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For those Who Love Enemies to Lovers: Like in Love with You and A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon

14 Jan

Like in Love with You
by Emma R. Alban

Like in Love with You is a charming Regency Romance set in Bath, England in 1817 about two Queen Bees who start as rivals for the same gentleman and then realize that they are actually falling for each other. The first half of the novel was a page turner waiting to see if the two would ever announce their feelings for each other or continue their battle for a man they don’t have feelings for. Of course even when/if they do there is still the issue of the prejudices of the time period for them to overcome. I liked that Alban is able to depict Catherine and Rosalie’s scheming while keeping the two likeable. This book will have you rooting for the couple. Make sure you have plenty of time before starting this story, you won’t want to put it down. You can also borrow her Victorian romances Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend (about two debutantes who try and setup their widowed parents, but fall in love with each other instead) and You’re the Problem, It’s You (about a Lord and a Second Son who are rivals, but fall for one another).

A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon
by Sarah Hawley

A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon is a cozy contemporary romance/fantasy about a witch, Mariel, who accidentally conjures up a demon, Ozroth and is bound to him until she completes a deal for her soul. When her demanding mother catches them together she lies that he is her boyfriend and shenanigans ensue. What Mariel doesn’t know is that Ozroth has been secretly cursed to have a soul during another bargain. He struggles with atypical feelings for a demon including burgeoning feelings of attraction and possibly even love for her. Besides the romance story additional drama comes from Mariel and her friends attempts to block the building of a spa that threatens the magical forest that surrounds their town. If you enjoyed Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villian Anymore, then you will also want to check out this story. You can also borrow Hawley’s other two novels in her Glimmer Falls Series: Book 2, A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch, about her best friend, Calladia, and Book 3, A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire about her boss, Ben.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

Hoboken Public Library Staff’s Best Reads of 2025

31 Dec

I asked some of the Hoboken Public Library Staff what their favorite reads of 2025 were so we could share them with all of you; let us know in the comments if you have read any of the books and what your 2025 favorite(s) were!

Sean Willey, Information and Digital Services Assistant, favorite read in 2025 was:
The Troop by Nick Cutter
Sean shared: This was Lord of the Flies meets gut-wrenching horror with psychological punishment. It’s visceral and not for the weak-stomached, but if you can stretch your mind to imagine the absolute horror of Boy Scouts grappling with a biological agent wreaking havoc under their skin, while unearthing the inhuman sins of their past, you’ll love it. The author takes us to the most disgusting visual extremes but he also promotes the teenage mind and heart’s ability to confront unfathomable terror and live to tell the tale. Those who survive are scarred for life, but through the trauma nestled in them they develop a connective tissue that spans life, death, and the horrors capable of being created (in labs and in themselves) in between.
Do you love horror and thrillers? Sean will be starting a new Horror and Thriller Book Discussion Group in January! The first meeting will be on January 20 at 6 PM at the Main Branch; come and discuss your favorites in the genre and bring suggestions for what you’d like to read.

Kerri Wallace, Collection Development Librarian, favorite books of 2025 were:
Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild
Love Forms by Claire Adams
Eddie Winston is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

Dejeunee Depts, Access Services Manager, favorite books of 2025 were:
Solitaria by Eliana Alves Cruz
Dominion by Addie E. Citchens
Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang
August Lane by Regina Black
Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
These Heathen by Mia McKenzie

Alexandra Sherlock, Library Assistant at Grand Street Branch, favorite reads in 2025:
Adult Novel
Surrogate Mother by Freida McFadden
Children’s Book
Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party by James Dean
Tween Graphic Novel
Four Eyes by Rex Ogle and illustrated by Dave Valeza

Aimee Harris, Information and Digital Services Manager, favorites of 2025:
Favorite Fantasy Novels
Direct Descendent by Tanya Huff
Slayers of Old by Jim C. Hines
Favorite Horror Novels
Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle
The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw
Favorite Science Fiction Novellas
Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz
Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite
Favorite Romances
The Entanglement of Rival Wizards by Sara Raasch
The Devil She Knows by Alexandria Bellefleur
Favorite Mysteries
Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder by Bellamy Rose
Icing on the Murder by Valerie Burns

What were your 2025 favorites; share them in the comments!

Posted by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager