#The Catch by Amy Lea

[haleyfury]

The Catch by Amy Lea Review

Summary (from the publisher):  A grumpy lobster fisherman tosses a fashion influencer’s impeccably curated life overboard in the next romantic comedy from international bestselling author Amy Lea. In a last-ditch effort to rescue her brand from the brink of irrelevance, Boston fashion influencer Melanie Karlsen finds herself in a rural fishing village on the east coast of Canada. The only thing…

[wordsthatmattered]

I brace myself to be okay without him to breathe without him without my chest caving in on me. To be okay knowing I can't have this connection day in and day out, no matter how much I want it.

The Catch by Amy Lea

[justapayneaway]

This week I'm reviewing The Catch by Amy Lea 🐳

Follow me on IG at @ritasbookclub for more content!

[betterbooksandthings]

“It is my absolute delight to present eight of the best romance novels out in January 2023. The new year is all full of bubbles and sparkles and hope. And, you know what they always say: “new year, new you, new books.” Well, maybe I added that last bit, but I for one typically ring in the new year by taking stock of the books I am looking forward to reading in the year to come.“

[emilysworldoffandoms]

Fandom Things (February)

Feb. 13 The Catch By Amy Lea (Publication Date)

Feb. 15 Ghosts Season 3

Feb. 22 Avatar the Last Airbender Live Action

[beckysbook5]

The Catch by Amy Lea - ARC Review!

In a last ditch attempt to rescue her brand from the brink of irrelevance, fashion influencer Melanie Karlsen finds herself in a rural fishing village on the east coast of Canada. The only thing scarier than nature itself? Burly fisherman Evan Whaler – who single-handedly disproves the theory that canadians are ‘nice’. After a boating incident lands Evan in the hospital, Mel is mistaken for his…

[caapsiizzereads]

If you're taking requests can I request a Jamie x reader where they're dating but Amy, from Love Conquers All comes back and wants Janie back and reader is all insecure because she's not like the girls Jamie is used to dating so she thinks Jamie is going to go back to Jamie? I love some angst with a happy ending. Please and thank you! 💕

I got carried away with this thing, it’s like 2k words sorry….

Your favorite part of a night shift is when it ends, and you can go home and drop dead on your bed. You get in your car and quickly scroll through your phone, going through the unread messages. There are a few from Jamie, the usual ‘miss you’ and a couple of pics from his night out with the team. Then there’s a couple from Kelly, your best friend. There’s a link to an article from The Sun with the caption ‘??????’.

You open the link.

Jamie Tartt spotted on the night out with the Lust Conquers All ex-fiancée

Blurry pictures attached.

Logically, you know that Jamie was out with the team. So maybe this Amy girl just happened to be there too. You’re vaguely aware of Jamie’s reality TV past, mostly from what Kelly told you. When she found out that you went on a date with Jamie Tartt, after being done with the initial shock, she made it her duty to educate you on all of Jamie’s past endeavors. She’s kind of a celebrity gossip junkie, always keeps you in the loop with the latest news. You weren’t impressed by the whole cheating on your fiance in a jacuzzi on the knock-off Love Island thing back then, and you’re not impressed by these pictures now. But it’s ‘The Sun’. The sun (pun intended) will rise in the west when it becomes a reliable news source.

You realize that you’ve been sitting in your car for fifteen minutes when you yawn two times in a row. Whatever, you’ll just go home and ask Jamie about it later.

You are pulled from your sleep by a sudden weight laid on top of you. Then there’s someone’s warm breath near your neck.

“What’s the time?” you ask sleepily.

“Just after four,” Jamie says quietly. “I brought you a bagel from that bakery, can make you coffee,” he offers, but makes no attempt to move. “How was your shift?”

“It was alright, nothing unusual.” You wrap your arm around his shoulders. “How was your night?”

“It was fine. Had a good time. Missed you, though.” He nuzzles into your neck.

You let the whole article thing go. You asked Jamie about the night, and he didn’t say anything, so maybe there just wasn’t anything to say, and like you thought, it was just an exaggeration.

And as it always happens, the more you try not to think about something, the more you think about it.

The day after, you and Kelly meet on the shift, and you interrogate her about what she knows about Amy and Jamie’s other exes, because you refuse to google him. You know about Keeley, you’ve met her, and she’s fucking great. And Jamie dated her, and somehow managed to fuck it up, what an idiot. You can only guess who else is on that list.

Kelly, being the ever-supportive best friend, insists that you are better than any of them and just as much of a catch as Keeley Jones herself, which is objectively not true, but you appreciate the sentiment.

It doesn't take much to see that you are not at all like any of the women that Jamie has dated before. You’re a surgical resident – you have no money, you have no time, and you wear scrubs half the time.

It’s not even the first time that you think about how you and Jamie being together makes no sense, because that’s exactly what you thought when Jamie first asked you out. Two weeks had passed between Jamie asking you out and you being able to find time for the said date. And your second date ended thirty minutes after it started because you were on on-call duty that night. You honestly thought that at that point, Jamie would just give up and move on, but he was nothing if not persistent. Patiently waiting for you to have free time, trying his best not to show his disappointment when you needed to leave abruptly, and just overall always going the extra mile to accommodate your fucked up schedule. You didn’t understand why he even bothered, but he did. And in the end, it was hard not to fall in love with him.

Being in the spotlight comes very easily to Jamie, he enjoys the attention, but you aren’t a public person at all. And to his credit, Jamie has no problem with keeping your relationship private: your friends and family know, but you keep it away from the media. This is so unlike you to doubt yourself, but right now you just can’t help but go down the rabbit hole of comparing yourself with all the picture-perfect relationships of Jamie’s past.

The final straw comes a week after the article incident. You have just ended a thirteen-hour shift that came from hell, and you are half-dead on your feet. You’re changing into your regular clothes while Kelly’s sitting there scrolling through her phone.

“(Y/n)?” Kelly’s face looks concerned.

You turn around to face her, and she shows her phone screen to you. You take a brief look and then take the phone in your own hands to look properly. There are pictures of Jamie seemingly having a nice lunch with that girl from the reality show. You give Kelly her phone back with barely any reaction on your face. You don’t really feel anything on the inside either, because your exhaustion just overwhelms all the other possible emotions. You just make a mental note that there’s more shit that you’ll have to deal with today.

You walk out of the hospital and get in your car, you drive home, you go to the shower. You’re just going through the motions on autopilot. It’s only after you’ve been standing under the hot shower for fifteen minutes that you start actually thinking about what Kelly told you.

So Jamie had lunch with a girl that he used to be fake engaged to. That sounds like a piece of crap, even in your head. So does that mean that that meeting in the bar was intentional? Or did they meet by accident and keep in contact after? Was he at least going to tell you, or was he going to go back and forth between you? Probably wouldn’t even be that hard with your work hours…

You realize just how much time you’ve spent doubting yourself and overthinking this relationship, how uneasy you’ve been feeling the whole week, and how much you just want to get this weight off your chest. You don’t want to cry, you don't want to scream, you don’t want to argue. You are so fucking tired, and you just want some peace of mind already.

After the shower, you put the leftover takeout from yesterday in the microwave and open a bottle of wine. You pour yourself a full glass, gulp down the whole thing in one go, and pour yourself another one. The microwave buzzes, and you take the box and a fork because fuck plates. You can feel the negativity leaving your body with every bite of fried rice that you put in your mouth. Maybe some food and wine was just what you needed after that shitshow of a day. And you have a day off tomorrow. Maybe life isn’t so bad after all.

Just when you let yourself relax, you hear the door open and close, and the next moment, there’s Jamie standing in the hallway of your apartment, looking anxiously at you. Alright, let’s get this over with,

“Hi,” you take a sip from your glass.

“Hi,” he replies softly. He’s fidgeting with his hands. “I need to tell you something.”

“Oh, I am dying to hear this,” you take another sip with an amused smile on your face.

