Monday, March 18, 2024

The Getaway List by Emma Lord

 

“The day of her high school graduation, Riley realizes two things: One, that she has spent the last four years trying so hard to be a Good Kid for her mom that she has no idea who she really is anymore, and two, she has no idea what she wants because of it. The solution? Pack her bags and move to New York for the summer, where her childhood best friend Tom and co-creator of The Getaway List ― a list of all the adventures they’ve wanted to do together since he moved away ― will hopefully help her get in touch with her old adventurous self, and pave the road to a new future.


Riley isn’t sure what to expect from Tom, who has been distant since his famous mom’s scriptwriting career pulled him away. But when Riley arrives in the city, their reconnection is as effortless as it was when they were young―except with one, unexpected complication that will pull Riley’s feelings in a direction she didn’t know they could take. As she, Tom, and their newfound friends work their way through the delightfully chaotic items on The Getaway List, Riley learns that sometimes the biggest adventure is not one you take, but one you feel in your heart.” - taken from Goodreads.


Feeling suffocated by her overprotective mother who is trying to make sure her daughter doesn’t make the same mistakes that she did, Riley abruptly goes to New York the day after her high school graduation to see her childhood friend, Tom. Much to her mother’s displeasure, the weekend visit turns into the entire summer when she realizes how much her mother has manipulated her friendship with Tom. With her future suddenly in her sights, can Riley see past everything that she feels has held her back to decide which path she will take?


Visit Emma Lord’s website.


Monday, March 11, 2024

Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross (Letters of Enchantment book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Divine Rivals, Stop! I don’t want to ruin one of my favorite stories for you.


Please visit the Recaptains blog if you need a refresher of the first book.

Check out Book Series Recaps for a refresher of the first book.


“Two weeks have passed since Iris Winnow returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over. Roman is missing, and the city of Oath continues to dwell in a state of disbelief and ignorance. When Iris and Attie are given another chance to report on Dacre’s movements, they both take the opportunity and head westward once more despite the danger, knowing it’s only a matter of time before the conflict reaches a city that’s unprepared and fracturing beneath the chancellor’s reign.


Since waking below in Dacre’s realm, Roman cannot remember his past. But given the reassurance that his memories will return in time, Roman begins to write articles for Dacre, uncertain of his place in the greater scheme of the war. When a strange letter arrives by wardrobe door, Roman is first suspicious, then intrigued. As he strikes up a correspondence with his mysterious pen pal, Roman will soon have to make a decision: to stand with Dacre or betray the god who healed him. And as the days grow darker, inevitably drawing Roman and Iris closer together…the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war.” - taken from Goodreads.


This was a satisfying conclusion to this duology. Separated by Dacre, Iris and Roman work to get back to one another and stop the war from coming to their home. In a race against time, can Roman and Iris halt Dacre’s takeover of Oath before it’s too late? Readers will devour the last pages to see how the story ends.

 

Visit Rebecca Ross’ website.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Wander in the Dark by Jumata Emill

 

“Amir Trudeau only goes to his half brother Marcel’s birthday party because of Chloe Danvers. Chloe is rich, and hot, and fits right into the perfect life Marcel inherited when their father left Amir’s mother to start a new family with Marcel’s mom. But Chloe is hot enough for Amir to forget that for one night.


Does she want to hook up? Or is she trying to meddle in the estranged brothers’ messy family drama? Amir can’t tell. He doesn’t know what Chloe wants from him when, in the final hours of Mardi Gras, she asks him to take her home and stay—her parents are away and she doesn’t want to be alone.


Amir never gets an answer to his question, because when he wakes up, Chloe is dead—stabbed while he was passed out on the couch downstairs—and Amir becomes the only suspect. A Black teenager caught fleeing the scene of the murder of a rich white girl? All of New Orleans agrees, the case is open and shut.


Amir is innocent. He has a lawyer, but unless someone can figure out who really killed Chloe, it doesn’t look good for him. His number one ally? Marcel. Their relationship is messy, but his half brother knows that Amir isn’t a murderer—and maybe proving Amir’s innocence will repair the rift that’s always existed between them.


To find Chloe’s killer, Amir and Marcel need to dig into her secrets. And what they find is darker than either could have guessed. Parents will go to any lengths to protect their children, and in a city as old as New Orleans, the right family connections can bury even the ugliest truths.” - taken from Goodreads.


Who killed Chloe Danvers? I love a good, suspenseful mystery and this book succeeds on all levels. Amir, the oldest son of Martin Trudeau, is resentful of his younger half brother Marcel. Their father left Amir’s mother for Marcel’s mother and became a famous restaurateur. Marcel throws an extravagant sixteenth birthday party that Amir has no desire to attend, that is until he receives a text from Chloe Danvers, a hot girl from their school. At the party, Amir leaves with Chloe when she asks him and stays the night at her house since she is afraid to be alone. Amir agrees. Falling asleep on her couch, he wakes up to go home before his mother comes home from work. Unfortunately Amir finds that someone has killed Chloe. Fleeing her house, Amir’s life is turned upside down when he is charged with murder. Feeling hopeless, Amir finds that the brother he doesn’t want to be around is the one person determined to prove his innocence. Can Amir and Marcel repair their relationship in order to find the real killer? 


