Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon

 

“Atlanta is blanketed with snow just before Christmas, but the warmth of young love just might melt the ice in this novel of interwoven narratives, Black joy, and cozy, sparkling romance—by the same unbeatable team of authors who wrote the New York Times bestseller Blackout!

As the city grinds to a halt, twelve teens band together to help a friend pull off the most epic apology of her life. But will they be able to make it happen, in spite of the storm?

No one is prepared for this whiteout. But then, we can’t always prepare for the magical moments that change everything.” - taken from Goodreads.

It almost seems like the previous collaboration between these authors, Blackout, was the warm up for the awesomeness that was Whiteout. The setting of Atlanta during a snowstorm is the backdrop for a group of friends trying to help a friend make a grand gesture of apology while making their own love connections. Working towards a common ending caused me to be more connected with the entire story arc. A definite read.

These Twisted Bonds by Lexi Ryan (These Hollow Vows book 2)

 

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

“Brie finds herself caught between two princes and two destinies while the future of the fae realm hangs in the balance.

After Abriella's sister was sold to the fae, she thought life couldn't get any worse. But when she suddenly finds herself caught in a web of lies of her own making ­- loving two princes and trusting neither - things are not quite as clear as she once thought.

As civil war wages in the Court of Darkness, Brie finds herself unable to choose a side. How can she know where she stands when she doesn't even know herself anymore? In this darkly romantic thrill ride, the more Faerie is torn apart from the inside, the clearer it becomes that prophecies don't lie and Brie has a role to play in the fate of this magical realm - whether she likes it or not.” - taken from Goodreads.

This book was the conclusion to Brie’s journey to fae and the deception that she found there. With never a dull moment and a few surprises thrown in along the way, fand of the series will be satisfied with the ending.

Visit Lexi Ryan’s website.

Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

 

“After an awkward first encounter, Birdie and Daniel are forced to work together in a Seattle hotel where a famous author leads a mysterious and secluded life in this romantic contemporary novel from the author of Alex, Approximately.

Mystery-book aficionado Birdie Lindberg has an overactive imagination. Raised in isolation and homeschooled by strict grandparents, she’s cultivated a whimsical fantasy life in which she plays the heroic detective and every stranger is a suspect. But her solitary world expands when she takes a job the summer before college, working the graveyard shift at a historic Seattle hotel.

In her new job, Birdie hopes to blossom from introverted dreamer to brave pioneer, and gregarious Daniel Aoki volunteers to be her guide. The hotel’s charismatic young van driver shares the same nocturnal shift and patronizes the waterfront Moonlight Diner where she waits for the early morning ferry after work. Daniel also shares her appetite for intrigue, and he’s stumbled upon a real-life mystery: a famous reclusive writer—never before seen in public—might be secretly meeting someone at the hotel.

To uncover the writer’s puzzling identity, Birdie must come out of her shell…discovering that the most confounding mystery of all may be her growing feelings for the elusive riddle that is Daniel.” - taken from Goodreads.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book about Birdie, who is a mystery enthusiast. She gets a job at a local hotel on the graveyard shift but is shocked to find that the cute boy she ran out on after an embarrassing first encounter is a coworker. Unable to stay away from one another, the two bond over the curious comings and goings of a reclusive mystery author who frequents the hotel. As the two grow closer, they learn that each is hiding secrets that need to be discovered.

Visit Jenn Bennett’s website.

Talk Santa to Me by Linda Urban

“Francie was born in a stable. Really. Granted, it was the deluxe model with the light-up star on the roof, one of the many Christmas items for sale at her family’s Hollydale Holiday Shop. Their holiday gift empire also includes the Santa School, which was founded by Francie’s beloved grandpa, who recently passed away.

Francie’s always loved working in the shop, but lately Aunt Carole has been changing everything with her ideas for too-slick, Hollywood-inspired Santas and horrible holiday-themed employee uniforms. Aunt Carole’s vision will ruin all the charm and nostalgia Francie loves about her family’s business…unless she does something about it.

But this winter is about more than preserving the magic of Christmas. Francie is saving up for a car and angling to kiss the cute boy who works at the tree lot next door—hopefully it will be good enough to wipe her fiasco of a first kiss from her memory.

As the weather outside gets more and more frightful, can Francie pull off the holiday of her dreams?” - taken from Goodreads.