He winces. “You saw?”

“Saw what? You with your reality show girlfriend at the club, or you two having lunch?”

“I swear this is not what you think.” The unimpressed look on your face and the silence that follows is probably enough of a clue that you don’t buy it. “We met at the bar that night, by accident! I was with the team, you know this. She was just there with her friends, and we bumped into each other, and we talked for, like, five minutes tops! She was drunk, and she, uh, tried to…” He looks nervously at you. “She tried to kiss me, but I stopped her. I told her I have a girlfriend! But she was drunk, and she… Doesn’t matter, nothing happened. Her friends came and got her, and that’s all. I didn’t tell you about it because there really wasn’t much to tell. I forgot about it the next day.

And then she, uh, called me. She asked to meet because she wanted to apologize. And… I owed her an apology too, you know. For the whole… thing. So we met, she said that she was sorry and she didn’t mean to disrespect you, and I said that I was sorry for being a prick back then. And that was it. I swear.”

After a few seconds of silence, he adds, “I love you. I would never do this to you.”

You run your hand through your hair and sigh tiredly. “Maybe you should.”

“What?”

“I mean, not cheat on me, but just… date someone else.”

Jamie’s whole face falls. “Are you breaking up with me?”

“No. But I’m giving you an out.”

“Why the fuck would I want an out?”

“Because we live in different worlds! I’ve been thinking about it the whole week, and I don’t understand why you even bother. I’m no Keeley Jones, I’m not a TV star. I work fifty hours a week and smell like a hospital, I'm constantly tired, and I can’t even make it to your matches most of the time!”

Jamie huffs an incredulous laugh. “Have you met yourself?! You’re like one of those sexy TV doctors, and you’re, like, ridiculously smart, and okay, you can't come to my football matches because you’re too busy saving people’s lives,” he mocks. “Sometimes I think that one day you’re just going to wake up and realize that you can do so much better than me.” You frown at him. “You spend twelve hours literally poking in someone’s brain and then listen to me complain that my left foot cross is not good enough. You’re always surrounded by all these smart people, and when you tell me about your day, I have no idea what half of those things mean. And sexy TV doctors always sleep with each other!”

It would be a funny joke by itself, but the genuine worry on Jamie’s face somehow makes it even more hilarious for you at the moment, and you just burst out laughing. You keep laughing so hard that you have to lean on the counter with your hand for support. It’s like the ridiculousness of that statement, your exhaustion from the day, the relief of knowing that your boyfriend didn’t cheat on you, and half a bottle of wine that you’ve consumed all piled up together.

Jamie’s looking at you like you’re going crazy, which is kinda understandable. “I’m sorry,” you blurt while trying to catch your breath. “No more Grey’s Anatomy for you, mister.”

You finally smile at him, and Jamie takes it as a clue that you won't punch him if he gets closer to you. “So, just to clarify, you’re not breaking up with me?” he asks cautiously.

“No,” you chuckle. “You’re sure you don’t want to find someone closer to your instagram followers count?”

“Fuck no.” He pulls you into a tight hug. “You’re stuck with me now,” he mumbles into the space between your shoulder and jaw, tucking his face there.

“I’ll see what you say in a few years.”

“Will they call me Doctor if I take your last name?” he offers.

“You’re an idiot,” you laugh. But he is your idiot.

[startrekfangirl2233-writes]

Photo Finish

Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Reader

Description: I don't really have words for this. @desert-fern and I were chatting about Hangman thots. And this spilled out of my brain.

Warnings: This is just porn. Porn with Plot. Consume at your own risk.

Word Count: 6484

A/N: This is dedicated to @desert-fern, @dakotakazansky and @horseshoegirl! Read and enjoy the thots my darlings!

AO3: Cross-posted Here!

Wattpad: Cross-posted Here!

It is an unforgiving job, working as a photographer. You'd been all over the world taking pictures for exposes, portraits of world leaders, and scenery. You could name a print material with a portrait on the cover and say you'd taken a picture of that kind. 

It's your first time in New York after six months of working on assignment after assignment for your agency when you're called into your boss’s office and ordered to get a studio ready. You're expecting a shot with supermodels or perfumes. Hell, you've even taken photos of cans of dog food. You're not expecting to hear that the client is the U.S. Navy. Not at all.

The U.S. Navy's recruitment numbers have fallen to an all-time low. They're looking for a propaganda vehicle or five to kickstart recruitment. They've ordered a squadron of pilots to fly to New York and have professional portraits taken. It had been decided it was too risky to have civilian photographers on base, so your company had rented a colossal hangar from the airport for one day. The squadron and their jets would land tonight, and the shoot would happen tomorrow. The information has you reeling and more than a little flustered. The U.S. Navy? As a client? That’s huge. This assignment could make or break your whole career. How do you even start? This shoot is on an awfully quick turnaround for something so big.

Your mind is spinning, thinking of how you could make these spreads work. To begin your prep work, you go to your office, collecting your assistant, stylists, makeup artist, and lighting coordinators. Once everyone is clustered around your office, you fire up your computer and display pictures of each aviator. The Navy has selected six aviators for this spread; they’re all gorgeous. And per the sanitized dossiers you hand out to your team to read, each has risked their lives to serve their country. Of the five men on the dossiers, one keeps catching your attention. His name is Jake, Jake Seresin, and his eyes pierce into you even through the low-quality picture you’ve been given.

“Alright. So how do we do this? The Navy asked for shots of each aviator and their plane in flight suits and uniforms. We’ll have all four jets in the hangar with us tomorrow. Additionally, I want to explore who they are as people. So I think we’ll also do shots of them in formal wear. As a last step, we’ll tie into their sex appeal and do shots of the boys in their flight jackets and dog tags with no shirts. For Lieutenant Trace, I thought we could explore the duality she naturally poses as a highly decorated female Naval Aviator. How does that sound? Any ideas for how we can accomplish that? Start pulling pieces on racks in the bullpen. I want to do a final review of all of the options at 4 o’clock.”

Your stylists, Adam and Lea, are already huddled up and discussing pieces to pull for the formal wear shoot. You can see an unholy gleam in Lea’s eyes as she finds pieces for Lieutenant Trace to wear for the sex appeal shot on her tablet. You grin at their enthusiasm before turning to your lighting techs.

“Seb, Kris. I want you both to head out to the hangar today. I don’t know what the lighting is going to look like. Feel free to start setting up the lighting for the shoot tomorrow. But don’t lock anything down. We’re going to have to share our space with the planes.”

You turn to your assistant, Amy. 

“Ames, go with them. Get an idea of the space we have to deal with. Measurements would be useful. Start visualizing areas where we could lay out a backdrop to do a set of pics without the planes in the background. Scope out everything — the facilities, where we could set up changing booths, a refreshments table, etc. We’ll also probably need to coordinate deliveries from the usual food platters and drinks places. Get an assortment of things that would apply to any dietary restrictions you can think of.”

With that, you turn to the last member of your team, your makeup artist. 

“Hey, Katie. We will want to keep the makeup for this shoot subtle and touch up any blemishes and under-eye circles. That should be it for the boys, but we’ll want to do something eye-catching for the formal wear portion for Lieutenant Trace. So pack accordingly. Go ahead if you want, and head to the hangar with Ames so you can coordinate placement for the makeup station.”

You call your team to attention by ringing the small gong on your desk.

“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us today. Call me for anything you need. This shoot is important for the studio, and we will have many eyes on us. Here are the credentials for the hangar. Measurements for the aviators are included in the dossier packets. For the formal wear portion of the shoot, pick coordinating colors except for Lieutenant Trace. Good luck!”

The rest of your morning is spent coordinating with the Navy Liasion. During your lunch break, you head to the hangar and help your team as they work there. You pick up sandwiches and drinks for everyone and drop some off for Adam and Lea. You reach the hangar at 1:30 and use your credentials to let yourself in. Unsurprisingly, the hangar is a hive of activity. Amy’s marking down placement points near the bathrooms with a measuring tape, and Katie’s getting a vanity plugged in and organizing her equipment.

