52 Book Club 2025: #1 - A Pun In The Title

If we psychologically damage an individual beyond repair, what will be the consequence of it? We all have a limit to the amount of mental and psychological stress we can take. Once the stress exceeds the limit, we’ll reach our breaking point. What happens after that is a mystery no one can solve, or is it? Lydia Johnson faces a similar situation. She is a complex young woman who faces a downfall stemming from the mental and physical abuse of her father and siblings, the negligence of her mother, and a chilling secret. From abused to loved, to abused again--that’s how life is for Lydia. Her family taught her only one lesson: emotions are for the weak and the weak don’t have a place in this world. With each kill, Lydia atones for the loss of her innocence by getting rid of another emotion and also rids the world of someone undeserving of her love and forgiveness. What lengths will she go to, for revenge, and prove her resilience? Will she ever be able to live her life like a normal person again? Or will she continue killing everyone until her own death?

Janet Sanders is at the top of her game and as a result, business has never been better, even with a new killer in town. After all, since her twin brother's murder at the hands of a deranged serial killer, not much can hurt or surprise you. That is, until she finds out that her father, Dan Sanders, may have been the culprit all along. Therefore Janet, now shrouded with an ironclad will, decided to do what she knows she can do best, dedicating all of her time to two things: her ever profitable career as an escort, and making sure that Dan Sanders is sent to the deepest pit in hell, even if it means she has to hand-deliver him to the devil herself. Now that the handsome Antonio has made his way back into her life with the hopes of capturing who the media has dubbed as "The Strangler" along with Janet's heart, she's dead set on sending him packing once and for all as she has seen firsthand the steep price of "love" for the Sanders family

In the heart of Chicago, No More Regrets tells the story of two best friends, Sade and Isla, whose bond starts in kindergarten and grows stronger through all of life’s twists and turns. They’ve been through everything together—school dances, heartbreaks, and even the loss of Isla’s mom during high school. Their friendship is unshakable, and they’ve always had each other’s backs. As they get older, life seems to fall into place. Sade marries her charming childhood, sweetheart, Marco, and Isla finds love with her steady and supportive partner, Shane. Their lives become so intertwined it’s hard to imagine one without the other. But one Halloween night changes everything. Sade’s world comes crashing down when she discovers that Marco and Isla, her husband and her best friend, are having an affair. The betrayal cuts deeper than she ever thought possible, leaving her feeling broken and lost. She struggles to hold herself together, but the pain is overwhelming. Her marriage falls apart, her friendships crumble, and she’s left wondering if she’ll ever feel whole again. At her lowest point, Sade meets someone unexpectedly. He doesn’t try to fix her or make grand promises. Instead, he gives her the space to find her own strength and reminds her of who she really is. Slowly, Sade starts to heal, learning to let go of the hurt, stop blaming herself, and rebuild her life on her own terms. No More Regrets is a heartfelt story about love, loss, and finding yourself after everything falls apart. It’s about realizing your worth, picking up the pieces, and proving to yourself that no matter how broken you feel, you can always come back stronger.

Meet Esmerelda Sleuth. Sleuth is her name and investigating is her game. (Paranormal Investigating, that is.) Esmerelda makes a good living as an investigator in a rather progressive firm. She lives a stable and sensible life until she meets Lance; an old money "hottie" who works for a real estate firm next to her building. After accepting an invitation for a weekend getaway party, she quickly discovers that Lance has a secret. He is wealthy. That part is true. And, yes, he's procured a job as a realtor in the building next door. His secret is that he belongs to an underground society of humans who didn't abandon their connection to magic centuries ago when religion declared it evil and he has traveled through time specifically to find her and bring her back to his time to marry him. If that isn't enough of a far fetched tale to absorb, he informs her that she was born in his time to a family belonging to that same secret society and was promised in marriage to him as an infant. When enemies who didn't want to see the union of families take place made attempts on her life, her parents sent her into the future and erased her memories of them as a precaution. Possessing virtually no belief in magic, ghosts, psychics, time travel, etc., it takes some doing on Lance's part to convince her to believe his story and go back with him. When she does, the lies, deceit and attempts on her life start all over again. Will she escape emotionally and physically unscathed? "The Other Side Of the Mirror" is a steamy-paranormal-romance- mystery-thriller and book one of the Esmerelda Sleuth series.

Emma and Luca have spent the past six years apart, during which time their mutual trust has progressively diminished. However, a significant life event has brought them together once more: their parents have orchestrated their marriage. This matrimonial union is strategically devised to unite their opposing mafia families, presenting itself as the most formidable business arrangement of the century. Conscious of the ramifications of defying their parents' mandates, both Emma and Luca acquiesce to the matrimonial contract with apprehension. Yet, beneath the facade of compliance, they each harbor profound sentiments for one another, emotions that have remained suppressed over the years. Will they succeed in transcending their animosity and rekindling their affection before external forces orchestrate their separation? Only time will unveil the outcome.

