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kats-fic-recs · 1 year

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The Best Daredevil Fics I read in 2022

How to Make a Family by Matt Murdock

Step 1. Have a dad.

Step 2. Lose your dad. Be miserable. Great job, everyone. We’re doing amazing so far.

(Matt's arduous journey towards being a functional person, with many stops and starts along the way.)

Candy Land

Matt is having fun with this, at least in some way. Sucking on Life Savers and smirking, and no guilt at all. If Matt could feel guilt, none of this would be happening. Things might be okay again.

But he doesn’t, and this is what Foggy is left with: a candy-stained mouth and a creature that’s more devil than man.

And Foggy still loves him

Invisible Ink

“Hello, welcome to Josie’s, I’m Foggy, what are you looking for?”

“Uh, nothing,” the guy replies, and Foggy is nonplussed for the nanosecond it takes to put together glasses, cane, and the way Hottie McHotFace is gazing absently over his shoulder.

“Oh, oh, you’re blind, dude, sorry. But, uh, this is a tattoo parlour?”

“I know.” The guy sighs. “I lost a bet?”

Or: The One Where Foggy Is A Tattoo Artist And Matt Is The Worst

Just to Listen to Your Breath

After the events of Season 2, Matt and Foggy aren't speaking. But that doesn't mean Matt's not hanging around.

Knock Three Times (On the Ceiling If You Want Me)

Matt's downstairs neighbor sings showtunes (badly) at all hours, eats weird-smelling food, and never stops talking.

Matt falls in love long before they actually meet.

Rowan and Red Oak

Foggy meets a man with a red oak wand and a sweet smile. Over the next eight years, Foggy makes a lot of coffee, reads a lot of tea leaves, breaks a lot of rules and casts a lot of charms. He also spends a good amount of his time pining over his perfect partner and trying to keep his wild outbursts of emotional magic to a minimum.

Stupid Cupid

Foggy plays karma bingo and wins a cupid.

His cupid is possibly the worst matchmaker in the world.

Other People's Blood

Foggy finds himself reminiscing on the ten years he's known Matt Murdock - son of and assassin for the Kingpin. The things they've learned about each other and the violence they've wrought together. Something sharp, and twisted, and beautiful.

A love story written in other people's blood.

The Constellation of Touch

Months after Fisk is put away, nothing's right between the partners at Nelson and Murdock. But Christmas is here, and Matt is still expected at the Nelson house.

darling you're stars

Matt wanted only Foggy’s purple flannel and if he could not have that, then he would have nothing. He would go cold.

(Foggy tries to understand the underlying causes of Matt's bizarre relationship with clothes.)

just meant to smile

“So we agree that Matt is still an Elle, though?” Foggy said.

The current working theory among their cohort was that there were Elles, Emmetts, Vivians, and Warners and if you weren’t one of them you were an extra and you were doomed to fail.

“Yeah, no. He’s still an Elle.”

“Okay, so at the risk of sounding desperate, does this make me an Emmett yet?” Marci gave him a pitying look. She reached over and squeezed his shoulder.

“It’s gonna be okay, Vivian,” she promised. “The plot will go on once we get our internships.”

(The Legally Blonde AU that no one asked for.)

Take All The Courage

When what should have been a straight forward mission in Hell's Kitchen goes pear shaped due to lack of communication, teaching his teammates sign language seems like a logical step to Clint. Communication when their comms are down - great plan! And including the local vigilante, who's been working closely with them on this, is a real no-brainer.

Until it turns out said vigilante is an asshole that thinks sign language is beneath him, judging by the way he's stubbornly refusing to learn it.

(Conversely - Matt's trying, he really is but damn it, those two signs are exactly the same... what do you mean they mean completely different things?!)

None So Blind

They say when you assume you make an ass of you and me.

Matt wishes that the Avenger's assumptions about his seeming inability to read the written word did something as benign as making an ass of him and them. Being called illiterate shouldn't hurt, not when he knows he's not, and it's not like he can tell them the truth.

Not that the truth would make much difference. He's just going to have to grin and bear it.

If he can.

Speyeria Cybele

Matthew's not the first Murdock to tell Father Lantom he had the Devil in him. Only Jack's Devil was nothing like the one Matthew sees in himself.

Jack's Devil was magic. Literally.

(Or a history of Father Lantom's relationship with magic, the Devil and the Murdock boys)

anthropomorphism

Matthew Michael Murdock was a person who had been taken, killed or next to killed, and turned into a droid.

Foggy sobbed as quietly as he could into the toilet.

Like a Handprint on My Heart

The day Foggy’s supposed to start working at Hogarth, Chao, and Benowitz, he wakes up, walks into the bathroom, starts to take a leak, glances down to check his aim, and freezes when he sees black letters on the inside of his right elbow.

His bladder forgotten, he brings his arm up, closer to his face and horizontal, as if he couldn't tell what the word was immediately. As if he'd somehow misread it, even though it's only four letters.

Matt.

Look Around, It's You I Can't Replace

Matt handles his separation from Foggy after the breakup of Nelson and Murdock a bit less well than he anticipated. As in he doesn't really handle it at all.