Meanwhile, Seb and Kris are testing the lighting. A large swath of the Hangar floor is as yet empty. A clear path has been left from the hangar doors to the open area. The open area is where four F/A-18A Super Hornets are going to sit. You call your team to grab their lunches and catch up with Amy on her progress. It’s your first time delegating so much of the admin work to Amy since she’s the newest on the team, and you’re ecstatic with her progress.

She’s gotten everything organized, including the food and beverage deliveries. When a pair of workmen back in a truck containing the backdrop and the changing rooms, you supervise as they build them and place them where you want them. They’ve just started assembling the backdrop when your phone rings. You step into the afternoon sunshine to take the call. It’s the Navy Liasion. He’s calling to inform you that the squadron will be landing shortly. Sure enough, you can just hear the engines as you hang up and bolt indoors. Amy’s just sending the workmen on their way as you help your team clear the open areas of the hangar and stand near the open hangar door. 

You can feel the thrum of the engines as Four F/A-18As fly in formation and finally land in all their glory. They’re beautiful machines. You can smell the stink of the jet fuel and feel the heat from the engines as they roll into the hangar. The next moments are full of frantic activity as the flight crews help ensure the jets are safely landed. Once all the furor has died down, you finally reach where the aviators have descended from their jets. They’re examining your team's work with eagle eyes that dart to your person as you step closer, your heels echoing as you make your way to the jets. 

They’re even more gorgeous than their pictures indicated, even sweaty with helmet hair as they are. As one, they line up in front of you and salute, introducing themselves with their rank, full name, and callsign. You can hear Amy and Katie’s giggles from behind you as you introduce yourself and your team. The entire time you lay out the plan for the following day, you can feel a set of eyes boring into the side of your face. All the aviators are staring right at you, but Lieutenant Seresin makes you feel like squirming. His green eyes stay on you as you show them the different areas in the hangar and explain the order of the day. Thankfully, they leave the hangar shortly after you tell them their call time for the next morning. 

A couple of hours later, everything is ready to go, thanks to Amy, Seb, Kris, and Katie. The corner near the bathroom has two changing rooms set up. Nearby are spaces for the racks of clothing and the makeup station. It will be perfect for the photoshoot you have in mind. The concrete floors are a little chilly, so you text Lea and ask her to add some of the rugs from storage to the truck. You send her a snap of the current layout so she and Adam know what they’re walking into the following morning. You know she and Adam will pick something that complements the gunmetal gray of the planes and the clothing they’re selecting. Before long, you and your team are packed into the back of two Ubers and heading back to the studio for the final part of your day, evaluating the clothing Adam and Lea have picked.

You’re satisfied as you head home that night. Your team has done an amazing job, and the only thing you have to do is pack your cameras and lenses. You carefully wipe and pack each lens and each camera, working as quickly as possible since you have to be at the hangar with an early 6 AM call time. Amy’s picking up the coffee and breakfast deliveries at 7, and the Squadron will show up at 8 AM sharp.

When your alarm goes off at half past four the next morning, you feel barely rested. Your hair is a bird’s nest atop your head, and your eye bags could put a raccoon to shame.  But you’ve got a busy day ahead of you, so you gulp a scalding cup of coffee and walk zombie-like into your shower. Forty-five minutes later, you’re dressed in a smart blouse and pencil skirt with heels on your feet and bleary but ready to face the day. You’ve thrown your hair into a French braid snaking down your back and left your makeup and jewelry simple to avoid causing unforeseen sparkles and shadows when Kris and Seb turn the lights on.

Your team has just reached the hangar when you step in. All the lights are on in the early morning haze, and you’re immediately swept up in the preparations. It’s like you’re needed everywhere. You only get fifteen minutes to lay out your camera equipment and hook up the cameras to your laptop before you’re pulled into last-minute adjustment after last-minute adjustment. It feels like barely any time has passed when the aviators swagger through the open hangar door. They’re dressed in khaki uniforms, each holding a hanger with a leather flight jacket.

Adam and Lea direct them to leave their garment bags on an open rack, and you’re off to the races. You start with individual shots of each aviator with their plane and then against the backdrop. You’ve cued up a playlist of Top-40 hits, and you can’t help humming along as you snap away. As expected, it takes a bit for the aviators to warm up to being photographed. Two, Lieutenants Bradshaw and Seresin, take to posing for the camera like a fish out of water. Lieutenant Fitch follows shortly after them. Then all you needed to get Fanboy to cut loose was get him talking about his favorite tv show. You don’t mind the onslaught of Star Trek facts and figures because Lieutenant Mickey Garcia is adorable once you get him smiling and dancing to the songs playing. 

That leaves you with Lieutenants Trace and Floyd. Lieutenant Floyd goes next, and the first thing he does when he sees you holding the camera is blush. The bashful look on his face makes a soft squeal slip out of Amy’s mouth, and you side-eye your assistant with your fiercest glare to get her to chill out. Thankfully, Lea drags her away to help with some of the clothing. There’s no need to make the sweetheart even more uncomfortable. Much like Lieutenant Garcia, you try to get him talking. And it works, at least until Lieutenant Seresin opens his mouth and says,

“C’mon, Baby On Board. A pretty girl’s taking your picture, and you can’t even smile? This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, at least for you. You should enjoy it while it lasts.”

You can feel your blood pressure rising at how rude he is and are about to open your mouth to tell him to get out of your field of vision when Lieutenant Floyd does it himself.

“Why, Bagman? Are you afraid that if I start posing for real, all the girls will dump you as fast as possible for me instead?”

You have to stifle your giggles as Lieutenant Seresin blinks wide-eyed at Lieutenant Floyd before walking away. 

“That’s a great idea, Bob!” Lieutenant Trace is never one to leave an opportunity to cheer on her WSO.

That’s what breaks the ice between you and Lieutenant Floyd. You feel his solo plane shots have turned out better than the others. The final aviator in uniform to photograph is Lieutenant Trace. But no matter what you do, you can’t get her to loosen up. 

“Alright, everyone. Let’s take fifteen. Adam and Lea, can you get the Lieutenants in their formal wear while I finish up with Lieutenant Trace?” 

That clears the gentlemen away and leaves you and Lieutenant Trace by the planes. That’s when you finally see a fraction of the tension she holds in her shoulders drain away. She’s still standing stiffly but no longer in full parade rest. You turn the music up, put on ABBA, and pray that the music finally gets her to unwind. It takes a bit, and Lieutenant Bradshaw, now wearing a navy blue tuxedo, wiggling his hips to the beat but unwind she does. He gives you a wink before shimmying away. You can see the rest of your team laughing as the aviators pull out their silliest dance moves. 

After finishing up Lieutenant Trace’s final uniform pictures, you leave her in Lea and Katie’s capable hands and start taking the solo shots of the men. They’re all dressed in navy blue tuxedos with white shirts and shiny black dress shoes. There isn’t a tie in sight, and the jackets are perfectly tailored to their figures. You can’t help the impressed looks you give them and mentally note to compliment Lea and Adam later. Everything is going well until you start to see slack-jawed looks where the lieutenants had been smoldering into the camera. You turn and grin satisfactorily as Lieutenant Trace steps forward. Lea had selected a gorgeous crimson and burgundy gown, and Katie had chosen to leave her hair in loose curls. You’re not surprised at the boys’ awe. She looks breathtaking and like her callsign in all its fiery glory. The contrasting color combinations as she joins the boys look fantastic in the pictures. 

The final set of pictures happens after a lunch break. The gentlemen are only too eager to slip off their shirts, though you can hear Bob pleading with Lea to spare him. You wish him luck, as you know from experience that Lea’s not one to give in easily. The only other aviator who looks discomfited is Lieutenant Trace. You pull her aside.