This book was not the cute holiday romance story that I thought it was. Instead, Francie’s family business is Christmas but since the death of her Grandpa Chris, things have been strained, especially since the arrival of her aunt. She is working to save money for a car but she wouldn’t mind a kiss from the cute boy who works across the street at a tree lot. When her father is unable to fulfill his role as Santa for a cable TV broadcast, Francie is forced to become Santa’s intern. When the letters to Santa’s intern start flooding into the store, can Francie rediscover the magic of Santa in the wake of her healing?

Visit Linda Urban’s website.
 

A Show for Two by Tashie Bhuiyan

 

“Mina Rahman has a plan for her future:

• Finally win the Golden Ivy student film competition

• Get into her dream school across the country

• Leave New York City behind once and for all

Mina’s ticket to winning the competition falls into her lap when indie film star—and known heartbreaker—Emmitt Ramos enrolls in her high school under a secret identity to research his next role. When Mina sets out to persuade Emmitt to join her cause, he offers her a deal instead: he'll be in her short film…if she acts as a tour guide to help him with a photography contest.

As Mina ventures across the five boroughs with Emmitt by her side, the city she grew up in starts to look different and more like home than it ever has before. With the competition deadline looming, Mina's dreams—which once seemed impenetrable—begin to crumble, and she’s forced to ask herself: Is winning worth losing everything?” - taken from Goodreads.

Mina Rahman cannot wait to Leave New York City and head to California to attend film school. In order to make her dreams come true, she is determined for her school’s film club to win a prestigious competition. Her golden ticket arrives at her school in the form of Emmitt Ramos, a up and coming bad boy movie star, who is there to prepare for an upcoming role. The two make a mutual deal. Emmitt will appear in the film if Mina will help him with a photography contest he has entered. When the pressure of Mina’s home life and desire to escape from her parents begins to affect her various relationships, will she risk everything and everyone in order to leave NYC? A great story about who and what makes a family and home for a person.

Visit Tashie Bhuiyan’s website.

Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland

 

“It is 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives in an America divided—between those who work the mystical arts and those who do not. Ever since the Great Rust, a catastrophic event that blighted the arcane force called the Dynamism and threw America into disarray, the country has been rebuilding for a better future. And everyone knows the future is industry and technology—otherwise known as Mechomancy—not the traditional mystical arts.

Laura disagrees. A talented young mage from Pennsylvania, Laura hopped a portal to New York City on her seventeenth birthday with hopes of earning her mage’s license and becoming something more than a rootworker

But six months later, she’s got little to show for it other than an empty pocket and broken dreams. With nowhere else to turn, Laura applies for a job with the Bureau of the Arcane’s Conservation Corps, a branch of the US government dedicated to repairing the Dynamism so that Mechomancy can thrive. There she meets the Skylark, a powerful mage with a mysterious past, who reluctantly takes Laura on as an apprentice.

As they’re sent off on their first mission together into the heart of the country’s oldest and most mysterious Blight, they discover the work of mages not encountered since the darkest period in America’s past, when Black mages were killed for their power—work that could threaten Laura’s and the Skylark’s lives, and everything they’ve worked for.” - taken from Goodreads.

Rust in the Root is another great historical fantasy by Justina Ireland. Told in an alternative history of the US Great Depression during 1937, Laura Ann Langston has dreams of sing her abilities in the mystical arts to create cakes that are works of art. Down on her luck in New York City, Laura must join the Negro Conservation Corp in order to survive. Never properly trained in her abilities, she and her mentor learn that dark and dangerous forces are behind the Great Blight that will test their abilities.

Visit Justina Ireland’s website.

With and Without You by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

 

“If high school seniors Siena and Patrick were a superlative, they'd be the Couple Most Likely to Marry. They've been dating for three solid years, and everyone agrees they're perfect for each other. But with college on the horizon, Siena begins to wonder whether staying together is the best idea. Does she really want to be tied down during possibly the most transformative years of her life? So she makes a decision to break up with Patrick, convincing herself it's for the best. Before she can say the words, though, he beats her to the punch: his family is moving out of state. Caught off guard by the news, Siena agrees to stay with Patrick, believing their relationship will naturally fizzle out with time and distance. But over a series of visits throughout the school year, Siena begins to see a different side of Patrick--one that has her falling in love with him all over again.” - taken from Goodreads.