What All This Time Was For

On the rare occasions he reminisces about high school Foggy kind of wonders if he isn't just filling in the worst parts of teen comedies.

Foggy goes to his high school reunion.

#daredevil #matt murdock #foggy nelson #mattfoggy #ao3 #fanfiction #fic recs #fanfiction recommendation #fic rec #daredevil fic #mattfoggy fic rec

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sapphicbookoftheday · 2 years

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Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

Today's sapphic book of the day is Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur!

Summary: "After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love—and the inevitable heartbreak—is the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Darcy doesn’t expect her lie to bite her in the ass.

Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account, Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy... a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcy’s brother—and Elle's new business partner—expresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date? Because... awkward.

When Darcy begs Elle to play along, she agrees to pretend they’re dating to save face. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family over the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a fake relationship.

But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars?"

#bisexual #bi #lesbian #booklr #queer #sapphic #wlw #lgbtq #books #book recommendations #queer lit #lgbt books #book recs #lgbtqia #lgbt #romance #contemporary romance #written in the stars #alexandria bellefleur

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books-to-add-to-your-tbr · 6 months

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Title: Written in the Stars

Author: Alexandria Bellefleur

Series or standalone: series

Publication year: 2020

Genres: fiction, romance, LGBT+, contemporary, retelling

Blurb: After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love - and the inevitable heartbreak - is the last thing she wants, so she fibs and says her latest setup was a success; Darcy doesn’t expect her lie to bite her in the ass. Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soulmate. She knows it is most assuredly not Darcy - a no-nonsense stick in the mud who is way too analytical, punctual, and sceptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcy’s brother - and Elle’s new business partner - expresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date? Because...awkward. When Darcy begs Elle to play along, she agrees to pretend they’re dating to save face...but with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family over the holidays, and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a fake relationship.

#written in the stars #hang the moon #count your lucky stars #alexandria bellefleur #series #2020 #fiction #romance #lgbt #contemporary #retelling

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sapphic-book-tournament · 10 months

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Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur-

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake-

Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls—nothing is there for her but memories of a lonely childhood where she was little more than a burden to her cold and distant stepfamily. Her life is in New York, with her photography career finally gaining steam and her bed never empty. Sure, it’s a different woman every night, but that’s just fine with her.

When Delilah’s estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into photographing her wedding with a guilt trip and a five-figure check, Delilah finds herself back in the godforsaken town that she used to call home. She plans to breeze in and out, but then she sees Claire Sutherland, one of Astrid’s stuck-up besties, and decides that maybe there’s some fun (and a little retribution) to be had in Bright Falls, after all.

Having raised her eleven-year-old daughter mostly on her own while dealing with her unreliable ex and running a bookstore, Claire Sutherland depends upon a life without surprises. And Delilah Green is an unwelcome surprise…at first. Though they’ve known each other for years, they don’t really know each other—so Claire is unsettled when Delilah figures out exactly what buttons to push. When they’re forced together during a gauntlet of wedding preparations—including a plot to save Astrid from her horrible fiancé—Claire isn’t sure she has the strength to resist Delilah’s charms. Even worse, she’s starting to think she doesn’t want to...

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inge-universe · 2 years

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#currentlyreading #nuaanhetlezen Alexandria Bellefleur - Written in the stars 1 - Elle & Darcy @a.m.bellefleur #alexandriabellefleur #writteninthestars #elleendarcy #elledarcy #writteninthestarsseries Wie heeft dit boek al gelezen? Wat vond je er van? ............ Daar ik mee mag doen met de #blogtour van @zomerkeuning van deel 3 kan ik natuurlijk niet anders dan de eerste 2 te lezen. ............ Inhoud: Alexandria Bellefleur bewijst zich met 'Elle & Darcy' de nieuwe ster in romcomland! Na een verschrikkelijke date besluiten Elle en Darcy dat ze nooit meer afspreken. Ze zijn te verschillend: Elle is een dromerige Twitter-astrologe die op zoek is naar haar soulmate, Darcy is een no-nonsense actuaris die niet van verrassingen houdt. Ze nemen afscheid, maar niet voor lang. Darcy wordt gek van haar bemoeizuchtige broer die matchmaker speelt en doet Elle een voorstel: tot oudejaarsavond doen ze alsof ze een relatie hebben. Daarna hoeven ze niets meer met elkaar te maken te hebben. Maar hoe eindigt het toneelstukje als de gevoelens echt worden? Een heerlijk verhaal over twee vrouwen die mijlenver van elkaar afstaan, maar langzaam voor elkaar vallen. 'Elle & Darcy' is de debuutroman van Alexandria Bellefleur. ............ #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #bookstagramnl #bookstagrammers #boekstagram #instabook #dutchbookstagram #instaboek #dutchbookstagrammers #dutchbookstagrammer #boekenwurm #booktrovert #bookmail #boekenpost #recensieboek #roman #debuut #debuutroman #feelgoodroman #lgbtq🌈 #lgbtqromancebooks https://www.instagram.com/p/CgcTl9rLTg8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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taemstudy · 2 years

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“Written in the Stars” - Alexandria Bellefleur

Hello all, my name is June, and I am on the hunt for every sapphic novel I can get my hands on so you don’t have to. I believe I was robbed of great sapphic novels growing up so there’s no time like the present to catch up on the novels I missed!