"Lt. Trace. How would you feel about doing a shot wearing just one of the men's jackets, some heels, and jewelry? You don’t have to wear one that one of the guys has worn today. Lea and Adam brought plenty of spares."

"Please, call me Natasha. And no. I'm not doing that."

"Natasha, I have a feeling I know why, but would you tell me?" Her shoulders surround her ears as you try to reason with her.

"I'm not going to wear that just to act as the sole piece of eye candy in this group. I got here by working just as hard, if not harder, than all of them. I won't negate all my hard work with a pin-up pose on Navy propaganda."

"Thank you for telling me that. I'm not going to pressure you into doing this. But, I would like to bring one item to your consideration. You think taking a picture like this will negate your hard work. Doesn't that negate your inherent sense of femininity? You're a fighter pilot. Yes. One of the best of the best. But you're also a woman. And to me, that's one of your biggest strengths. Girls walking into Navy recruitment offices deserve to know they can be kick-ass officers and beautiful too.”

You take a breath, cataloging the emotions flitting across her face.

“I'm not asking you to do this shot because you're beautiful. As we both know, you are. I'm asking you to do this shot to show the world that you can be one of the best and still be feminine. Be strong and delicate. Sweet and savage. I want you to show the world that serving your country doesn't mean you have to only act like men. Women can serve and do everything that a man can without compromising anything. Be it their looks, their career, or their femininity."

Your words have resonated with her. You can see the figurative light bulb go off in her head as she resolutely nods, gathers up the skirts of her gown, and walks right towards Lea like a woman possessed. You grin and proceed with taking shots of the others. But this time, it’s Lieutenant Seresin that you’re having problems with. He’s stiff like his charm has melted away. You switch to the others and finish their shots easily. Even Natasha stuns in just the oversized blazer. You take a break and review the pictures on your laptop. They’re all perfect. You’ll need a day or so to clean up any small defects, but other than that, they’re exactly what you were looking for. The Navy will be pleased with the results, you hope.

You just need this one set of pictures from Lieutenant Jake Seresin, callsign Hangman, and you can finally go home and take off your heels and bra. Your irritation grows as you attempt to take the pictures you need five times. Your groan of exhaustion and irritation is far longer and louder than it should be. That’s when you start dismissing your team and the Daggers.

“Head on out, all of you. We have to clean up the hangar by the day after tomorrow when the Daggers leave. I will finish up these photos with Lieutenant Seresin, and we should be following you shortly.”

The Daggers all scramble to change, and it's less than half an hour later when you say farewell as the Daggers and your team file out the Hangar door and close it behind them. That’s when you’re left alone with the one man who’s been driving you crazy all day. You try, futilely, to get him to pose how you want, but no matter what you say and how you move him, the pictures don't turn out like you want them to. 

Partway through the latter half of the photo shoot, you'd switched to having all of the Daggers standing against the backdrop. You're regretting that decision now. 

You're done, and the blonde idiot is just standing there and smirking at you. In the studio light, you can see every ridge of his abs and the downy hair dotting his torso. You kick your heels off and let your hair out of its braid. After so long in the tight braid, it feels great to let your scalp relax.

You stalk up to Lieutenant Seresin and grab hold of his arm.

"Right. Let's make this easy on both of us. I will position you how I want you, and you won't move. Okay?"

"Darlin', just tell me to jump, and I'll ask you how high."

And now he's trying to flirt with you. Great. You roll your eyes and position his head and arms as you want him. This close, you can smell his cologne, the cedar and plum scent wafting from his skin. It's an expensive scent that is ever so inconsistent with his personality. Thankfully he doesn't fight you as you position him. 

You could cry. You're so relieved. You are finally getting the needed pictures, and Lieutenant Seresin is cooperating. His eyes still track you as you stalk barefoot back and forth from the laptop to the lights, all with your camera in tow as you make small adjustments. But you don't feel their weight as self-consciously anymore. 

In the final pose, you press on his stomach to get him to straighten his back, and your entire world seems to freeze. His abs are taut, the light dusting of hair soft against your fingers as you glance up at his face. His lips are bitten red as his eyes peer into you. It's electric being this close to him. Something is yearning in his eyes when you step away and take the final pictures. 

Your face is hot as you walk back to the table with your laptop and examine the pictures. You're exhausted, but you've finally done it. Of all the pictures, Lieutenant Seresin's looks the best. His photos exhibit strength, passion, and raw sexuality, exposing a stripe of his taut torso and dog tags. 

"Damn, darlin'. I knew you were a good photographer when I looked up your work before we flew to New York for this, but I had no idea how good you were. These pictures. They're something else."

You startle at his voice, emanating from near your ear, and jolt out of your seat. You nearly fall, but he catches you, steadying you with an arm wrapped around your waist. You gulp as you’re pressed against his chest. He's so close that you can count the flecks of gold swimming in his green eyes. You can't keep your gaze from trailing over his face, from his eyes down to his lips, and back up again. 

"Sweetheart, tell me if I'm reading you wrong, but it looks like you want to kiss me. And I know I want to kiss you. I have since I saw you for the first time yesterday."

You can't keep yourself from nodding at his words. But he's watching you like a hawk and catches your movements. So it's hardly a surprise when he trails his other hand up your side and pinches your chin before slanting his mouth over yours. 

He kisses as he flies, you think. Precise and pointed, each brush of his tongue against your calculated to make your cunt clench and throb with need. You're wet, embarrassingly so. He doesn't pull away until your lips are swollen from the rough kiss. 

Your chest heaves as he traces his finger across your lips. He's got a smug smirk on his face. You pull away from him, carefully selecting your video camera from all your camera equipment, and return to his plane. You turn on the lights, dimming them until there is just enough light to throw the area in the jet's shadow in relief in your camera, hit record, and beckon him to come to you.

"Lieutenant, it's been a bit since I've had some fun. What would you say if I suggest we make a movie?"

His grin is salacious as he lets the leather jacket fall to the ground and tugs you back into his arms.

"Baby, it'd be my pleasure."

Your answering laugh transforms into a moan as he kisses roughly down your throat, paying special attention to your pulse point. His talented hands trail up and down your waist, nimble hands rucking your blouse up from your skirt until he can finally touch your bare skin. Your moans as he traces patterns across your ribs are muffled in his kiss.

"Jake."

Your voice is breathy and high as you try to get his mouth back on yours. But when you look at his face, something is commanding in his gaze.

"Take your shirt off, baby. Let me see what you're wearing."

You tug your shirt off, thankful there aren't any buttons or ties to impede your progress. Jake’s groan at the sight of the lace covering your breasts sends goose bumps over your skin.

His voice is reverent as he walks around you.

"God, baby. You killed me this morning. Wearing that pretty little skirt and those high heels. I wanted to bend you over and fuck you until you were leaking my cum."

He stops before you, pressing his thumb between your parted lips. He dips it in until it's wet with your pooling saliva and drags it down your throat. His finger drags over the soft flesh of your breasts, leaving a cool, damp trail as he pays special attention to the peaks of your nipples. 

He continues walking, stopping at your back and dragging you in until your back is flush against his chest. He positions you with both hands until you're centered with the camera. He keeps up a filthy litany of praise as he carefully uses his thumbs to drag your bra cups down, sending your tits spilling free. His hands immediately find their way to fondle and caress them, calloused fingers kneading and squeezing until your hips are canting unconsciously, searching for additional stimulation. 

His smile is filthy when he finally pulls you away, intertwining your fingers with his and leading you to his plane.

"Put your hands on my plane, baby. And whatever you do, don't take them off."

You can't resist your soft moan as you do exactly what he says after unfastening your bra. You can't see his face, but you can feel his lips in the hollow behind your ear as he grinds his stiff cock against your ass. 

"Stay there, baby. Gonna take these trousers off so you don't get in trouble if we make a mess."