Isang trahedya ang nagpabago sa buhay ni Amanda, ngunit ito rin ang nagdala sa kanya sa masaya at magandang buhay. Subalit ang kapalit nito ay ang pagkalimot niya sa kanyang nakaraan at mabuhay ng iba ang katauhan. Maayos na sana ang lahat kung hindi lang niya nakilala ang isang Jeremy Dawson. Ang Hot and Gorgeous Hotelier na isa rin sa Founder ng Hotel sa Venice Italy kung saan siya nag-attend ng OJT. Dahilan rin ito kung bakit nagsimulang malito ang kanyang puso. Ngunit hindi niya maitatanggi na ito rin ang nagturo sa kanya nang tunay na kahulugan ng pag-ibig. Nanaisin pa ba niyang balikan ang kanyang nakaraan upang makilala ang sarili o mananatili na lang sa buhay na puno ng kasinungalingan? Paano kung ang katotohanan pa lang ito ang mas higit na sisira sa kanyang pagkatao? Gugustuhin pa ba niyang malaman ang totoo o mas gugustuhin pa niyang baguhin na lang ang kanyang kapalaran? ___ Kaya ating tunghayan ang laban ng dalawang pusong nagmamahal. Ngunit walang kalayaang ibigin ang isa't-isa. Dahil sa pag-ibig palaging may nasasaktan at nagdurusa. ***** By: LadyGem25 06-28-22

She was never meant to survive their world. Now she’s the only one who can burn it down. Lyra thought she was just a girl with strange dreams and a birthmark that shimmered beneath moonlight. But when a celestial event rips her from Earth and drops her into the brutal halls of the Academy of the Ascendant, she discovers a deadly truth: she’s the lost heir of a realm that erased her bloodline—and she’s carrying the forbidden magic that could unravel it all. The Academy is ruled by power and hierarchy. The weak are crushed. The strong ascend. And the Triad—three elite heirs born of elemental fire, storm, and air—will do anything to break her. Until they realize she’s more powerful than all of them. Mocked. Hunted. Desired. As Lyra unlocks the four elemental affinities no student should possess, she becomes the center of a prophecy that the Council has killed to keep buried. But it’s the fifth element—the forbidden Void—that marks her for something more. Survival means mastering her magic. Love could cost her everything. And rebellion might just start with a kiss. Perfect for fans of Zodiac Academy, Throne of Glass, and The Cruel Prince, Marked by Starlight is the explosive first book in a dark fantasy romance series filled with elemental magic, enemies-to-lovers heat, and a heroine who refuses to bow.

This is the first book in an 8 book series of hockey romances. All 8 books have an underlying theme of ‘life after loss’. My first book is about Natasha, a librarian in her 40s who lost a sibling as a teenager and never healed, preventing her from ever finding/committing to love…and the hockey coach who is twice divorced and has given up his dreams of ever finding his match and having a family-until he meets Natasha…. Will Coach Alex's love (along with his superior skills in the sack) be enough to break down the walls Natasha has held firm for over two decades? The 8 books go through the different players of the team, all having their own versions of loss to overcome, with the captain (Adam) being married to a woman (who happens to be a teacher at Natasha's school) who has a terminal illness and will eventually commit suicide in book 6 and the series ends with Adam's own second chance love story….

The night my parents died, I was found amongst the ashes of our home. My eyes glowed red, and my hair had been altered to a flaming hue to match. My pack ostracised me, deeming me responsible for the death of my beloved parents. For years, I have been treated like a slave and was underfed, bullied, and abused. The son of the Alpha, Jordan, and my cousin Ruth were the worst offenders. Yet, I endured as I planned my escape. When I turn nineteen, I am out of here. Or so I thought. One night, out of the blue, Jordan kisses me, everything changes, and I find myself falling in love with the one who was my tormentor. So naive, so foolish, just when I think I will have a happy ending, reality slaps me in the face. The same night I find myself in the arms of my mate, Jordan, I find myself rejected for a nightmare of a betrayal I had no hope in preventing. As punishment, I was shunned in the worst possible way and turned rouge. As the cold seeps in, I dream of a white wolf—my white wolf. He has always appeared in my mind when I most needed him, his presence always comforting me. Is this the end of my story? I have lost hope and the will to live.

Liar. Selfish. Murderer. Asshole. All of these, and then some, can be and have been used to describe Dan Sanders—depending on who you ask. But if you know Dan, then you also know he wouldn’t bother denying any of it. However, the one thing no one ever has or ever will truthfully be able to call him is a coward. Especially, not his estranged crackpot brother, Chris. Though it's true that following the Rebecca Fairchild incident, the Sanders gang is in hot water. Dan has never been one to turn and run from a fight, and he doesn’t plan to start now. So while Chris may be brutal and undoubtedly brilliant, he would do best to remember what he lacks in mercy Dan lacks in morality. And there isn’t much he can’t or won’t do when you threaten those he cares for. A rivalry forged and bound by blood is nearing its climax. Chris the unforgiving versus Dan the unyielding. Let's just hope our anti-hero can clear his family's name before the bodies pile up and time runs out.