After three uneventful years of dating, Siena is ready to break things off with Patrick. Before she can end their relationship, Patrick announces that he is moving from Phoenix to Austin, Texas for their senior year of high school. The two decided to try their relationship long distance. Taking place over the next year, will Siena decide to stay with Patrick or finally end things between the two of them?

Visit Emily & Austin’s website.

It’s All in How You Fall by Sarah Henning

 

“Gymnast Caroline Kepler has three state balance beam titles, a new trick even most elites can’t do, and chronic, undeniable back pain. While she might never be an Olympian, she has dreams of leveling up to elite, making Nationals, and competing in college. But when one epic face-plant changes all that and Caroline’s back pain goes from chronic to career-ending, her dreams are shattered and her life is flipped upside down.

Enter Alex Zavala, a three-sport athlete who’s both incredibly cute and incredibly off-limits. He offers to give Caroline a crash course in all the sports she’s missed, and she has an offer for him in return: For every sport Alex teaches her, she’ll play matchmaker for him. Deal done, Caroline “dates” new sports with Alex for the rest of the summer, which is loads more fun than wallowing in despair. Just as Caroline starts to see herself as more than her past athletic successes, she picks up something she didn’t bargain for: a big fat crush on Alex. Turns out life was way easier when it was just layout-fulls and beam burns....” - taken from Goodreads.

I enjoyed this sports themed teen romance. It is a bit heavy on the sports, especially gymnastics but any Olympic fan will have no problem with all of the details. Caroline Kepler's gymnastics career comes to a screeching halt due to a back injury. Devastated to retire at the age of 15, Carolyn is adrift until her brother's best friend Alex offers to give her a crash course in ball sports. To pay him back for his kindness, Caroline offers to fix him up with his longtime crush, her friend Sunny. But it isn't too long before Caroline realizes the true depths of her own feelings for Alex when they sneak up on her unexpectedly. The true question is, does he feel the same about her?

Visit Sarah Henning’s website.

Fangirl, Vol. 2:The Manga by Sam Maggs

 

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

“Cath just wants to hang out with her twin sister and write fanfiction. But now that they’re at college, her sister doesn’t have time for her. And life keeps pulling Cath further and further out of her shell. For the first time ever, Cath has her own social circle. There’s Nick, her handsome classmate who wants her to write short stories with him… And then Levi, who keeps showing up when she isn’t looking for him … Actually … maybe Cath’s circle is more of a triangle?” - taken from Goodreads.

So I discovered at the cliffhanger ending of volume 2 that readers are being treated to four volumes in total. Now to wait.

To be continued with volume 3 due out on August 8, 2023.

Flip the Script by Lyla Lee

 

“The first rule of watching K-dramas: Never fall in love with the second lead.

As an avid watcher of K-dramas, Hana knows all the tropes to avoid when she finally lands a starring role in a buzzy new drama. And she can totally handle her fake co-star boyfriend who might be falling in love with her. After all, she promised the producers a contract romance, and that’s all they’re going to get from her.

But when showrunners bring on a new girl to challenge Hana’s role as main love interest—and worse, it’s someone Hana knows all too well—can  Hana fight for her position on the show while falling for her on-screen rival in real life?” - taken from Goodreads.

Hana’s story of being the lead actress in a K-drama was delightful. As a Korean American, it’s not smooth sailing for her. She reluctantly agrees to fake date her co-star Bryan, a K-pop idol in his own right, to boost the show’s ratings. When the producer brings on her friend Minjee for a love triangle, Hana’s feelings and her desire to be a star take center stage in ways she never thought possible. This book was a sweet rom-com, coming out story for the ages, even if the ending was a bit too perfect. 

Visit Lyla Lee’s website.

The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew

 

“Delaney Meyers-Petrov is tired of being seen as fragile just because she's Deaf. So when she's accepted into a prestigious program at Godbole University that trains students to slip between parallel worlds, she's excited for the chance to prove herself. But her semester gets off to a rocky start as she faces professors who won't accommodate her disability, and a pretentious upperclassman fascinated by Delaney's unusual talents.

Colton Price died when he was nine years old. Quite impossibly, he woke several weeks later at the feet of a green-eyed little girl. Now, twelve years later, Delaney Meyers-Petrov has stumbled back into his orbit, but Colton's been ordered to keep far away from the new girl... and the voices she hears calling to her from the shadows.