Your nipples are pebbled in the cool air as you wait for Jake to return to you. You can hear the clink of the belt buckle and the rustle of fabric as he drags the garment off before padding back to you. His hands trail teasingly over your sensitive skin as he brackets your waist. His thumbs rub soothingly at your waist as he peppers kisses across your bare shoulders. Jake then carefully drags the zip at the back of your skirt down and eases it off your hips.

It pools to the ground at your feet, and you shudder at the feeling of his hand on your ass as he collects it and sets it on a chair in your line of sight. He's gorgeous. You can see every line of his muscles and the bulge of his erect cock in his boxers. The only thing you're wearing now is your thong. He slides the flimsy lace off, and that's when you feel his breath across your hole.

"Oh, baby. You're so wet. Wet for your Lieutenant, huh?"

He blows a stream of air over you, and you can feel your hole clench at the sensations. 

"What do you want me to do to you, baby? How do you want to cum? On my tongue? On my fingers? On my cock? You gotta tell me, sweetheart."

Your voice is breathy as you babble, "All of them, Jake! I want your tongue, your fingers, and your cock. It's been so long since I came. Please!"

He kisses your shoulder before kneeling and burying his tongue between your thighs. Each brush has you practically sobbing with pleasure. It's been so long since you came that it's only a few minutes before his tongue brings you to the brink of your orgasm. You're already chanting his name, your moans echoing through the hangar.

"Cum," he growls, his mouth still sealed to your cunt, and you're only too happy to comply, your hands scrabbling for something to squeeze on as you ride out the waves of your orgasm on his tongue.

He pulls away after a few minutes and turns you around. His mouth is on you instantly, nipping at your breasts before he kisses you hard. You can feel how hard he is against your thigh as you sink to your knees and free him from the constricting fabric.

It's only fair that you return the favor. So you start with kitten licks flicking across the head of his cock. Each tender pass of your tongue has him moaning. It's not long before his hands find their way into your hair, holding the loose strands in a ponytail at the back of your head. You use the extra leverage to begin deep-throating him in earnest. You use as much suction and saliva as possible, moaning wantonly as he fucks your mouth. His pants and grunts send heat pooling into your cunt as he approaches his orgasm. But before you can convince him to come on your tongue, he jerks himself off over your tits, spurting his release over your skin in hot thick ribbons.

There is a feral look in his eyes at the sight of you like that on your knees, and Jake lopes over to your cameras, carefully grabbing one. He drapes his dog tags around your neck and carefully snaps pictures of the pearl necklace he'd given you. He lays the camera onto the chair before coming back to you.

"Do you still want me to fuck you?"

"Yes." Your consent is less words and more a cock-drunk mewl, but Jake interprets it correctly.

"Can you get on all fours for me?"

You're only too eager to comply, positioning yourself under his eager hands as he takes his spot against your ass.

"I don't have any condoms, baby. How do you want to do this?"

"I'm on the pill, Jake. Please, fuck me. Fuck me raw."

He groans before pressing himself inside you. The slow drag of his big cock as it presses into you has your pulse racing. Jake keeps the pace purposefully slow, using his hands at your hips to hold you still as he deliberately fucks into you. It's so good that each press has you screaming, and you've long since reached the cliff of your orgasm. But what Jake's giving you just isn't enough. That's when you start wiggling your hips to meet his thrusts.

The first heavy smack of his palm against your ass has you freezing completely, caught in the pain-pleasure-pain sensation his hand is wringing out of you. The second has you moaning, your pussy fluttering around his length. His groan is near musical as he continues to smack your ass. Each smack brings you closer to your orgasm, and you're practically begging for it now. You wail when he begins to fuck you again in earnest. His balls smack against the hot skin of your ass as you finally let yourself cum. 

Your orgasm is so strong and intense that you black out. When you come to, you're cradled against Jake's chest, his hand tracing lazily over your back. You're both still under his jet. You prop yourself up on his chest with shaking arms and groan at the sensation of cum dripping out of you. It’s several long moments before you rise carefully on wobbly legs. But the sight you see when standing has your cunt clenching in need again. Jake’s torso is now covered in droplets of the mixture of both of your cum. You grab your camera and take a picture of that too.

Jake grins as he collects the bundle of your clothes and follows behind you to the bathroom. You can’t help the gasp leaving your lips as you see yourself in the mirror. He’s marked up your decolletage, and now is when you can feel the painful sting in your ass. 

“God, baby. Let me take a picture of your ass? It looks beautiful. You can see my whole hand on it.”

You groan as he presses a kiss against the sore cheek before positioning you and taking the pic. All you can see is the globe of your ass, the handprint, and the cascade of your hair down your back.

“Are you sure you didn’t pick the wrong calling, Jake?  You could’ve been a fantastic photographer if you’d chosen to.”

“Oh, I’m sure, darlin’. I love flying too much to regret my decision. And flying brought me to you.”

You grin before beginning to clean yourself up. Jake can’t resist kissing you, and you can’t resist kissing him back, either. Before long, you’re all clean and dressed in your underwear, blouse, and skirt again. Jake even has your shoes and chivalrously kneels to slide them onto your feet. He’s back in his trousers, this time sans the leather jacket. You can’t resist trailing your fingers across his skin and wrapping your arms around his neck as you kiss him. But you have to break away from him. You only add to his current look by slinging his dog tags around his neck.

Back in the hangar, you’re packing up your cameras after ensuring your home movie is saved when the door to the hangar opens. It’s a security guard, and you’re glad he didn’t pop in earlier.

“Hello, miss. I just wanted to check in and make sure everything is alright.”

“Yes, everything is fine, officer. I just finished a photo shoot with my last client, and we’ll leave shortly.”

"Alright, miss. We have to restrict access to the hangar at 11 pm. It's about 9:30 now, so finish up and head on your way."

You can hear Jake opening the curtain to the changing room behind you and can see the Officer's position stiffen as he catches sight of the medals on his breast.

"Sir, apologies, I wasn't aware that the client she mentioned was military."

He's falling over himself, and you can see the smug smirk on Jake's face as he grins and walks the officer out. You can't help grinning as you finish packing your lenses and begin unplugging your laptop after saving all the footage you’d captured today. You know Jake is back when you feel an arm wrap around your waist. You lean easily back into his expensive-smelling embrace and can't resist sagging against him for a few moments.

"It's been a long day, huh, darlin'?" He presses a kiss against your jaw. "Let's get you packed up and home."

You smile at the new, softer side of him and kiss his jaw.

"I'm all packed up. Walk me to my car?"

"'Course, sugar. Give me your camera bag. D'you need to check on anything else before we head out?"

You pad over to all the electrical outlets, hitting the switches on power strips to ensure nothing is still on. The final place you check via phone flashlight is the area under Jake's jet. You're wearing all of your clothing. You just want to make sure you haven't made a mess with your extracurricular activities.

"I cleaned it all up already, baby. It was when you were knocked out after your orgasm." 

You startle, having grown used to his presence over the past few hours.

"Then let's head out?" 

You relinquish your camera bag to him, keeping your oversized tote on your shoulder as the two of you stride out of the hangar. You lead him to the small parking lot to the side and pop the trunk for your car, thankful you'd decided to drive to the airfield. 

"Let me give you a ride to your hotel. It's the least I can do after keeping you so late."

"Darlin', I should be thanking you. I haven't cum like that in a long time."

You've seen the man completely naked and writhed in pleasure at his touch. You shouldn't be so flustered in his presence. But you can't explain the catch in your breath as he opens the driver's side door for you before loping around to the passenger side and settling in. Everything between you and Jake doesn't feel like the aftermath of a hot frantic sexual encounter. It feels like a date.  You feel light and easy as you cruise back into the city. The silence between the two of you is comfortable. It’s not long before you drop him off in front of his hotel. He presses a kiss against your lips before swaggering in. And you head home to your small New York apartment, feeling the ghost of his presence as you go.

