That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams (The Forge & Fracture Saga book 1)

 

“Sixteen-year-old Joan Sands is a gifted craftswoman who creates and upkeeps the stage blades for William Shakespeare’s acting company, The King’s Men. Joan’s skill with her blades comes from a magical ability to control metal—an ability gifted by her Head Orisha, Ogun. Because her whole family is Orisha-blessed, the Sands family have always kept tabs on the Fae presence in London. Usually that doesn’t involve much except noting the faint glow around a Fae’s body as they try to blend in with London society, but lately, there has been an uptick in brutal Fae attacks. After Joan wounds a powerful Fae and saves the son of a cruel Lord, she is drawn into political intrigue in the human and Fae worlds.” - taken from Goodreads.

A historical fantasy that centers around the reign of King James I, it is up to Joan and her friends to stop the wayward Fae from taking over London before it is too late.

Book two, Saint-Seducing Gold, is due out April 30, 2024.

Visit Brittany N. Williams’ website.

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace (Belladonna book 1)

“Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation, and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother’s restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.

 

However, Signa’s best chance of uncovering the murderer is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he’s made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful—and more irresistible—than she ever dared imagine.” - taken from Goodreads.

Signa has been repeatedly passed over by Death since she was an infant. Shuffled between numerous guardians who were only interested in her wealth, her latest placement heads her to the Hawthorns and Thorn Grove. Haunted by restless spirits, including the recently departed family matriarch, Signa is left to pull what remains of the family back together. Siding with Death himself, Signa is in a race against time to uncover the deadly secrets before time runs out.

With a fantastic ending, readers will be clamoring for book two, Foxglove is out August 29, 2023.

Visit Adalyn Grace’s website.

Garden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool (Garden of the Cursed book 1)

“Since fleeing the gilded halls of Evergarden for the muck-filled canals of the Marshes, Marlow Briggs has made a name for herself as the best godsdamn cursebreaker in Caraza City. But no matter how many cases she solves, she is still haunted by the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.

When Adrius Falcrest, Marlow's old friend and scion of one of Caraza's most affluent spell-making families, asks her to help break a life-threatening curse, Marlow wants nothing to do with the boy who spurned her a year ago. But a new lead in her mother’s case makes Marlow realize that the only way to get the answers she desperately seeks is to help Adrius and return to Evergarden society—even if it means suffering through a fake love affair with him to avoid drawing suspicion from the conniving Five Families.

As the investigation draws Marlow into a web of deadly secrets and powerful enemies, a shocking truth emerges: Adrius’s curse and her mother’s disappearance may just be clues to an even larger mystery, one that could unravel the very foundations of Caraza and magic itself.” - taken from Goodreads.

I loved this book! Marlow is a cursebreaker and when Adrius comes to her for help, she wants nothing to do with the boy who rejected her. She soon realizes that by helping Adrius, she may uncover what happened to her mother. Drawn into the politics of not only the upper crust of Evergarden but the Marshes, Marlow will need to do her best to keep from the same fate as her mother, missing. With the killer ending, readers will be eagerly waiting on the next book. 

The story will continue with book two, Masquerade of the Heart, out June 18, 2024.

Visit Katy Rose Pool’s website.

Some Shall Break by Ellie Marney (None Shall Sleep book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, None Shall Sleep, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“After a harrowingly close contact with juvenile sociopath Simon Gutmunsson, junior FBI consultants Emma Lewis and Travis Bell went their separate ways: Emma rejected her Quantico offer and Travis stayed to train within a new unit of the FBI Behavioral Science division. But the unit’s latest case is feeling eerily familiar and Kristin Gutmunsson—Simon Gutmunsson’s eccentric twin—reaches out to Travis to send a warning: Emma is in peril.

 

When Travis and Kristin turn up evidence that points back to Daniel Huxton, the serial killer that Emma had escaped, things become more complicated. With a copycat on the loose, Emma returns to Quantico and is thrown back into her past traumas. Compelled to prevent more tragedy—even if it means putting herself in danger—Emma turns to Simon for help once again. But Simon is keeping secrets that could impact their entire investigation. Will the team be able to stop the Huxton copycat before time runs out for his next victims?: - taken from Goodreads.

Three months have passed. Travis stayed with the FBI but Emma went back to school in Ohio, that is until a serial killer who targets girls that resemble Emma is active in Pittsburgh. Taken into protective custody by the FBI, Emma finds herself back with not only Travis but Kristin as well. Not one to sit back and watch, soon Emma is drawn into this latest serial murder case and once again turns to Simon for help discovering the culprit. Can this newest serial killer be stopped before he sets his eyes on Emma?.

This book was just as good as the first but I am really hoping there will be a third volume after that ending. I loved the Kate Bush reference. I laughed out loud.

Visit Ellie Marney’s website.

Ruling Destiny by Alyson Noel (Stolen Beauty book 2)

 

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

“The second I stepped through the doors of Gray Wolf Academy, my world disintegrated. Here, time is malleable. It can be manipulated, shifted. Changed. And for those of us who Trip—or travel through time—the possibilities are infinite and perilous.

Now my life is caught in the secrets of everyone around me. Arthur, the eccentric billionaire who rules this school. Killian, who could be the only honest person here…or the biggest liar. And Braxton, magnetic, gorgeous, and unfathomable. The only thing I trust about him is our electric connection.

Whether we’re Tripping through Renaissance Italy or thieving from a ball in Regency England, my life’s become a web of lies and strange truths. And beneath the surface is an elaborate puzzle, filled with cryptic symbols and priceless treasures scattered across history—all somehow connected to my strange ability to see through time.

But Arthur has a dangerously ambitious agenda. And if what my dad taught me is true, I’m not just a threat to everyone at Gray Wolf

…I’m a threat to time itself.” - taken from Goodreads.

I think I have a serious case of whiplash with that love triangle. Once again, I loved the history and art aspects sprinkled throughout. And as Natasha begins to discover her true reason for being at Gray Wolf Academy, she learns who she can really trust. I didn’t realize that there would be a third book until the dwindling pages, but readers will be waiting for the next book after that cliffhanger ending.

Visit  Alyson Noel’s website.

None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney (None Shall Sleep book 1)

“It's 1982, and the innovative FBI Behavioral Science section is breaking new ground. Emma Lewis and Travis Bell, two teenagers with valuable skills, are recruited to interview convicted juvenile killers for information on cold cases.

When they're drawn into an active case targeting teenagers, everything starts to unravel. Over Travis's objections, Emma becomes the conduit between the FBI and an incarcerated serial killer, nineteen-year-old Simon Gutmunsson, who is a super-intelligent sociopath. And although Simon seems to be giving them the information they need to save lives, he's also an expert manipulator playing a very long game ...

Can Emma and Travis stop a serial killer on the loose - or will they fall victim themselves?” - taken from Goodreads.

This book is definitely a teenage Silence of the Lambs but Emma Lewis has a lot more moxie than Clarice Starling could ever hope for and has a reliable partner in Travis Bell. These two are tasked to interview convicted teenage serial killers but soon find themselves in the middle of an active investigation.where teenage victims are active. Fed valuable insights from a teenage Hannibal Lector, they soon learn that they are being played. Can Emma and Travis discover who the killer is before they become the next victims?

The story concludes with Some Shall Break now available.

Visit Ellie Marney’s website.