Delaney wants to keep her distance from Colton -- she seems to be the only person on campus who finds him more arrogant than charming -- yet after a Godbole student turns up dead, she and Colton are forced to form a tenuous alliance, plummeting down a rabbit-hole of deeply buried university secrets. But Delaney and Colton discover the cost of opening the doors between worlds when they find themselves up against something old and nameless, an enemy they need to destroy before it tears them -- and their forbidden partnership -- apart.” - taken from Goodreads.

Lane is excited to start at Godbole and get out from underneath her overprotective parents. Deaf, she soon finds herself struggling with her classes and her professors are no help. When the mysterious and aloof Colton Price offers to help her catch up, Lane is quickly drawn into the secretive mission of Godbole where not everyone survives. A dark and twisted tale that will leave readers wondering what is going on.

Visit Kelly Andrew’s website.

Greywaren by Maggie Stiefvater (Dreamer trilogy book 3)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, Call Down the Hawk or Mister Impossible, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

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

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

“This is the story of the Lynch family.

Niall and Mór escaped their homeland for a new start, and lost themselves in what they found.

Declan has grown up as the responsible son, the responsible brother--only to find there is no way for him to keep his family safe.

Ronan has always lived on the edge between dreams and waking... but now that edge is gone, and he is falling.

Matthew has been the happy child, the brightest beam. But rebellion beckons, because it all feels like an illusion now.

This world was not made for such a family--a family with the power to make a world and break it. If they cannot save each other or themselves, we are all doomed. ”- taken from Goodreads.com

This is the story that wraps up the story of the family Lynch, all of the good and the bad. Picking up after the events of Mister Impossible, none of our characters are in a good place. Without spoiling any details, Stiefvater wraps up the story nicely for everyone involved.

Visit Maggie Stiefvater’s website.

Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer (Defy the Night book 2)

 

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

“To save their kingdom, they must embark on a dangerous journey...

The kingdom of Kandala narrowly avoided catastrophe, but the embers of revolution still simmer. While King Harristan seeks a new way to lead, Tessa and Prince Corrick attempt to foster unity between rebels and royals.

But the consuls who control the Moonflower will not back down, and Corrick realizes he must find a new source for the lifesaving Elixir.

When an emissary from the neighboring kingdom of Ostriary arrives with an intriguing offer, Tessa and Corrick set out on an uncertain journey as they attempt to mend their own fractured relationship.

This could be their only chance to keep the peace and bring relief to the people of Kandala, but danger strikes during the journey to Ostriary, and no one is who they seemed to be. . .” - taken from Goodreads.

Tessa and Corrick are struggling to deal with their lives inside the palace rather than in the wilds. The situation with the Moonflower supply is still tenuous and hopes of a truce between the rebels and the royals is nonexistent. Rebellion looms on the horizon. When a strange ship with ties to Kandala arrives in port with a solution to the Moonflower supply, Harristan and Corrick have no choice but to work to establish trade with Ostriary. Corrick and Tessa will travel to Ostriary to see if they can make an alliance while Harristan stays in Kandala to try and keep the peace, Seperated for the first time since the assassination of their parents, the two soon learn that not everyone is who they seems and those they can trust grows smaller by the day.

With that heart-clinching ending, book three has yet to be announced.

Visit Brigid Kemmerer’s website.

How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine

 

“Alice Lawrence is the sole witness in her sister’s murder trial.

And in the year since Claire’s death, Alice’s life has completely fallen apart. Her parents have gotten divorced, she’s moved into an apartment that smells like bologna, and she is being forced to face her sister’s killer and a courtroom full of people who doubt what she saw in the corn maze a year prior.

Claire was an all-American girl, beautiful and bubbly, and a theater star. Alice was a nerd who dreamed of becoming a forensic pathologist and would rather stay at home to watch her favorite horror movies than party. Despite their differences, they were bonded by sisterhood and were each other’s best friends.

Until Claire was taken away from her.

On the first day of the murder trial, as Alice prepares to give her testimony, she is knocked out by a Sidney Prescott look-alike in the courthouse bathroom. When she wakes up, it is Halloween morning a year earlier, the same day Claire was murdered. Alice has until midnight to save her sister and find the real killer before he claims another victim.” - taken from Goodreads.