The next morning, you’re glad you chose to work from home because the first pictures you edit are the ones you’d taken of Jake and the ones he’d taken of you as well as your home movie. You can’t resist fingering yourself as your moans and his grunts spill out of your computer speakers. You don't have to do much editing there, but you carefully load the incriminating footage onto two flash drives — one for you and one for him. The photos for the Navy, too, are edited in no time flat. 

It's in the afternoon when you head into the studio. When you get in, you're surprised to see all the Daggers, your boss, your team, and two Admirals waiting for you. Your boss runs the show, introducing and greeting them before the floor is ceded to you. You show the assembled guests the pictures you'd taken for the Navy. 

The pictures are well received, especially the photos of Lieutenant Trace. You wink cheekily at her as Admirals Simpson and Mitchell praise the juxtaposition of those shots. As you show the last picture, you can finally breathe. Your boss is proud, especially as the Admirals turn to her and approve the pictures. But you have one final set of pictures to deliver.

"Lieutenant Seresin, apologies. I found this in my bag this morning. It was lying in the changing room when I looked through it to ensure everyone had taken their things. It must've fallen out of the pocket of your flight jacket."

His smirk is salacious as he accepts the flash drive from your hand, apologizing for leaving it there. You hand him a note, too, and leave the room. You would pay to see the look on his face when he sees what you’ve written on it.

Jake -  Thanks for last night. Call me the next time you're in New York. I'd love to do it again. It certainly was a photo finish. XXX - XXX - XXXX

I DO NOT CONSENT TO HAVE MY WORK POSTED, TRANSLATED, OR PUBLISHED ON ANY SITES OTHER THAN HERE OR ON AO3 BY ME. IF YOU SEE MY WORKS ANYWHERE OTHER THAN HERE OR AO3, THEN THEY HAVE BEEN POSTED WITHOUT MY PERMISSION AND I WILL BE WORKING TO TAKE THEM DOWN.

Taglist:

@desert-fern 🎥 @dakotakazansky 🎥 @bobby-r2d2-floyd 🎥 @roosters-girl 🎥 @sarahsmi13s 🎥 @bradleybeachbabe 🎥 @lovinglyeternal 🎥 @roosterforme 🎥 @horseshoegirl 🎥

[notebookmusical]

books read in 2024!

books read so far: 99/100

— gr: http://goodreads.com/cossettereads — sg: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/cossettereads

as always, askbox + dms are open if have any questions or would like to chat about books! 🤍

⊹ indicates any (new) favorites of the month! previous months are under the cut!

november ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ

1) shoot your shot by lexi lafleur brown (arc)

january ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚

1) beach read by emily henry (reread) 2) on palestine by noam chomsky & ilan pappé 3) valley verified by kyla zhao (gifted) 4) the wind at my back: resilience, grace, and other gifts from my mentor, raven wilkinson by misty copeland & susan fales-hill (gifted) 5) check please: year one by ngozi ukazu (reread) 6) check please: year two by ngozi ukazu (reread) 7) check please: year three by ngozi ukazu (reread) 8) check please: year four by ngozi ukazu (reread) 9) raiders of the lost heart by jo segura (gifted) 10) the frame-up by gwenda bond (arc) 11) everything i never told you by celeste ng ⊹ 12) forgive me not by jennifer baker (gifted) 13) ever after always by chloe liese (gifted) 14) the summer of bitter and sweet by jen ferguson (gifted) 15) the lily of ludgate hill by mimi matthews (gifted) 16) last call at the local by sarah grunder ruiz (gifted) ⊹ 17) the sun and the void by gabriela romero-lacruz (gifted) 18) a line in the dark by malinda lo (gifted) 19) biting the hand: growing up asian in black and white america by julia lee (gifted) 20) play it as it lays by joan didion

february ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚

1) mister hockey by lia riley * 2) collide by bal khabra (arc) * 3) a curious beginning by deanna raybourn (gifted) 4) breaking the ice by k.r. collins * 5) if only you by chloe liese (gifted) * 6) anxious people by frederik backman ⊹ 7) the catch by amy lea (gifted) 8) weekends with you by alexandra paige (arc) 9) happily never after by lynn painter (arc) 10) klara and the sun by kazuo ishiguro 11) good material by dolly alderton 12) in the event this doesn't fall apart by shannon lee barry 13) the night ends with fire (arc) by k.x. song 14) the good, the bad, and the aunties (arc) by jesse q. sutanto 15) where sleeping girls lie (arc) by faridah àbíké-íyímídé 16) sophomore surge by k.r. collins * 17) lighting the lamp by k.r. collins * 18) glove save and a beauty by k.r. collins * 19) home ice advantage by k.r. collins * 20) power play by k.r. collins * 21) grounded by k.r. collins * 22) line chemistry by k.r. collins *

march ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚

1) happy medium by sarah adler (arc) 2) a darker shade of magic by v.e. schwab (audiobook) 3) expiration dates by rebecca serle (arc) 4) divine rivals by rebecca ross (book club) 5) the siren by katherine st. john (gifted) 6) light in gaza edited by jehad abusalim 7) how to end a love story by yulin kuang (arc) // reviewed here 8) rising from the deep: the seattle kraken, a tenacious push for expansion, and the emerald city's sports revival by geoff baker 9) les misérables by victor hugo (reread)

april ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚

1) the goodbye cat by hiro arikawa (reread) 2) the traveling cat chronicles by hiro arikawa (reread) 3) this is me trying by racquel marie (arc) 4) kill her twice by stacey lee (arc) 5) the pairing by casey mcquiston (arc) 6) swiped by l.m. chilton (arc) 7) lies and weddings by kevin kwan (arc) 8) the odyssey by homer (audiobook)

may ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚

1) this summer will be different by carley fortune (arc) 2) the viscount who loved me by julia quinn (reread) 3) romancing mister bridgerton by julia quinn (reread) 4) the iliad by homer (narrated by audra mcdonald) (audiobook) 5) a novel love story by ashley poston (arc) 6) when he was wicked by julia quinn (reread) 7) a banh mi for two by trinity nguyen (arc) 8) the secret garden by frances hodgson burnett (audiobook)

june ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ

1) lessons in chemistry by bonnie garmus 2) the phantom of the opera by gaston leroux (audiobook) 3) you, with a view by jessica joyce 4) s. by j.j. abrams & doug dorst 5) the hunchback of the notre dame (audiobook) A

july ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ

1) firekeeper's daughter by angeline boulley (audiobook) ⊹ 2) born to run by bruce springsteen (audiobook) 3) it had to be you by eliza jane brazier 4) the great gatsby by f. scott fitzgerald (reread; annotated) 5) death on the nile by agatha christie (audiobook) 6) blue sisters by coco mellors (arc) ⊹ 7) juniper and thorn by ava reid (audiobook) 8) the villain edit by laurie devore ⊹

august ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ

1) a study in drowning by ava reid (audiobook) 2) just for the summer by abby jimenez 3) the match by sarah adams (audiobook)

september ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ

1) the glitch by leeanne slade (audiobook) 2) howl’s moving castle by diana wynne jones (traveling book club; annotated) 3) how to kill your family by bella mackie (audiobook) 4) everyone i kissed since you got famous by mae marvel (audiobook) 5) blue sisters by coco mellors (reread, annotation) 6) mott street: a chinese american family's story of exclusion and homecoming by ava chin ⊹ 7) confronting the racist legacy of the american child welfare system: the case for abolition by alan j. dettlaff 8) jane eyre by charlotte brontë

october ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ

1) anne of green gables by l.m. montgomery 2) intermezzo by sally rooney 3) razzle dazzle: the battle for broadway by michael riedel 4) designing broadway: how derek mclane and other acclaimed set designers create the visual world of theatre by derek mclane and eila mell 5) summer in the city by alex aster (arc) 6) rebecca by daphne du maurier (audiobook) ⊹

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌸 Books for AAPI Month

❤️ Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with this list featuring some of the FEW empowering, vibrant stories written by AAPI authors or starring AAPI protagonists.

