Introvert’s Book Club
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Check Out the Booksta
Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage
Golden Girls #1
Rating: 4/5
Spice: 0/5
Plot: 3/5
Primary Genre: Cozy mystery
Blurb: The first novel in the all-new Golden Girls Cozy Mystery Series! When Dorothy’s obnoxious date is found dead in a hotel freezer, it not only ruins a gorgeous cheesecake but threatens the elaborate St. Olaf–themed wedding Rose is hosting. Things are heating up, and not just because of Blanche’s hot flashes. Rose’s cousin is eloping to Miami, and Rose is playing host. If she can't balance the groom’s family’s snobbery against the traditional St. Olaf wedding week guidelines, her hometown may never accept her cousin again! Dorothy quickly realizes she needs a date with whom she can exchange wedding-related wisecracks. Turning to a newfangled VHS dating service, she believes she’s found the ideal conversationalist. Unfortunately, what looks good on TV can actually be a total jerk in real life. It seems she’ll just have to enjoy the company of Sophia, Blanche, and whomever Blanche has targeted for a hookup. As the Girls all pitch in, Rose is thrilled that the tea-and-fish-themed kickoff event is perfect, not a herring out of place. That is until Dorothy’s date is found dead—face-planted in an otherwise scrumptious-looking cheesecake. With every guest a suspect (especially Dorothy) and a marriage on the line, the four besties must ID the real killer, get the should-be-happy couple down the aisle, and make sure nobody from St. Olaf gets lost in the wilds of Miami. It’s up to the Golden Girls to sleuth out a way for friendship and love to win the day!
Name Your Price by Holly James
Rating: 4/5
Spice: .5
Primary Genre: Romantic Comedy
Plot: 4/5
Blurb: Sparks ignite as a pair of broke exes get locked in a house together on a reality show for a chance to win a million dollars, a second-chance romance that perfectly captures the absurd sincerity of made-for-TV love. Olivia Martin and Chuck Walsh have chemistry. Too much chemistry, perhaps. Their every interaction as a couple either lights the house up with sexual tension or burns it down with anger. After one huge, very public fight, they finally break up for good. Or so they think. Someone was filming their dramatic argument in the street and—because Olivia’s parents were Hollywood royalty, and because Chuck’s an actor whose star is on the rise—the video goes viral. When Name Your Price, a reality game show, sees the footage, they invite Olivia and Chuck to shoot a very unusual Live locked in a house together for one month and they will be paid a million dollars. Each. Olivia really needs the money if she's going to keep her beloved grandmother in her nursing home, and Chuck is desperate for any chance to win Olivia back. So the game is on—even as the show tries to pluck every nerve with only one bed, one bathroom, and a set of rules that will lose them money if broken—including no touching. With stakes that have never been higher and their explosive chemistry at a fever pitch, can Chuck and Olivia keep it together (and their hands off each other) for one month? Find out next week on Name Your Price!
Back In the Shadows by J.A. Owenby
Rating: 5 /5
Spice: 3/5
Plot: 5/5
Primary Genre: Dark Romance
Trigger Warnings: Please check the author’s website
Blurb:
𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐙𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲.
One, two, they took what's mine.
My little lamb was stolen from me.
Three, four, blood on the floor.
The monster she awakened has broken free.
Five, six, death's favorite tricks.
My darkness hunts relentlessly.
Seven, eight, feel my rage.
Hell itself bows down to me.
Nine, ten, kill again and again.
Each death brings her back to me. Eleven, twelve, straight to hell.
Where screams ring eternally. Welcome back to your darkest nightmare.
I am Death, and they've stripped away my mask of mercy.
My little lamb, I will paint the streets red until you're safe in my arms again. “Back in the Shadows” plunges readers deeper into Death's twisted realm, where love and violence dance in perfect harmony. This isn't just a story—it's a descent into beautiful madness, where the line between protector and monster blurs with every heartbeat. Once you've stepped back into the shadows, there's no escaping their embrace.
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟐 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭.
** This dark romance features multiple POVs, intricate storylines, and graphic content including possessive themes, obsession, morally grey characters, and dubcon that weaves together into one soul-shattering conclusion. If you crave a simple love story, this isn't it. But if you dare to embrace the darkness, welcome home. **
Beautiful Little Freaks by Tylor Paige
A Gatsby Retelling
Rating: 4/5
Spice: 3.5/5
Plot: 4/5
Primary Genre: Dark Romance
Trigger Warnings: Self harm, homophobic and transphobic comments from the villain, victim-blaming, gas-lighting, cheating, murder, cannibalism, branding, discussions in detail of sexual assault, domestic violence, coercion, discission of abortion, dub con, verbal abuse, bigoted comments from the bad guys, inference of CSA, child trafficking, parental emotional abuse
Blurb:
From top three amazon bestselling author Tylor Paige, comes a new dark romance about two star-crossed lovers whose love for a tale told 100 years ago convinces them to rewrite the ending, no matter the cost. Daisy and Gatsby dreamed of the day they’d get their happily ever after, their green light. He, the innate artist, and her, the prima prodigy. However, their dreams are shattered when Gatsby is takes the fall for the most heinous of crimes. Cannibalism. Years later, Daisy has become the famous ballerina she was destined to be, but lives a miserable, trapped life as a fiancée to a man whose cruelty matches the numbers in his bank account. It isn’t until her cousin comes to visit that she notices the green light across the lake, the one that matches the one on her dock. Could it be? Has Gatsby somehow been found innocent and come back for her? Is he still the same man? And… is she the same woman? Does she still believe in the green light? Beautiful Little Freaks is a chilling, seductive retelling of The Great Gatsby, containing forbidden romance, vengeance, and the twisted paths we take to reclaim what we’ve lost.