Disclaimer: I am unapologetically biased towards romcom books and all my opinions are 100% subjective. You are more than welcome to disagree with me.

Here is the first book I read this year, “Written in the Stars” by Alexandria Bellefleur.

This is the first book in a trilogy - all of which are able to be read on their own with minimal confusion. I’ve read 2/3 - the other I will also be reviewing!

The synopsis, as per GoodReads:

“After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love—and the inevitable heartbreak—is the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Darcy doesn’t expect her lie to bite her in the ass. Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account, Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy... a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcy’s brother—and Elle's new business partner—expresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date? Because... awkward. When Darcy begs Elle to play along, she agrees to pretend they’re dating to save face. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family over the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a fake relationship. But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars?”

I mean what more could I have asked for to kick off my year of reading only sapphic novels? I’ve always been a sucker for the fake-dating trope, and I felt that Bellefleur executed this trope quite well. The banter between Darcy and Elle felt natural, well paced, and I believed the chemistry between them. It’s always such a treat when a writer can convey that unspoken phenomenon of gradually catching feelings without having to tell me or without jumping from 0 to 100.

One thing I really enjoyed about this novel was how starkly different Elle and Darcy were. It’s fun seeing two contrasting characters find common ground, and the fact that they fell in love was a real pleasure to read.

Fair warning, this book does contain two spicy scenes if I remember correctly. If that type of stuff isn’t your scene, then I would not recommend. I personally enjoyed them and they felt believable- like another lesbian couple would do the same so points for that! The scenes themselves are standard vanilla stuff, nothing too crazy but still pleasant to read. I thought it was tasteful and the progression towards that point felt natural.

The novel ends with your average run-of-the-mill romantic gesture (which I’ve come to learn is quite common in sapphic romcom-esque novels) and although I was anticipating it, I can’t deny it was very sweet and definitely gave me the warm fuzzies. Needless to say, I devoured this one and finished the book with a smile on my face. Recommended!

Overall rating: 4.5/5

#sapphic #ya novel #adult novel #novel #sapphic books #books #book rec #book recommendations #June’s Sapphic Book Rec and Review

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rockislandadultreads · 2 years

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Queer Holiday Book Recs

Faux Ho Ho by 'Nathan Burgoine

Silas Waite doesn’t want his big-C Conservative Alberta family to know he’s barely making rent. They’d see it as yet another sign that he’s not living up to the Waite family potential and muscle in on his life. When Silas unexpectedly needs a new roommate, he ends up with the gregarious (and gorgeous) personal trainer Constantino “Dino” Papadimitriou. Silas’s parents try to brow-beat him into visiting for Thanksgiving, where they’ll put him on display as an example of how they’re so “tolerant,” for Silas’s brother’s political campaign, but Dino pretends to be his boyfriend to get him out of it, citing a prior commitment. The ruse works—until they receive an invitation to Silas’s sister’s last-minute wedding. Silas loves his sister, Dino wouldn’t mind a chalet Christmas, and together, they could turn a family obligation into something fun. But after nine months of being roommates, then friends, and now “boyfriends,” Silas finds being with Dino way too easy, and being the son that his parents barely tolerate too hard. Something has to give, but luckily, it’s the season for giving—and maybe what Silas has to give is worth the biggest risk of all.

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love—and the inevitable heartbreak—is the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Darcy doesn’t expect her lie to bite her in the ass. Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account, Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy... a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcy’s brother—and Elle's new business partner—expresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date? Because... awkward. When Darcy begs Elle to play along, she agrees to pretend they’re dating to save face. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family over the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a fake relationship. But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars?

In the Winter Woods by Isabelle Adler

Declan Kensington isn’t really in the mood for Christmas. His latest mystery book sales are tanking, his finances are in a dismal state, and his spirits are anything but festive. Perhaps spending the holidays alone at his family lakeside cabin in the small village of Maplewood, Vermont, will provide him much-needed peace and quiet. Then he might finally get to work on a new book and (hopefully) jumpstart his stalling writing career. When he starts receiving anonymous letters threatening him to leave, Declan realizes his solitary writer’s retreat isn’t at all what he bargained for. And if the threats aren’t enough, a killer strikes, casting Declan in the role of the most likely suspect. Now it’s up to him and the handsome local Public Safety Commissioner Curtis Monroe to find out the truth before Declan spends Christmas (and the rest of his life) in jail. But as dead bodies pile up and dark secrets are revealed beneath Maplewood’s picture-perfect facade, Declan’s heart may yet be in more danger than his life…

The Inside Edge by Ashlyn Kane

What does a work-life balance look like to recently retired professional athletes? Ex-hockey player Nate Overton is trying to find out, but dipping his toes in the gay dating scene post-divorce is a daunting prospect even without the news that his show is on thin ice. Before he can tackle either issue, he skates headfirst into another problem—his new cohost. Former figure skater Aubrey Chase is the embodiment of a spoiled rich playboy. He’s also flamboyant, sharp, and hot as sin. Aubrey knows how important it is to get off on the right foot. He’s just not very good at it outside the rink. Having spent his life desperate for attention, he’ll do anything to get it—even the wrong kind. For Nate and Aubrey, opposites don’t so much attract as collide at center ice. But while Nate’s everything Aubrey has scrupulously avoided—until now—Aubrey falls suddenly head over heels, and Nate’s only looking for a rebound fling. Can Aubrey convince Nate to risk his heart again, or will their unexpected connection be checked at the first sign of trouble?