🌸 What books did you read for AAPI month?

✨ 2024 Releases ❤️ Night for Day - Roselle Lim 🌸 The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years - Shubnum Khan 🏮The Great Reclamation - Rachel Heng ❤️ Lies and Weddings - Kevin Kwan 🌸 Valley Verified - Kyla Zhao 🏮 The Catch - Amy Lea ❤️ Your Utopia - Bora Chung 🌸 Tehrangeles - Porochista Khakpour 🏮 Horse Barbie - Geena Rocero ❤️ Memory Piece - Lisa Ko 🌸 The Fetishist - Katherine Min 🏮 Real Americans - Rachel Khong ❤️ The Kamogawa Food Detectives - Hisashi Kashiwai 🌸 Manila Takes Manhattan - Carla de Guzman 🏮 The Last Phi Hunter - Salinee Goldenberg and Ilya Nazarov ❤️ May the Best Player Win - Kyla Zhao 🌸 Are You Nobody Too? - Tina Cane 🏮 The Design of Us - Sajni Patel ❤️ Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop - Hwang Bo-Reum 🌸 Heir - Sabaa Tahir 🏮 Maya's Laws of Love - Alina Khawaj ❤️ Midnights with You - Clare Osongco 🌸 Vilest Things - Chloe Gong 🏮 This Place is Magic - Irene Te ❤️ Guilt and Ginataan - Mia P. Manansal 🌸 Icon and Inferno - Marie Lu 🏮 Calling of Light - Lori M. Lee ❤️ Bite Me, Royce Taslim - Lauren Ho 🌸 Rules for Rule Breaking - Talia Tucker 🏮 What's Eating Jackie Oh? - Patricia Park ❤️ How to End a Love Story - Yulin Kuang 🌸 Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White - Amélie Wen Zhao 🏮 This Is How You Fall in Love - Anika Hussain ❤️ Just Playing House - Farah Heron 🌸 The Boyfriend Wish - Swati Teerdhala 🏮 A Tempest of Tea - Hafsah Faizal

✨ Romance ❤️ Dating Dr. Dil - Nisha Sharma 🌸 King of Wrath - Ana Huang 🏮 The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang ❤️ Girl Gone Viral - Alisha Rai 🌸 Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors - Sonali Dev 🏮 Role Playing - Cathy Yardley ❤️ The Hurricane Wars - Thea Guanzon 🌸 Ayesha at Last - Uzma Jalaluddin

✨ Fantasy ❤️ She Who Became the Sun - Shelley Parker-Chan 🌸 Babel - R.F. Kuang 🏮 Daughter of the Moon Goddess - Sue Lynn Tan ❤️ The Deep Sky - Yume Kitasei 🌸 The Jasmine Throne - Tasha Suri 🏮 Kaikeyi - Vaishnavi Patel ❤️ Light from Uncommon Stars - Ryka Aoki 🌸 Klara and the Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro

✨ Mystery ❤️ Arsenic and Adobo - Mia P. Manansala 🌸 Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers - Jesse Q. Sutanto 🏮 The Cartographers - Peng Shepherd ❤️ Miracle Creek - Angie Kim 🌸 A Disappearance in Fiji - Nilima Rao 🏮 The Leftover Woman - Jean Kwok ❤️ The Widows of Malabar Hill - Sujata Massey 🌸 Things We Do in the Dark - Jennifer Hillier

✨ Young Adult ❤️ The Wrath and the Dawn - Renée Ahdieh 🌸 All My Rage - Sabaa Tahir 🏮 Forget Me Not - Alyson Derrick ❤️ Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating - Adiba Jaigirdar 🌸 These Violent Delights - Chloe Gong 🏮 This Book Won't Burn - Samira Ahmed ❤️ American Betiya - Anuradha D. Rajurkar 🌸 Dragonfruit - Makiia Lucier

[novels-and-naughty-things]

2024 READING LIST

JANUARY - JUNE

1 - Such Sharp Teeth - Rachel Harrison⭐⭐ 2 - The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang⭐⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3 - The Bride Test - Helen Hoang⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4 - My Roommate Is A Vampire - Jenna Levine⭐⭐🌶️🌶️ 5 - Good Girl Complex - Elle Kennedy⭐⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 6 - Bad Girl Reputation - Elle Kennedy⭐⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 7 - The Summer Girl - Elle Kennedy⭐⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 8 - Wreck the Halls - Tessa Bailey⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 9 - Set On You - Amy Lea⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️ 10 - Exes & O's - Amy Lea⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️

11 - Four Weddings And A Puppy - Lizzie Shane⭐⭐ 12 - The Boyfriend Candidate - Ashley Winstead⭐⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️ 13 - The Pumpkin Spice Cafe - Laurie Gilmore⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 14 - Business or Pleasure - Rachel Lynn Solomon⭐⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 15 - Faking Christmas - Kerry Winfrey⭐ 16 - Last Call At the Local - Sarah Grunder Ruiz⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️ 17 - Change of Plans - Dylan Newton⭐🌶️🌶️ 18 - Romantic Comedy - Curtis Sittenfeld⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️ 19 - The Bodyguard - Katherine Center⭐⭐⭐⭐ 20 - The Neighbor Favor - Kristina Forest⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️ 21 - To Woo and to Wed - Martha Waters⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️ 22 - Not Bad For A Girl - Anastasia Ryan⭐ 23 - The Heart Principle - Helen Hoang⭐⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 24 - Ship Wrecked - Olivia Dade⭐⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

25 - Starling House - Alix E. Harrow⭐⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️ 26 - Divine Rivals - Rebecca Ross⭐⭐⭐⭐🌶️ 27 - A Good Girl's Guide to Murder - Holly Jackson⭐⭐⭐ 28 - Powerless - Lauren Roberts⭐⭐⭐🌶️ 29 - Good Girl, Bad Blood - Holly Jackson⭐⭐⭐ 30 - As Good As Dead - Holly Jackson⭐⭐⭐⭐ 31 - A Grave Robbery - Deanna Raybourn⭐⭐⭐ 32 - Assistant to the Villain - Hannah Nicole Maehrer⭐⭐⭐⭐ 33 - My Best Friend's Exorcism - Grady Hendrix⭐⭐⭐ 34 - Icebreaker - Hannah Grace⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 35 - Fangirl Down - Tessa Bailey ⭐⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 36 - The Luminaries - Susan Dennard ⭐⭐ 37 - The Hunting Moon - Susan Dennard⭐⭐

38 - The Catch - Amy Lea⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️ 39 - The Love Remedy - Elizabeth Everett⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️ 40 - Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yarros⭐⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 41 - Happily Never After - Lynn Painter⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️ 42 - Iron Flame - Rebecca Yarros⭐⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 43 - Serpent & Dove - Shelby Mahurin⭐⭐🌶️🌶️ 44 - Blood & Honey - Shelby Mahurin⭐⭐🌶️🌶️ 45 - Gods & Monsters - Shelby Mahurin⭐⭐🌶️🌶️ 46 - Butcher & Blackbird - Brynne Weaver⭐⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 47 - Wildfire - Hannah Grace⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️ 48 - Bride - Ali Hazelwood⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️ 49 - Kill Joy - Holly Jackson⭐⭐⭐

50 - Do Your Worst - Rosie Danan⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️ 51 - A River Enchanted - Rebecca Ross⭐⭐⭐🌶️ 52 - Hello Stranger - Katherine Center ⭐⭐⭐ 53 - Betting On You - Lynn Painter⭐⭐⭐ 54 - These Hollow Vows - Lexi Ryan ⭐⭐⭐🌶️ 55 - These Twisted Bonds - Lexi Ryan⭐🌶️🌶️ 56 - Ruthless Vows - Rebecca Ross⭐⭐⭐⭐🌶️ 57 - The Ex Talk - Rachel Lynn Solomon ⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️ 58 - Weather Girl - Rachel Lynn Solomon⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️ 59 - All the Feels - Olivia Dade⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 60 - Once Upon a Broken Heart - Stephanie Garber⭐⭐ 61 - The Ballad of Never After - Stephanie Garber⭐⭐⭐🌶️ 62 - A Curse For True Love - Stephanie Garber⭐⭐

