A Long Stretch of Bad Days by Mindy McGinnis

“Lydia Chass doesn’t mind living in a small town; she just doesn’t want to die in one. A lifetime of hard work has put her on track to attend a prestigious journalism program and leave Henley behind—until a school error leaves her a credit short of graduating. Undeterred, Lydia has a plan to earn that credit: transform her listener-friendly local history podcast into a truth-telling exposé. She’ll investigate the Long Stretch of Bad Days: a week when Henley was hit by a tornado and a flash flood as well as its first—and only—murder, which remains unsolved.

But Lydia needs help to bring grit to the show. Bristal Jamison has a bad reputation and a foul mouth, but she also needs a credit to graduate. The unexpected partnership brings together the Chass family—a pillar of the community—and the rough-and-tumble Jamisons, with Bristal hoping to be the first in her family to graduate. Together, they dig into the town’s worst week, determined to solve the murder.

Their investigation unearths buried secrets: a hidden town brothel, lost family treasure, and a teen girl who disappeared. But the past is never far, and some don’t want it to see the light. As threats escalate, the girls have to uncover the truth before the dark history of Henley catches up with them.

This gripping mystery from award-winning author Mindy McGinnis shows the power of a name and one lie and how two girls can use their voices to change a town forever.” - taken from Goodreads

Social and academic opposites, Lydia Chass and Bristal Jamison are both in danger of not graduating due to the guidance counselor's mistake. Both girls are lacking a needed history credit. The two team up to use Lydia’s podcast to highlight the dark history of their small town known as The Long Stretch of Bad Days. The deeper the girls dig into the happenings of that week, the more the story turns darker. Can Lydia and Bristal survive once they uncover secrets that others want to keep buried?

I thoroughly enjoyed this story but the part I loved the most were the characters, especially Bristal and Lydia's mom who added those needed touches of humor in such a turbulent time.

Visit Mindy McGinnis’ website.

Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu (Stars & Smoke book 1)

“Meet Winter Young – International pop sensation, with a voice like velvet and looks that could kill. His star power has smashed records, selling out stadiums from LA to London. His rabid fans would move heaven and earth for even a glimpse of him – just imagine what they’d do to become his latest fling.

Meet Sydney Cossette – Part of an elite covert ops group, Sydney joined their ranks as their youngest spy with plans to become the best agent they’ve ever had. An ice queen with moves as dangerous as her comebacks, Sydney picks up languages just as quickly as she breaks hearts. She's fiery, no-nonsense, and has zero time for romance – especially with a shameless flirt more used to serving sass than taking orders.

When a major crime boss gifts his daughter a private concert with Winter for her birthday, Sydney and Winter's lives suddenly collide. Tasked with infiltrating the crime organization’s inner circle, Sydney is assigned as Winter's bodyguard with Winter tapped to join her on the mission of a lifetime as a new spy recruit. Sydney may be the only person alive impervious to Winter's charms, but as their mission brings them closer, she’s forced to admit that there's more to Winter Young than just a handsome face . . .” - taken from Goodreads.

Not quite in the vein of the author’s Legend series, Stars and Smoke partner a music superstar with a young spy who are on their first covert mission together. The two do not hit it off at first but the deeper they get into their assignment, the closer they get. While the ending doesn’t wrap up in a neat bow, fans of the story will be excited to see that the ending sets up for the next book.

The story is continued with Icon and Inferno due out on June 11, 2024.

Visit Marie Lu’s website.

The Lightstruck by Sunya Mara (The Darkening book 2)

 

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

“Vesper Vale sacrificed everything to save her city from the cursed storm. After becoming a vessel of The Great Queen, Vesper awakes from a slumber three years after her life altering choice.

What she finds isn’t a home freed from the terror of the storm, but one where its citizens are besieged by the even more sinister force of The Great King and his growing army of the lightstruck—once regular citizens who are now controlled by the ominous light encroaching on the city. And the people are all looking to Vesper, now revered as a goddess after her sacrifice, as their city’s only hope.

To save the rings from the Great King, Vesper must contend with the obligations of being a deity to her people and the growing chasm between her and Dalca, the prince she swore never to love. Haunted by the guilt of their past choices and faced with the pressures of a city near ruin, Vesper and Dalca find themselves torn between the growing factions within the city and the royal court.

But in order to save her city from the light, Vesper must face the power most outside of her control—the goddess within.’ - taken from Goodreads.

Three years have passed and when Vesper Vale finally wakes up, things aren’t necessarily for the better. With the Great Queen now residing in her body, the Great King has been freed and is causing destruction now. Unsure of her role in this new world, Vesper tries to find a way to stop the Great King and his Lightstruck from taking over. This story does drag in parts, especially near the end. The ending doesn't tie everything up in a neat bow but is full of promise. 

Visit Sunya Mara’s website.

Omen of Ice by Jus Accardo (Omen of Ice book 1)

“Keltania Tunne has spent her whole life training to become a bodyguard for a Winter Fae. It’s the highest of honors for a druid…only when Tania arrives at the Winter Court for the first time, nothing is what she expected.