Alice is a horror film buff. She is the only witness to her older sister Claire's murder in a corn maze during a Halloween party. Several people doubt that Alice saw the real murderer. One year later, just as the murder trial is about to begin, Alice is knocked unconscious in the bathroom at the courthouse. Upon waking, Alice finds herself back in time to the night of the murder with the opportunity to save her sister and to discover if she saw the correct killer.

A terrific Halloween mystery for fans of horror movies. Be warned, there are some gory scenes.

Visit Danielle Valentine’s website.

Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean (Tokyo Ever After book 2)

 

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

“When Japanese-American Izumi Tanaka learned her father was the Crown Prince of Japan, she became a princess overnight. Now, she’s overcome conniving cousins, salacious press, and an imperial scandal to finally find a place she belongs. She has a perfect bodyguard turned boyfriend. Her stinky dog, Tamagotchi, is living with her in Tokyo. Her parents have even rekindled their college romance and are engaged. A royal wedding is on the horizon! Izumi’s life is a Tokyo dream come true.

Only...

Her parents’ engagement hits a brick wall. The Imperial Household Council refuses to approve the marriage citing concerns about Izumi and her mother’s lack of pedigree. And on top of it all, her bodyguard turned boyfriend makes a shocking decision about their relationship. At the threat of everything falling apart, Izumi vows to do whatever it takes to help win over the council. Which means upping her newly acquired princess game.

But at what cost? Izumi will do anything to help her parents achieve their happily ever after, but what if playing the perfect princess means sacrificing her own? Will she find a way to forge her own path and follow her heart?” - taken from Goodreads.

Picking up the story from the first book, Izumi is struggling to fit into the role that is expected of her. When parents decide to get married, the news is not well received and the Royal Council denies their request. Determined for her parents to finally have their happily ever after, Izumi decides to become the perfect Japanese princess. Unfortunately, the road to perfection isn’t easy, especially when Aiko calls things off between the two of them. Heartbroken, Izumi finds the courage to play the royal game and even discovers that she has more allies on her side than she thought. Can Izumi become the perfect princess society expects her to become without losing herself?

Visit Emiko Jean’s website.

Places We’ve Never Been by Kasie West

 

“Norah hasn’t seen her childhood best friend, Skyler, in years. When he first moved away, they'd talk all the time, but lately their relationship has been reduced to liking each other’s Instagram posts. That’s why Norah can’t wait for the joint RV road trip their families have planned for the summer.

But when Skyler finally arrives, he seems...like he’d rather be anywhere else. Hurt and confused, Norah reacts in kind. Suddenly, her oldest friendship is on the rocks.

An unexpected summer spent driving across the country leads both Norah and Skyler down new roads and to new discoveries. Before long, they are, once again, seeing each other in a different light. Can their friendship-turned-rivalry turn into something more? - taken from Goodreads.

This book takes place over an RV trip between former best friends, Norah and Skyler. Excited to see her best friend/”crush” for the first time in four years, Norah is quickly hurt that Skyler doesn’t seem to want to still be friends. Trying to figure out what has changed between the two of them, Norah tries to find ways to break through Skyler’s tough exterior. When the details of the trip seem sketchy, Norah is determined to find out what is going on. As the miles click away, can these two go back to being friends or are the obstacles in front of them just too much? 

Visit Kasie West’s website.

The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (The Inheritance Games book 3)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, The Inheritance Games and The Hawthorne, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

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

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

“Avery’s fortune, life, and loves are on the line in the game that everyone will be talking about.

To inherit billions, all Avery Kylie Grambs has to do is survive a few more weeks living in Hawthorne House. The paparazzi are dogging her every step. Financial pressures are building. Danger is a fact of life. And the only thing getting Avery through it all is the Hawthorne brothers. Her life is intertwined with theirs. She knows their secrets, and they know her.

But as the clock ticks down to the moment when Avery will become the richest teenager on the planet, trouble arrives in the form of a visitor who needs her help—and whose presence in Hawthorne House could change everything. It soon becomes clear that there is one last puzzle to solve, and Avery and the Hawthorne brothers are drawn into a dangerous game against an unknown and powerful player.

Secrets upon secrets. Riddles upon riddles. In this game, there are hearts and lives at stake—and there is nothing more Hawthorne than winning.” - taken from Goodreads.