63 - On The Plus Side - Jenny L. Howe⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️ 64 - One Last Shot - Betty Cayouette⭐⭐⭐🌶️ 65 - The Body in the Garden - Katharine Schellman⭐⭐⭐ 66 - Silence in the Library - Katharine Schellman⭐⭐⭐ 67 - Death at the Manor - Katharine Schellman⭐⭐⭐ 68 - Murder at Midnight - Katharine Schellman⭐⭐⭐ 69 - Hotel Magnifique - Emily J. Taylor⭐⭐ 70 - The Rule Book - Sarah Adams⭐⭐⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️ 71 - Better Than the Movies - Lynn Painter ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 72 - Caraval - Stephanie Garber⭐⭐ 73 - Legendary - Stephanie Garber⭐⭐ 74 - Finale - Stephanie Garber⭐⭐

[wordsthatmattered]

4.7.2024

I went into this thinking "influencer meets small town fisherman? It'll be just like It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey." But it's actually pretty different!

Obviously, the vibes of the fishing town are similar and immaculate, but the relationship is refreshingly..real? Not as dramatic as some romance books? I can't put my finger on it, but love them.

I love the honesty, the lack ofa miscommunication trope, and the cute side characters that bring it al together.

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (3-9 Dec 2023)

just fucking spatchcocked him

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😊 The Late Mrs. Willoughby (Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney #2) (Claudia Gray, author; Billie Fulford-Brown, narrator) - another perfectly serviceable, decently entertaining historical cozy mystery feat. Austen characters and their progeny. Plot's pretty basic but it's still cute to see Jonathan Darcy (autistic king) and Juliette Tilney (mom's adventure sense, dad's common sense) solving murders again. The 'obstacles' to their romance are typical for a series like this but still annoying [tbh in more deft hands they might be more angsty and less annoying but it is what it is]

😍 The Charming Man (Zenaidamacrouras1, author; Late_to_party_81, artist) - 65K, shrinkyclinks no powers AU - just a delightful fic with adorable art (TEXTILE ART!) - I'll let the author's summary speak for itself: "Tldr: Steve has an eventful three weeks. Longer version: Steve Rogers is quite happy with his pleasantly simple life working as a graphic designer, chatting with his best friend Sam who has the desk next to his, eating the same gluten free sandwich for lunch every day, and staring out his office window hoping to catch a glimpse of The Charming Man walking by. Unfortunately, life has a tendency to get complicated without our permission, particularly when Steve begins to suspect that a certain evil corporation is doing criminal things that decidedly grate on his nerves." Great banter/hilarious lines - even the secondary characters get great lines plus some fine quality angst.

😍 Proper English (England World #1) (KJ Charles, author; Bella Lowe, narrator) - reread, love love love. The origin story of fluffy Fen & practical Pat getting together and solving a country house murder.

😍 Think Of England (England World #2) (KJ Charles, author; Tom Carter, narrator) - reread. Another country house mystery featuring blackmail and treason being resolved by Daniel Da Silva (poet & spy) and Archie Curtis (blond viking himbo, about to have a gay awakening) with secondary but crucial support from Fen & Pat

😊 Lessons In Chemistry (Brenda) - 42K, stucky no powers college AU - I’m not often in the mood for a college AU but this hit the spot

💖💖 +46K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

Cupid's Rugby Ball (softestpunk) - The Sandman: Dreamling, 5K - h/c meet cute with instalove, as is only correct for this pairing 😆

you'll never be blue ([currently anonymous]) - The Cabots (Cat Sebastian): Peter/Caleb, 3K - "Caleb and Peter, adjusting to living together." Perfectly captured the character voices! {written for the Fic In A Box 2023 exchange, authors not yet revealed}

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

D20: Fantasy High: Sophomore Year - e4-7

Dirty Laundry - s3, e7

D20: Burrow's End - "Evolution and Revolution" (s20, e10)

D20: Adventuring Party - "Welcome to the Honk Honk Club" (s15, e10)

Dimension 20 Interview: Siobhan Thompson Talks Jaysohn's Near Death In Burrow's End & Fantasy High

Doctor Who: The Star Beast (2023 special #1)

Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder (2023 special #2)

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

⭐ Welcome to Night Vale #239 - Sister Cities: Vermillion Falls

What Next: TBD - They See You When You’re Shopping

Desert Island Discs - Lea Salonga, singer and actor

⭐ The Sporkful - Rise Of The Foodie Bro (The Year In Food 2023)

Cautionary Tales - The Dunning Kruger Hijack (and Other Criminally Stupid Acts)

Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Julia Gets Wise with Amy Tan

Vibe Check - Nostalgia, Ultra

99% Invisible #562 - Breaking Down The Power Broker (with Conan O'Brien)

Endless Thread - "Extremely Online" with Taylor Lorenz

Ologies with Alie Ward - Syndesiology (CONNECTIONS) with James Burke

NPR's Book of the Day - Norman Lear's memoir recalls a life and career that shaped American television

Cautionary Tales - Demonizing Dungeons & Dragons

⭐ Switched on Pop - Hear the Year: The music we loved in 2023

One Year - 1990: Bush vs. Broccoli

Song Exploder - Raye - Escapism (feat. 070 Shake)

Today, Explained - Get the lead out

What Next: TBD - Spotify Unwrapped

Today, Explained - Are movies too long now?

Dear Prudence - My Friend Won’t Stop Buying Me Gifts. Help!

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Super Museum

Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! - Fred Schneider

Strong Songs - The Band: The Last Waltz

Endless Thread - What Is That?!

⭐ Cautionary Tales - How the Radium Girls Fought Back

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

'90s R&B Girl Groups

Presenting Etta James

Pop Motivation

Victoria Monét

Troye Sivan

Laufey

[romanticfools]

super cheesy books. like, ultimate cliche, big grumpy man with girly girl. i just want to read the same thing over and over 😭

relatable fr

✰ means i particularly love the book

the catch by amy lea

fangirl down by tessa bailey

fix her up by tessa bailey (honestly, everything by tessa bailey)

georgie, all along by kate clayborn

codename charming by lucy parker

[greenconverses]

Recently read: The rest of my February reads!

I received an ARC of Sophie Jordan's newest, The Duchess, from a Goodreads giveaway which was nice because Sophie Jordan's books are on my "maybe if I find it at a thrift store and I'm super bored I'll add it to the pile" list. Her books never quite hit for me and while The Duchess started out really well, the final third and the overdramatic reveal killed most of the affection I had for it. If there'd be at least another 50 to 75 pages of story, it would've been a really solid historical, but overall, it felt like editor got the first draft, said, "This is good enough!" and hit send to publisher. (★★.75)

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft was a cozy little romantic fantasy. I enjoyed it, but overall it didn't leave a particularly strong impression on me as a story I want to revisit. The special edition I have from Owl Crate is GORGEOUS though. (★★★.75)

Toxic: Women, Fame and the Tabloids 2000s by Sarah Ditum was a horrible little walk down memory lane about how bad the noughties were for women and celebs. If you're an avid pop culture junkie (me), a lot of this won't be new to you, especially not with all of the Britney documentaries, plus the Paris, and Lindsey image rehab parades going on. I still don't know quite what the point of this book was besides rehashing all of that with a little bit of critique on the side. Wasn't a big fan of the structure of it either. (★★)

Amy Lea remains a winner. The Catch was the final book in her "influencer" contemp romance series and it was fucking delightful seaside romp with a grumpy fisherman love interest. Might be my favorite of the bunch. Similar to Tessa Bailey's It Happened One Summer but much, much better. (★★★★★)