#romance #queer romance #queer #queer books #lgbtq books #lgbtq #lgbtq fiction #to read #romantic fiction #Book Recommendations #reading recommendations #tbr #library books #booklr #booktok #book tumblr #highly recommend #Highly Rated

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sapphicbookclub · 3 years

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Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account, Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy… a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcy’s brother—and Elle’s new business partner—expresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date? Because… awkward.

But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars?

Genres: contemporary, romance

Get the book from The Book Depository here!

#sapphic books #lgbt books #wlw books #booklr #book recs #contemporary

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2wivesbooks · 3 years

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[Image Description: Text reads “Trope Time: Fake Dating” Followed by the covers of the four books described below.]

November 10th 2020 - Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

Adult Contemporary

Sick of blind dates set up by her matchmaking brother, Darcy tells him the latest one was a success, even though Astrology obsessed Elle is definitely not down to Earth Darcy’s type.

April 20th 2021 - She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

YA Contemporary

Arch nemesis Scottie and Irene are forced to carpool together and end up hatching a “gay fake-dating scheme for the ages” in this enemies to friends to lovers romp.

May 5th 2021 - Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

YA Contemporary

Hani’s friends refuse to believe she’s bi because she’s never dated a girl and Ishu hopes that being associated with the popular girls will help her chance of being elected head girl.

June 8th 2021 - Love and Other Natural Disasters by Misa Sugiura

YA Contemporary

Nozomi agrees to help Willow make her ex jealous, but secretly hopes she’ll be able to impress Willow enough to become her real girlfriend.

#WLW #fake dating #book reccs #upcoming books #sapphic

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lgbtpopcult · 3 years

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The Lesbian Romance Novels we Loved in 2020

As a renowned chef, Gabriella Russo knows how to season a good dish. It’s her personal life that’s been too spicy for her liking. Ready to take a break from the rollercoaster of romance, Gabriella’s moved to Oregon to open Tangled, a restaurant on the grounds of Tangle Valley Vineyard. A good glass of wine and space to create is all she requires.

Ryan Jacks brings all the girls to the yard, or so it should say on her business card. She’s a skilled carpenter who’s been told more than once that she’s good with her hands. When Ryan takes a job building a new restaurant, her world comes to a halt. The sassy chef is sexy, insightful, and comes with the kind of smart mouth that has Ryan rethinking just about everything. But with Gabriella off the menu, what’s Ryan supposed to do?

By day, Holly Hudson’s a story editor for Wifetime Network. By night, she’s the writer for the network’s very cheesy, very straight holiday romance series―Christmas in Evermore. Holly took the job to accomplish exactly one thing: a gay Christmas movie. She’s been shot down before, but things start to look up when Meredith Drake unexpectedly moves into the network’s holiday division.

On the heels of a brief (but totally hot) fling, Holly and Meredith agree to keep things professional now that they’ll be working together. Especially since the network has a strict policy about workplace relationships. Instead, they vow to channel their passion into a pitch for the network’s first Christmas movie to feature two female leads.

In this contemporary romance, Holly and Meredith work to make the Yuletide gayer while discovering that happy endings aren’t only for the movies.

Ice meets fire in this opposites-attract lesbian romance, as layered, sassy, and smart as its characters.

Over one long night at a bar in Las Vegas, two powerful hotel executives meet, flirt, and challenge each other—having no clue they’re rivals after the same dream deal.

Brilliant ice queen Amelia Duxton is a hotel vice president who thrives on control, truth, and efficiency. She’s in no mood for love or the mess it brings. All she wants is to buy the coveted Mayfair Palace—a massive deal that could finally help her land the CEO job in her family’s hotel empire.

Fiery Kai Fisher is charming and chaotic and renowned for closing ambitious deals. Her sights are set on snatching the Mayfair Palace out from under the nose of her hated arch rivals, the Duxton family.

But when secrets emerge and everything starts to fall apart, how can either of the warring women win—especially when they’ve just met their match?

Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy... a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcy’s brother—and Elle's new business partner—expresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date? Because... awkward.

Darcy begs Elle to play along and she agrees to pretend they’re dating. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family during the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a faux relationship. But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars?

Chatty, down to earth, Chelsea Roberts is cruising through life – successful career, great circle of friends, cute dog. Sure, her love life could use an intervention, but everything else is kind of perfect. That is until a new roommate blows in unexpectedly on New Year’s Day and turns everything upside down.

Doctor-to-be Lucy Walker.

Moody.

Conversation-killer.

Jerkette.

And the hottest woman in the universe.

Chelsea is beside herself and plots to get rid of her. While Lucy tries to avoid any type of interaction, even if it means crawling out the window.

Things spiral quickly, and it doesn’t take long until they get caught up in a series of tit-for-tat pranks and bad behavior trying to drive each other crazy.