Her assignment is the heir to the throne, Valen, and he doesn’t want her protection. In fact, he wants her gone. Yesterday. But Tania will not compromise, even if he is the most arrogant jackass she’s ever met―because something isn’t right in the Winter Court.

Everyone has secrets. From the Winter Lord to the kitchen maids to the rising faction that wants the prince dead―no one is who they seem. And now it’s up to Tania to keep her sacred oath and protect Valen, even when his smart mouth makes her skate the razor-thin edge between love and hate.

But the more she gets to know him, the more she realizes his secret is the biggest of all―and might just get them both killed.” - taken from Goodreads.

Here is another enemies to friends/almost lovers story. Sworn to protect a prince who doesn’t want her protection, the stakes get extremely complicated when a protection spell goes wrong and ties Tania and Valen together. In an attempt to rectify the situation, the two realize that they are each harboring secrets as they discover their lives are in danger. Plenty of jaw dropping surprises come one after the other as the ending thunders along. 

Book two has not been announced.

Visit Jus Accardo’s website.

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

 

“When Springville residents—at least the ones still alive—are questioned about what happened on prom night, they all have the same explanation... Maddy did it.

An outcast at her small-town Georgia high school, Madison Washington has always been a teasing target for bullies. And she's dealt with it because she has more pressing problems to manage. Until the morning a surprise rainstorm reveals her most closely kept secret: Maddy is biracial. She has been passing for white her entire life at the behest of her fanatical white father, Thomas Washington.

After a viral bullying video pulls back the curtain on Springville High's racist roots, student leaders come up with a plan to change their image: host the school's first integrated prom as a show of unity. The popular white class president convinces her Black superstar quarterback boyfriend to ask Maddy to be his date, leaving Maddy wondering if it's possible to have a normal life.

But some of her classmates aren't done with her just yet. And what they don't know is that Maddy still has another secret... one that will cost them all their lives.” - taken from Goodreads.

I knew going in that this story loosely follows Stephen King's Carrie but throws in some social justice that is relevant to our current times. Maddy Washington is a girl who's tortured life will pull at your heartstrings. Bullied on a daily basis at school, the situation takes a horrible turn when Maddy's racial identity is uncovered. As tensions rise in small town Springville, Georgia, readers will be eagerly waiting to see what happens on prom night. 

I loved listening to this book with its multiple narrator format.

Visit Tiffany D. Jackson’s website.

The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (The Inheritance Games book 4)

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

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

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

“Grayson Hawthorne was raised as the heir apparent to his billionaire grandfather, taught from the cradle to put family first. Now the great Tobias Hawthorne is dead and his family disinherited, but some lessons linger. When Grayson’s half-sisters find themselves in trouble, he swoops in to do what he does best: take care of the problem—efficiently, effectively, mercilessly. And without getting bogged down in emotional entanglements.

 

Jameson Hawthorne is a risk-taker, a sensation-seeker, a player of games. When his mysterious father appears and asks for a favor, Jameson can’t resist the challenge. Now he must infiltrate London’s most exclusive underground gambling club, which caters to the rich, the powerful, and the aristocratic, and win an impossible game of greatest stakes. Luckily, Jameson Hawthorne lives for impossible.

 

Drawn into twisted games on opposite sides of the globe, Grayson and Jameson—with the help of their brothers and the girl who inherited their grandfather’s fortune—must dig deep to decide who they want to be and what each of them will sacrifice to win.” - taken from Goodreads.

Told from two points of view, our story now shifts to Grayson and Jameson. Digging deeper into both of their backgrounds, I found myself more invested in Grayson’s story about his sisters than Jameson playing yet another high stakes game. The story really picks up at the end when a huge secret is spilled.

Book five, The Grandest Game, is due out on July 30, 2024.

Visit Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ website.

Something Close to Magic by Emma Mills

 

“It’s not all sugar and spice at Basil’s Bakery, where seventeen-year-old Aurelie is an overworked, underappreciated apprentice. Still, the job offers stability, which no-nonsense Aurelie values highly, so she keeps her head down and doesn’t dare to dream big—until a stranger walks in and hands her a set of Seeking stones. In a country where Seeking was old-fashioned even before magic went out of style, it’s a rare skill, but Aurelie has it.

The stranger, who turns out to be a remarkably bothersome bounty hunter named Iliana, asks for Aurelie’s help rescuing someone from the dangerous Underwood—which sounds suspiciously like an adventure. When the someone turns out to be Prince Hapless, the charming-but-aptly-named prince, Aurelie’s careful life is upended. Suddenly, she finds herself on a quest filled with magic portals, a troll older than many trees (and a few rocks), and dangerous palace intrigue.

Even more dangerous are the feelings she’s starting to have for Hapless. The more time Aurelie spends with him, the less she can stand the thought of going back to her solitary but dependable life at the bakery. Must she choose between losing her apprenticeship—or her heart?” - taken from Goodreads.

This book was not what I was expecting from this author of several previous romance books. Instead, the author changed up her story, a humorous fantasy adventure story where romance takes a back seat. Full of surprises and the true meaning of friendship, readers will enjoy Mills’ latest book.

Visit Emma Mills’ website.