This was an exciting ending to the mystery of why Tobias Hawthorne left his billions to the unknown Avery Grambs. With lots of secrets left to be uncovered and a new danger lurking, will Avery survive to inherit the money? 

And there’s more! Book four, The Brothers Hawthorne, is due out on August 29, 2023.

Visit Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ website.

Master of Iron by Tricia Levenseller (Bladesmith book 2)

 

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

“Eighteen-year-old Ziva may have defeated a deadly warlord, but the price was almost too much. Ziva is forced into a breakneck race to a nearby city with the handsome mercenary, Kellyn, and the young scholar, Petrik, to find a powerful magical healer who can save her sister's life.

When the events that follow lead to Ziva and Kellyn's capture by an ambitious prince, Ziva is forced into the very situation she's been dreading: magicking dangerous weapons meant for world domination.

The forge has always been Ziva's safe space, a place to avoid society and the anxiety it causes her, but now it is her prison, and she's not sure just how much of herself she'll have to sacrifice to save Kellyn and take center stage in the very war she's been trying to stop.: - taken from Goodreads.com

Picking up immediately after the events in book one, a bombshell revelation is soon revealed that sets up the action for the conclusion of the story. When Ziva and Kellyn are captured, Ziva finds herself in the one situation she tried to avoid. Forced to make magical weapons in order to save Kellyn's life, Ziva plots how to escape their situation. Can Ziva overcome her debilitating anxiety to help stop her kingdom from being overtaken? 

Visit Tricia Levenseller’s website.

Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus

 

“Be sure to keep your friends close . . . and your secrets closer.

Four years ago, Brynn left Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favorite teacher—a story that made headlines after the teacher’s body was found by three Saint Ambrose students in the woods behind their school. The case was never solved. Now that Brynn is moving home and starting her dream internship at a true-crime show, she’s determined to find out what really happened.

The kids who found Mr. Larkin are her way in, and her ex–best friend, Tripp Talbot, was one of them. Without his account of events, the other two kids might have gone down for Mr. Larkin’s murder. They've never forgotten what Tripp did for them that day. Just like he hasn’t forgotten that everything he told the police was a lie.

Digging into the past is bound to shake up the present, and as Brynn begins to investigate what happened in the woods that day, she begins to uncover secrets that might change everything—about Saint Ambrose, about Mr. Larkin, and about her ex-best friend, Tripp Talbot.

Four years ago someone got away with murder. The most terrifying part is that they never left.” - taken from Goodreads.

This story is Karen McManus at her finest. Dark academia and a renewed interest in a four year old unsolved murder set the stage when Bryn Gallagher returns to Sturgis, Massachusetts after moving away. When she lands her dream job with a true crime show, Bryn is tasked with gathering new information on Mr. Larkin’s death at St. Ambrose School. After being placed on a committee with her former crush turned nemesis, Tripp Talbot, to plan a memorial garden for Mr.Larkin, her curiosity about his death begins to get the best of her. Can Bryn uncover mMr. Larkin’s killer or will she be next?

Visit Karen M. McManus’ website.

Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater (Dreamer trilogy book 2)

 

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

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

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

“Something is happening to the source of the dreamers' power. It is blocked. Diminished. Weak. If it goes away entirely, what will happen to the dreamers and those who depend on them?

Ronan Lynch isn't planning to wait and find out. Backed by his mentor, Bryde, he is ready to do what needs to be done to save the dreamers and the dreamed . . . even if it takes him far from his family and the boy he loves.

Jordan Hennessy knows she will not survive if the dreaming fails. So she plunges into a dark underworld in order to find an object that may sustain her.

Carmen Farooq-Lane is afraid of the dreamers -- which is why she's agreed to hunt them down. The closer she gets, though, the more complicated her feelings become. Will the dreamers destroy the world . . . or will the world be destroyed trying to eliminate the dreamers?”- taken from Goodreads.com

This is the book where we get to dive deeper into the character of Ronan Lynch and his dreamer abilities. We also get to learn more about the other Lynch borthers, Declan and Matthew, and how the dreamer curse affects the family. Jordan and Hennessy have become tangled into the lives of the brothers Lynch. I did not know where Ronan’s journey was leading him until that cliffhanger ending. I am so glad that I waited to read this book just before the epic conclusion is published. 

The story concludes with Greywaren, on Oct. 18, 2022.

Visit Maggie Stiefvater’s website.