Yet as time goes on, something begins to change. Chelsea slowly pulls back the layers of her roommate and discovers there may be more to her than she thought. Lucy seems to ‘hate’ her with less conviction, and the two women almost begin to enjoy hanging out.

Life soon forces these sworn enemies to work out the true extent of their feelings before one of them walks away.

Real Estate Agent Carmela Bravo’s life revolves around her career, focusing single-mindedly on pushing into the ultra rich island of Palm Beach as the ultimate challenge. When she crosses paths with brand-new Agent Rhiannon Rodriguez and losses a sale to her dirty tricks, Carmela would be happy never to see the girl again.

Unfortunately for Carmela, Rhiannon has wormed her way into her agency despite her objections. From the moment Rhiannon arrives, Carmela is proven right that the novice agent has no idea what she’s doing.

Tensions between the two reach a breaking point when Rhiannon weasels herself into the deal of Carmela’s lifetime. Forced to work together or give up her dream, Carmela agrees to list a Palm Beach estate with her.

As they work together, Rhiannon starts to see Carmela in a new light and her crush on the closed-off ice queen snowballs quickly. Can she make up for having gotten off on the wrong foot? With six months to sell the house, Rhiannon has work to do.

Cecily Yates should love her husband, but doesn’t. She should leave him, but hasn’t. Instead, she leads a safe life in Chicago and sees Willow Carmichael on the side. When Willow moves for a job opportunity in Las Vegas, their love affair comes to a screeching halt, leaving Cecily broken, guilty, and confused.

Francesca Lopez has everything she needs: family, friends, a great job, and glittery nonstop Las Vegas excitement. If she’d known her perfect life was going to be flipped upside down when none other than Willow Carmichael tore her way into it, she would’ve guarded her heart a little better.

While on a business trip in Las Vegas, Cecily meets Francesca by chance at a bar and they are inexplicably drawn to each other. What starts as friendship grows into more, beginning to heal Francesca’s heart and give Cecily the strength to be true to herself. But when they discover they have more in common than they think, the very person who bound them together may be the reason they’re ripped apart.

Natalie Silver is painfully single. But that doesn’t mean she’s up for being sent on a lesbian singles cruise by her pushy sister. Damn non-refundable tickets.

Still, it’s not all bad. At least she’s got an excuse to get away from work for a week. Away from pressure and long hours, not to mention her beautiful and popular boss, Eden Tyler. It’s not easy being around such a perfect human being, especially when your own imperfections feel so obvious. Natalie’s looking forward to the chance to step out of Eden’s shadow.

But there’s one problem. Eden is on the same cruise. Because her life isn’t quite as perfect as Natalie thinks. She’s struggling with finding love too. She can’t believe it when she finds herself sharing a singles cruise with her most intimidating employee, the smart and stoic Natalie.

Neither of them are happy about finding themselves pushed together on the cruise, certain they couldn’t possibly share common ground. But between the various dramas of the lesbian singletons aboard the boat, not to mention a few dramas of their own, they’re about to find out that they’re more alike than they could have dreamed. A hilarious and witty romantic comedy from the author of 'The Plus One', 'Just Married?' and 'Lost and Found'.

Charlie Stetko had a life to envy. A penthouse in Manhattan, a beautiful girlfriend, and a high-octane marketing career. Or so she thought. When her girlfriend sends her packing, Charlie ends up unemployed. Without a place to live or money of her own, she’s forced to do the one thing she vowed she never would: go back to Shaker Falls, Vermont. Back to her parents and back to the small town life—and the people—she left behind. Back to a part-time job in the new bakery in town.

Emma Grier thought Charlie was the love of her life until that uppity Manhattan entrepreneur swept Charlie off her feet. Charlie left everything in Shaker Falls behind, including Emma’s shattered heart. But Emma picked herself back up and now owns a popular restaurant in town. As for her love life? She doesn’t need one. Something else she doesn’t need? Charlie waltzing into her restaurant to sell her the bakery’s pie.

Lacey is the last person to be impressed by wealth and fame. Serious and stoic, she values hard work above all else. When she's hired as the home care worker to an injured celebrity, she couldn't care less about Zana's carefully constructed image. She only sees a rich, spoiled brat. Once Lacey and Zana learn to respect each other, they actually get along - and maybe more than that. Can Zana win over the one person who sees the real her?

#gay #lesbian #lgbtq #romance #romance novels #wlw #lgbt

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solaceinprose · 4 years

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Written in the Stars - Alexandria Bellefleur: A Review

