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.