Beautiful Little Freaks is a dark romance retelling. It features one couple, and has a HEA.
In the Shadows by J.A. Owenby
Rating: 4/5
Spice: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Primary Genre: Dark Romance
Blurb:
When you finally meet the monster hiding under your bed.
One, two, I’m coming for you.
She’s my obsession.
Three, four, kneel on the floor.
I want to possess her in every way.
Five, six, I’m up to my old tricks.
She knows me as The Portland Serial K!ll3r.
Seven, eight, lay in wait.
Little does she know I’m watching her.
Nine, ten, never to be seen again.
Welcome to your worst nightmare, Little Lamb. Who am I? Let me introduce myself. I’m Death. And I have found my Queen. Ella McCloud you’re the flicker of light in my dark, dark world. The color in my grayscale existence. I yearn for you like the night yearns for the stars. **Dear readers, this dark romance contains multiple POVs, multiple storylines, and many exciting moving pieces that come together in one satisfying and unexpected HEA. If you enjoy a single storyline, this book might not be for you.
** In the Shadows is a dark, age gap romance standalone with an unhinged hero. Check TW/CW and tropes on the author's website.
The Folklore of Forever by Sarah Hogle
Moonville #2
Rating: 3.5/5
Spice: 0/5
Plot: 4/5
Primary Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy Romance
Blurb: From the acclaimed author of Old Flames and New Fortunes comes a steamy enemies-to-lovers romantasy about a paranormal skeptic who is roped into a ghost hunting romp by the charming boy next door . . . who might just show her what real fantasies are made of. Paranormal skeptic Zelda Tempest is hoping for a much-needed creativity boost for a new paranormal mystery novel. But despite the alleged magic of her hometown, Moonville, Ohio, she’s as stuck as ever. With two witch sisters, not believing in magic is strange for a Tempest, but no one is more disappointed than Morgan Angelopoulos, the charming man next door. So, to cure her of her writer's block and her disbelief in magic, Morgan ropes her into a ghost-hunting romp, only for Zelda to discover something else bizarre, never-before-seen creatures that appear as ordinary pets to everyone else. Curious about what else might be lurking in Moonville's woods, Zelda and Morgan embark on a quest to uncover the true magic that lies in their midsts . . . and perhaps, just maybe, they will find that the magic they're searching for has been with them all along.
Just One Taste by Lizzy Dent
Rating: 3/5
Spice: 1
Primary Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction/Romance
Plot: 4/5
Blurb: Olive Stone is about to spend four weeks in Italy with the most beautiful man she’s ever hated. When Olive Stone and her Italian pseudo-celebrity chef father fell out fourteen years ago, annoyingly handsome Leo Ricci slipped right in as his surrogate son and sous-chef. No one is more surprised than Olive when her father wills her his beloved (and now failing) restaurant. Or that his dying wish was for Olive and Leo to complete his cookbook…together. She’s determined to sell the restaurant. Leo is determined to convince her not to. As they embark on four weeks in Italy, traveling from Sicily to Tuscany to Liguria, they’ll test each other as often as they test recipes. But the more time Olive and Leo spend together the more undeniable their attraction grows. Olive finds herself wondering whether selling the restaurant might be running away, and what it might be like to try Just One Taste of Leo Ricci. Because he isn’t who she expected, and this trip might reveal more about who Olive is than she’s ready for.
Big Book/Writing Community News
It’s the end of an era. NaNoWriMo made a huge announcement this afternoon. Video with the details here.
Old Flames and New Fortunes by Sarah Hogle
Rating: 3.5/5 (Rounding up to 4 for Goodreads, Amazon, etc)
Spice: 2/5
Plot: 3/5
Primary Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy Romance
Blurb: A small, magical town tucked away in rural Ohio, Moonville is the perfect place for flora fortunist Romina Tempest to expand her shop, where she uses the language of flowers to help the hopeful manifest their love lives. After giving up on her own big romance eleven years ago, at least she can bask in the promise of others’. So, when the shop’s potential financier shares news of his wedding, Romina jumps on the opportunity to discuss buying the business. What better place to negotiate a deal than at a wedding, even if she has to fake-date her chaotic colleague Trevor to get an invitation? But all hell breaks loose when she discovers Trevor’s soon-to-be stepbrother is none other than Alex, her high school sweetheart. Her greatest love. The boy who, eleven years ago, broke her heart, and who now thinks she and Trevor are dating. What starts as an innocent misunderstanding becomes a week-long fake dating scheme, as Romina resolves to make Alex pay for breaking her heart. The only issue? She can’t deny their still-burning connection. Caught between proving to Alex what he lost, and coming clean and risking her business, Romina must decide whether giving Alex another chance means going back on herself, or finally releasing her hold on the past.
New Releases April 1, 2025
April 1, 2025 Book Releases - No lie! These books look like they need to be added to your TBR
A Few Bookish Finds for Amazon’s spring sale (non-kindle options!)
Up to 30% off of Amazon devices and so much more. I’ve listed a ton of eReader options below as I know that a lot of you are bailing on Kindle due to the recent policy changes. I plan to stick my Kindles for now but I am really getting the itch to buy a Kobo Libra. I keep talking myself out of it. On top of eReaders galore I have some cozy patio furniture, drinks, a stanley and lots of reading accessories. I’m throwing an Alexa on here because did you know that Alexa will read you your audiobooks from Audible? And if your Kindle Unlimited book comes with an audiobook companion it will autosync and “she’ll” start reading on the past page that you were on. I love to use this feature on days when I’m doing chores around the house. You check into Kindle Unlimited here and Audible here. I love an Amazon sale!