Expected published date: November 10, 2020

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the ARC for an honest review. Written in the Stars boasts to be a loose Pride and Prejudice re-telling, but I found that it only borrowed the personalities of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. Darcy and Elle had very similar archetypes from their inspiration, but the story itself was very different. It wasn't at all original, but it was cute nonetheless. The chemistry between Darcy and Elle was obvious from the beginning, and as a reader, I couldn't wait to see how this fake relationship would morph into something real. The characters themselves were very well written. They each have their moments where they absolutely shine and other times you kind of want to smack them upside the head. Even the secondary characters, Margot and Brenden were well fleshed out, and I'm excited to see where Alexandria takes Brenden's story. I hope Margot is part of that because I really liked her. She was such a great friend to Elle, and I'm so glad that we got a lot of scenes with them. I love when friendships aren't pushed to the side for romance. Even Darcy had her best friend, whose name escapes me right now (Annie?). Romance is great, but platonic relationships are important, too and they usually never get a lot of love. This wasn't the case with this book. My biggest gripe was the pacing of this book. It starts off rather slow then we get about half way and BOOM, all systems go this is for real now! This also caused the conflict to appear somewhat contrived, because I honestly didn't believe Darcy and Elle were "in love" after a month and half. Elle was so hell-bent on finding her OTP and the love of her life, that she didn't really listen to what Darcy was saying. Also Darcy had every good reason to be cautious, especially after a bad break up. To expect her to fall head over heels for Elle was a bit far fetched after a few weeks. I actually sided with Darcy on this. Regardless, the conflict wasn't well written and then it was over. They confessed their feelings, or more so Darcy, and they were on their road to happily ever after. All in all, this book was a joy to read and the perfect summer read despite the Thanksgiving/Christmas setting in the book. Definitely check it out when it comes out.

GoodReads Rating: 4 Stars

#booklr #written in the stars #alexandria bellefleur #HarperCollins Publishers #book review #book reviews #reviews #lgbtqia books #romance #contemporary #books #bookish #book worm #book nerd #book lover #mine

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asfeedin · 4 years

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Friday Finds & Reader Recommendations – 04-24-2020

Good morning and HAPPY FRIDAY!!! I hope we all have a cozy and wonderful weekend loaded in reading some seriously great books!! Speaking of which…

I’m already almost finished a book I just started a day ago and I LOVE IT!!!!! HOLY. MOLY. It’s the first part of a duet and the next one is coming out in a couple of weeks and I’m so relieved because I know the end of this one will make me crazy. LOL!!! I think I may have just found a new favorite author, and my review will be up this weekend.

In the meantime…

TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT WE FOUND FOR THE WEEKEND !!

STILL ON ➔➔➔ TWO MONTHS FREE KINDLE UNLIMITED DEAL!!! <— If you haven’t tried it yet, now’s your chance. WE ARE LOVING IT! And it’s still going on through the end of April!

And…

So, That Got Weird by Amelia Kingston <—THE AWKWARD GIRL & THE JOCK ALERT!! Ashley loved it so much that she read it again! “…As the reigning campus sex god, he has the playboy act down pat. But underneath those six-pack abs beats a broken heart. He doesn’t trust people and he sure as hell doesn’t believe in love. The odd couple strike a deal. Four weeks of & “tutoring” for five thousand dollars…”

I reread ‘So, That Got Weird’ by Amelia Kingston and that was a fun time – it has the same vibe as Elle Kennedy or Maya Hughes’ books (which I’m a huge fan of).

Third Life by Noelle Adams <—LIVE!! AGE GAP OLDER MAN/YOUNGER WOMAN ALERT!! She only knows his first name but… “...he keeps asking me to meet him all over the world, and I keep saying yes. …I don’t know anything about him except his first name. That’s the way he likes it. He’s too old for me, and he’s hiding secrets, but I’m not going to be able to keep my heart out of it for long…“

Detained by Ainslie Paton <— MONY LOVED THIS ONE!

Mony: I finished Detained by Ainslie Paton, Aussie author. Really loved it!

First chapters – Mystery Guy & female reporter stuck in a Shanghai airport detention room – clever & hot. Characters “real”, dialogue tight – kind of book I like. Also, story unusual & set in China & AUS. Bit too long at end but I wanted to read it in one shot. Love finding books that punch their weight above their GR rating.

This was one of Ann’s “personal 5-star lose all track of time and reality books.”

Master of Salt & Bones by Keri Lake <— LIVE!!! DARK ROMANCE ALERT!!! P.S. I love this author!! “…When I was a little girl, I dreamed a handsome knight would come and rescue me from my wretched mother. He’d ride up on his white steed and break the curse I’ve been fated to carry since the day I was born. Funny how things changed over time. How the fairy tale twisted into something far more crooked, darker than I ever imagined. In reality, my knight is scarred and broken, living alone in a castle of bones that overlooks the sea. He isn’t searching for me. He never was. Lucian Blackthorne is as cursed as I am, and equally shunned by the locals…”

Killian by Ryan Michele <— LIVE!!!

Kitty Valentine Dates a Billionaire by Jillian Dodd <— LIVE!!! JILLIAN DODD ALERT!!

Falling North: A Turner Artist Rocker Novel (The Turner Artist Rocker Series Book 2) by Alyson Santos <— LIVE!!

The Devil in Apartment 13 by Tiana Laveen <— MODERN-DAY URBAN GENIE/JINN IS HER NEW NEIGHBOR… and he wants to make her his mate! “…Vivian Carver believes her name is synonymous with bad luck. She’s a bartender living smack dab in the middle of NYC and has had it up to here with entitled tourists, an annoying roommate and just barely surviving. She’s forced to move into a cheaper apartment, and with it comes a seedy landlord, drippy faucets and a peculiar stranger in apartment 13. Shahzad has pulled all the stops to get to know Ms. Vivian Carver, someone who in no shape, form or fashion understands her full potential…”

Beauty and the Rose: a Dark Romance by Stasia Black & Lee Savino <— LIVE!! TRILOGY CONCLUSION ALERT!!

