haunted house novel, from a bold new Palestinian voice. Perfect for fans of The Only Good Indians and The Haunting of Hill House.Although Nuhad has not returned to her home since the Nakba in 1948, she always held a place for the house in her heart. And, in return, the house did the same for her. After Nuhad passes away, her granddaughter, Marina, is determined to visit her grandmother's home in Haifa after a lifetime of being kept in the dark about her culture and family history. Marina's mother, Haifa-named for the city that was lost to their family-reluctantly agrees to her trip, despite her omnipresent anxiety. When a long-buried spirit of the past begins to haunt both dreams and waking life, Marina develops breathing problems that cause her to feel as if she is drowning on dry land. Despite Nuhad's warnings, Haifa rushes to help her daughter. As the three women converge in their ancestral haunted home, they must learn what the price of the past truly is.
1
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smutty started reading...
1w
Longshadow
Olivia Atwater
Proper Regency ladies are not supposed to become magicians – but Miss Abigail Wilder is far from proper.
The marriageable young ladies of London are dying mysteriously, and Abigail Wilder intends to discover why. Abigail's father, the Lord Sorcier of England, believes that a dark lord of faerie is involved – but while Abigail is willing to match her magic against Lord Longshadow, neither her father nor high society believe that she is capable of doing so.
Thankfully, Abigail is not the only one investigating the terrible events in London. Mercy, a street rat and self-taught magician, insists on joining Abigail to unravel the mystery. But while Mercy's own magic is strange and foreboding, she may well post an even greater danger to Abigail's heart.
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smutty wrote a review...
2w
3.5 stars. My big criticism is that this should have been one book. Reading it, you can tell it was written as one big story just from the pace and the way the plot unfolds. I still liked it enough that I'm excited for the sequel and would very much recommend it.
The pacing from about 50ish% to 65% was unbearable. The book being split into 'Before' and 'After' works well outside of that 15% but makes it unbearably slow for those pages - that section took me three days whereas the rest of it I read in around 24 hours. The part of the plot when it switches timelines, and our FMC is playing cards in both of them works well and reveals a lot about her and the MMC character-wise. It was always a gamble whether the format was gonna help or hinder.
I'd also like to make it abundantly clear that this is NOT a love triangle. There is the moody pirate Captain who looks suspiciously like Aveyards IRL husband and the Navy Captain who she clearly has attempted to replace the Pirate Captain with at some point in their history but Navy Captain is not a serious choice (as interesting and layered of a character as he is).
Loved the vibes, love the FMC, loved the Pirates of the Caribbean realness. I do predict that book 2 while have significantly more going on with the plot and I stand by my opinion it should have remained a singular standalone pirate fantasy novel and would have been stronger for it. Victoria, if you see this review, you are still an icon.
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