Visit Jumata Emill’s website.

Monday, March 4, 2024

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi (This Woven Kingdom book 1)

 

“To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.

The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world.”
- taken from Goodreads.

This is the first book in a trilogy that is inspired by Persian mythology but readers may be able to relate more to the familiarity with the fairy tale, Cinderella. Alizeh is working as a servant to survive since the assassination of her parents. Keeping her true identity a secret becomes even more complicated when Crown Prince Kamran sees her and believes she is a spy. Full of twists and turns with an incredible cliffhanger ending, fans will be eager to start book two immediately.

Book two, These Infinite Threads, is out now.

Visit Tahereh Mafi’s website.

Monday, February 26, 2024

The Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli (The Crimson Moth book 1)

 

“On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.


Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe - a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution - who she can't help but find herself falling for.


Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?” - taken from Goodreads.


In this gender-swapping take of The Scarlet Pimpernel, Rune Winters depicts herself as a boring socialite to everyone while concealing her true identity. Masquerading as the Crimson  Moth, Rune is determined to save every witch she can after sacrificing her own grandmother to save her own life. When she fails to rescue the one witch she promised her grandmother she would save, Rune decides that her best course of action to find the necessary information is to “court” Gideon Sharpe, her best friend’s older brother and a witch hunter, Using each other to in an attempt in uncover elusive information, Rune and Gideon soon turn from enemies to lovers while trying to glean information from one another. With feelings in the way, the ending is a jaw dropping, high stakes reveal to set up the next book in the series.


A great series starter for fans of Shelby Mahone's Serpent and Dove trilogy.


Book two is not yet published.


Visit Kristen Ciccarelli’s website.

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

The Hunting Moon by Susan Dennard (The Luminaries book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, The Luminaries, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.


“Winnie Wednesday has gotten everything she thought she wanted. She passed the deadly hunter trials, her family has been welcomed back into the Luminaries, and overnight, she has become a local celebrity.


The Girl Who Jumped. The Girl Who Got Bitten.


Unfortunately, it all feels wrong. For one, nobody will believe her about the new nightmare called the Whisperer that's killing hunters each night. Everyone blames the werewolf, even though Winnie is certain the wolf is innocent.


On top of that, following her dad's convoluted clues about the Dianas, their magic, and what happened in Hemlock Falls four years ago is leaving her with more questions than answers.


Then to complicate it all, there is still only one person who can help Jay Friday, the boy with plenty of problems all his own.


As bodies and secrets pile up around town, Winnie finds herself questioning what it means to be a true Wednesday and a true Luminary―and also where her fierce-hearted loyalties might ultimately have to lie.” - taken from Goodreads.


This book picks up where the last one left off.  Winnie is still full of questions surrounding her father's bombshell confessions and what exactly is happening in the forests of Hemlock Falls. Lots of things occur like discovering her father's clues, growing closer to Jay Friday, and her family’s return to The Luminaries, but even more secrets are uncovered. With one mystery now discovered by Winnie, the conclusion to this trilogy is set up nicely for the next volume. 


The trilogy will conclude with The Whispering Night on October 1, 2024.


Visit Susan Dennard’s website.

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Betting on You by Lynn Painter


“When seventeen-year-old Bailey starts a new job at a hotel waterpark, she is less than thrilled to see an old acquaintance is one of her coworkers. Bailey met Charlie a year ago on the long flight to Omaha, where she moved after her parents’ divorce. Charlie’s cynicism didn’t mix well with Bailey’s carefully well-behaved temperament, and his endless commentary was the irritating cherry on top of an already emotionally fraught trip.


Now, Bailey and Charlie are still polar opposites, but instead of everything about him rubbing Bailey the wrong way, she starts to look forward to hanging out and gossiping about the waterpark guests and their coworkers—particularly two who keep flirting with each other. Bailey and Charlie make a bet on whether or not the cozy pair will actually get together. Charlie insists that members of the opposite sex can’t just be friends, and Bailey is determined to prove him wrong.


Bailey and Charlie keep close track of the romantic progress of others while Charlie works to deflect the growing feelings he’s developed for Bailey. Terrified to lose her if his crush becomes known, what doesn’t help his agenda is Bailey and Charlie “fake dating” in order to disrupt the annoying pleasantries between Bailey’s mom and her mom’s new boyfriend. Soon, what Charlie was hoping to avoid becomes a reality as Bailey starts to see him as not only a friend she can rely on in the midst of family drama—but someone who makes her hands shake and heart race. But Charlie has a secret—a secret that involves Bailey and another bet Charlie may have made. Can the two make a real go of things…or has Charlie’s secret doomed them before they could start?” - taken from Goodreads.


Can a boy and a girl just be friends? That’s the bet Bailey and Charlie make when two co-workers continually flirt with one another. As Bailey and Charlie become fast friends, the lines begin to blur between friendship and something more. Will Bailey and Charlie’s friendship survive when their feelings turn towards romance or will it crash and burn?


Visit Lynn Painter's website.