Don’t Love Me (My Secret Boyfriend Book 1) by S. Doyle <— HE TOLD HER NOT TO… “…The state took me away from my mother when was I twelve and sent me to live with an uncle, who worked on some fancy estate. That’s when I met Ash, she was ten and the daughter of the man who owned the estate. She thought I would be her new best friend but I only wanted to be left alone. For years she was always there, always annoying me, always wanting more from me. But our roles were clear. She was the princess and I was the chauffeur’s charity case. I told her not to fall in love with me…she didn’t listen…”

Dark Protectors Bundle: 3 Stories by Rebecca Zanetti by Rebecca Zanetti <— REBECCA ZANETTI BOOK BUNDLE BARGAIN ALERT! “…From New York Times bestselling author, Rebecca Zanetti, comes three stories in her Dark Protectors-Reese Family series… **Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

The Danger You Know by Lily White <— LILY WHITE’S LATEST DARK READ ALERT!! HE’S HER STALKER…“…I pursue her despite the wedding bells that rang for another, only I can see how she is drowning beneath mediocrity. How many times must I remind her? It can’t matter that I am the person who ruined her life. The man who killed her father. The constant shadow that watches her sleep. The lover who prefers dirty alleyways to freshly laundered sheets. She’s mine. Always has been…”

Michaela: Read this today and loved it!

Michele: I LOVE Lily and Dark reads are still my favorite!! thank you!!!

Tori: I’ve been binge-reading some Lily White lately! Omgah! Just finished The Vanity of Roses and started Wishing Well last night! I guess this one will be next. Seriously, one of my new favorite authors! ♡♡♡

The Prince and the Pawn (When Rivals Play Book 4) by B.B. Reid <— SERIES FINALE!!! BULLY BOOK ALERT! “...They were wrong for each other from the start. The jock and the nerd, what a cliché they made. He was the town prince, and she was a nobody. Tyra Bradley was invisible. That is until she told him he needed some manners, and so began their game of cat and mouse...”

Everything Girl by Emily Mayer <— MONY LOVED IT!! And was her message to the author about it (and the author replied).

Mony: Hi Emily,

Loved loved loved your book. Well written, quirky characters, and great book boyfriend…loved the Montana setting. Good job pacing the slow burn between Jack and Evelyn. A gem.

Hoping you’re thinking about writing a sequel about Ben. Fantastic character – came alive with his wit, charm and “manwhore struggles.” Just begging to be written! What do you think? Thanks!

Emily (the author): …I took a detour for book #2, but I am spending my quarantine with Ben! I couldn’t agree with you more. He definitely needed his own story. I am already a little bit in love with his story and can’t wait to share it with you!

To another reader: “still hoping for a May release date” ..

Jan: New Lucy Score coming out in a couple of days: By A Thread: A Grumpy Boss romcom. I like the grumpy boss trope.

Mony: I didn’t see that By A Thread was about a grumpy boss…one of my favourite tropes as well…

HEY SWEET TEA (The Way To A Man’s Heart Book 8) by Frankie Love <— LIVE!!

Don’t Go Stealing My Heart by Kelly Siskind <— LIVE!!

The Girl and the Stars (The Book of the Ice 1) by Mark Lawrence <— LIVE FANTASY ROMANCE ALERT!!!!! GORGEOUS COVER & TITLE!! “…To resist the cold, to endure the months of night when even the air itself begins to freeze, requires a special breed. Variation is dangerous, difference is fatal. And Yaz is not the same. Yaz’s difference tears her from the only life she’s ever known, away from her family, from the boy she thought she would spend her days with, and has to carve out a new path for herself in a world whose existence she never suspected...”

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown <— RECENT PSYCH-THRILLER RELEASE AND GUESS WHAT????

Nay: For anyone who likes book adaptations, I just saw Maryse’s FB post about Pretty Things by Janelle Brown, and when I went to add it to my tbr on GR, I saw that one of my friends had posted that Nicole Kidman is going to produce and star in the book’s adaptation as a streaming Amazon series.

Maryse: OOOOOH YAY!!!! I love that!! Though I’m going to read it first. Thank you for that news, Nay!

Michele: Just finished Fixed on You series…..GREAT, love, mystery, heartbreak and well the end……it was the best bargain….

Cheryl: Hudson is a hot alpha guy who says right off the bat that he is incapable of love and combined with Alayna’s obsessive “love’ disorder, you just know a train wreck is coming.

Krisztina: I just finished the Fixed trilogy by Laurelin Paige. Hudson (the whole story from his point of view). I have to say that I was reading the 2nd half of Forever With You with tears in my eyes … now I am obsessed with Hudson Pierce

A Kiss to Tell by W. Winters <— SUPER-BARGAIN ALERT! HE WAS BAD NEWS & SHE WAS THE GIRL THAT DIDN’T BELONG… “...From the first time I saw him, Sebastian had a hard stare that pinned me in place. And years later, it hasn’t softened. We lived on the same street and went to the same school, although he was a year ahead. Even so close, he was untouchable. He was bad news and I was the sad girl who didn’t belong. One night changed everything...”

AUDIOBOOK LVERS!

Not a member of Audible yet? Get a free 30 day audible trial (which includes 1 free audiobook + 2 audible originals)

AND! Audiobook Matchmaker!! <— Find out which of YOUR Kindle books are available as audiobooks at a BARGAIN-PRICE! This is how it works. Click on that link & Amazon will show you all of your Kindle books that are also available as an audiobook at a seriously discounted price. This way, you can switch back and forth, seamlessly between your ebooks and your audiobooks. VERY COOL!

➔➔ Audible now has an “Escape” package membership (30 day free trial) – used to be called the “Romance” package <— this one is SO cool, and worth it (unlimited listening for all of the audiobooks in the program, and there are tons – kind of like Kindle Unlimited)!!

and…

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier <— RECENT PSYCH-THRILLER RELEASE THAT I’m DYING TO READ!!

Shirley: I’m listening to Little Secrets. I’m at 20% and so far, so good!! I think you would really like this one Maryse!

Maryse: YESSSS!! I know I would. Totally my thing…

The Hardest Fall by Ella Maise <— Ashley loved it so much she listened to it again!

Ashley: Okay, I re-listened to ‘The Hardest Fall’ by Ella Maise. Love it. My favorite part is where her horde of peanut butter m&m’s is discovered and her reasoning for it is one of the most relatable reasons ever.

Shooter by Dahlia West <— Ashley loved it so much she listened to it again!

And I’m also re-listening to ‘Shooter’ by Dahlia West….which makes me want to revisit ‘Preacher’ by Dahlia West.

PREORDERS (going live soon!!! )

➔➔➔ Get Maryse’s Book Blog updates delivered by email (you’ll get one daily email that will have each post from that day consolidated on it).

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rockislandadultreads · 3 years

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2020 Romance Hits: books you need to read

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

The Truth About Dukes by Grace Burrowes

A new duke and a woman with a secret in her past get a second chance at love in this delightful and charming Regency romance from the New York Times bestselling author of the Windham series. Robert Rothmere is hiding a past no duke should have endured, but he's not hiding it well enough. Sooner or later, his enemies will learn that he spent years locked away at a private asylum. To get their hands on his wealth, they'll try to send him right back to his worst nightmares. If Robert is to foil their schemes, he needs to marry a perfectly proper, blessedly boring, deadly dull duchess, immediately—and he knows exactly which quietly delightful lady he'd love to entrust with that role. Lady Constance Wentworth has cultivated a reputation for utter forgettability. She never speaks out of turn (in public), never has a daring thought (that she admits aloud), and never comes close to courting scandal... as far as anybody knows. Her path crossed Robert's years ago, though, and she's never forgotten the extraordinary lengths he traveled to keep her safe when she hadn't a friend in the world. She longs to be his demure duchess...but little does he know that to marry her would be utter madness.

A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins

An intrepid female reporter matches wits with a serious, sexy detective in award-winning author Manda Collins' fun and flirty historical rom-com! England, 1865 : As one of England's most notorious newspaper columnists, Lady Katherine Bascomb believes knowledge is power. And she's determined to inform and educate the ladies of London on the nefarious-and deadly-criminals who are preying on the fairer sex. When her reporting leads to the arrest of a notorious killer, however, Katherine flees to a country house party to escape her newfound notoriety-only to witness a murder on her very first night. And when the lead detective accuses Katherine of inflaming-rather than informing-the public with her column, she vows to prove him wrong. Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham's refusal to compromise his investigations nearly cost him his own career, and he blames Katherine. To avoid bad publicity, his superiors are pressuring him to solve cases quickly rather than correctly. When he discovers she's the key witness in a new crime, he's determined to prevent the beautiful widow from once again wreaking havoc on his case. Yet as Katherine proves surprisingly insightful and Andrew impresses Katherine with his lethal competency, both are forced to admit the fire between them is more flirtatious than furious. But to explore the passion between them, they'll need to catch a killer.

The Boy Toy by Nicola Marsh

A woman ready to give up on love discovers that age is truly just a number in this heartwarming and steamy new romantic comedy by USA Today bestselling author Nicola Marsh. For almost a decade, successful 37-year-old Samira Broderick has used her bustling LA practice as an excuse to avoid a trip home to Australia. She still resents her meddling Indian mother for arranging her marriage to a man who didn't stick around when the going got tough, but now with a new job Down Under, she's finally ready to reconnect with her. And while she's there, a hot international fling might be just what she needs to get out of her recent funk. Aussie stuntman, Rory Radcliffe, has been hiding his stutter for years by avoiding speaking roles. When a job he can't refuse comes up as a reality show host, he knows he'll need some help for the audition: a dialect coach. But he finds himself at a loss for words when he discovers it's the same sexy woman with whom he just had a mind-blowing one-night stand... Samira can think of many reasons why Rory is completely wrong for her: he's ten years her junior, for one, and he's not Indian--something Samira's mother would never approve of. Even if things were to get serious, there's no reason to tell her mother...is there?

#romance #romance recs #book recs #reading recommendations #recommended reading #library #tbr #booklr #booklist #reading list #to read #lgbtq #contemporary romance #historical romance

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