Destroy the Day by Brigid Kemmerer (Defy the Night book 3)

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

“Left for dead, but desperate to survive . . . they have one last chance to save their kingdom.

Prince Corrick is out of options. Held captive by the vicious Oren Crane, he’s desperate to reunite with Tessa, but will need to ally with the rebel leader Lochlan, who until now wished him dead. An unlikely but deadly pair, Corrick and Lochlan must plot their next moves carefully.

An island away, Tessa Cade is heartbroken and angry. Grieving Corrick, and unsure how to find a way back to Kandala, she doesn’t know who to trust. Until Rian—the man she trusts least—makes an offer: aid in a plot to finally oust Oren Crane and see what the future holds . . .

Meanwhile in Kandala, Harristan is dethroned and on the run. He’s struggling to unite the rebels in his fractured kingdom, but he finds support—and maybe more—in unexpected places.

Can Harristan be the king his people need? Can Corrick and Tessa find their way back to each other? As outside threats loom and the fires of revolution burn from within, time is running out to save their kingdom.” - taken from Goodreads.

This was a fantastic ending to this trilogy. Scattered from one another, each of our characters must fight their own battles to get back home. With non stop action and secrets uncovered, the last chapters of this book will bring all of the emotions to the forefront. I cannot wait to see what this author writes next.

Visit Brigid Kemmerer’s website.

Unnecessary Drama by Nina Kenwood

“Eighteen-year-old Brooke is the kind of friend who not only remembers everyone’s birthdays, but also organizes the group present, pays for it, and politely chases others for their share. She’s the helper, the doer, the maker-of spreadsheets. She’s the responsible one who always follows the rules―and she plans to keep it that way during her first year of college.

Her student housing only has one "no unnecessary drama." Which means no fights, tension, or romance between roommates. When one of them turns out to be Jesse, her high-school nemesis, Brooke is determined she can handle it. They’ll simply silently endure living together and stay out of each other’s way. But it turns out Jesse isn’t so easy to ignore.” - taken from Goodreads.

Brooke is starting her first year at university in Melbourne, Australia. She is excited but her joy is short-lived when she finds out that her former best friend Jesse and the boy who broke her heart and humiliated her turns out to be her new roommate. Trying to navigate her new life while balancing her anxiety is tough enough but soon her unresolved feelings for Jesse get in the way. Can Brooke figure out her feelings for Jesse before it's too late?

A cute read about second chances.

Visit Nina Kenwood’s website. 

Never a Hero by Vanessa Len (Monsters book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Never a Monster, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“Despite all of the odds, Joan achieved the impossible. She reset the timeline, saved her family – and destroyed the hero, Nick.

But her success has come at a terrible cost.

She alone remembers what happened. Now, Aaron, her hard-won friend – and maybe more – is an enemy, trying to kill her. And Nick, the boy she loved, is a stranger who doesn’t even know her name. Only Joan remembers that there is a ruthless and dangerous enemy still out there.

When a deadly attack forces Joan back into the monster world as a fugitive, she finds herself on the run with Nick – as Aaron closes in.

As the danger rises – and Nick gets perilously closer to discovering the truth of what Joan did to him – Joan discovers a secret of her own. One that threatens everyone she loves.

Torn between love and family and monstrous choices, Joan must find a way to re-gather her old allies to face down the deadliest of enemies, and to save the timeline itself.” - taken from Goodreads.

Joan changed the timeline and now nothing is the same. Neither Nick nor Aaron know who she is or what she has done. Only a few remember what happened in the previous timeline and someone is out to get Joan and the power she has but doesn't understand. With few to help her navigate the world of Monsters, Joan is determined to make things right. But what she soon finds out is that there is someone more powerful who is trying to right the timeline to what they think it should be. Who is Joan up against and what does she discover? 

Book three is expected in 2024.

Visit Vanessa Len’s website.

Borrow My Heart by Kasie West (Borrow My Heart book 1)

 

“When a girl overhears a guy getting verbally destroyed by his friend for being catfished, she jumps in to save the day—and pretends to be his online crush. A young adult romance from the critically acclaimed author of Places We've Never Been.

Wren is used to being called a control freak. She doesn’t care; sticking to the list of rules she created for herself helps her navigate life. But when a cute guy named Asher walks through the door of her neighborhood coffee shop, the rulebook goes out the window.

Asher is cute, charming . . . and being catfished by his online crush. So Wren makes an uncharacteristically impulsive decision—she pretends to be the girl he's waiting for to save him from embarrassment. Suddenly she’s fake-dating a boy she knows nothing about. And it’s . . . amazing.

It's not long before Asher has her breaking even more of her own rules. But will he forgive her when he finds out she's not who she says she is? Wren's not so sure. . . . After all, rules exist for a reason.” - taken from Goodreads.

A cute story about a girl who saves a stranger from embarrassment after being stood up by an online girl who seems to be catfishing him. What starts out as a one sided fake dating arrangement soon turns into something real until a secret is uncovered. The fact that Wren works at an animal shelter makes the story that much sweeter. 

Book two is expected in 2024.

Visit Kasie West’s website.

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez (Secrets of the Nile book 1)

“Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents—who frequently leave her behind.

When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.

With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.” - taken from Goodreads.

An incredible Indiana Jones like story, Inez sails to Egypt to discover how her parents died. Her uncle sends one of his men Whit to make sure Inez boards a ship immediately to return to Argentina. Not deterred by her uncle's wishes, Inez escapes Whit and heads to Cairo on her own. Determined to find out what her uncle is up to and what happened to her parents, Inez soon finds herself not knowing who she can trust. Full of twists and turns with shocking reveals, will Inez survive her trip to Egypt and what sh6e's she uncover? Fans with be clamoring for the best book after that cryptic epilogue. 

The story concludes with book two, What the Library Hides, due out November 11, 2024.

Visit Isabel Ibanez’s website.

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

 

“Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory's focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious "Kingkiller" Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess.

Nolan's loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What's even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory's victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can't help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist....

As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren't only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent...and infuriating...)” - taken from Goodreads.

Very closely related to her adult books, this one doesn’t revolve around science but still takes on a smart girl in a male dominated society, professional chess. Mallory has taken it upon herself to delay college and work to help out her financially struggling family. She reluctantly agrees to play in a charity chess tournament for her best friend and unknowingly beats the number one player in the world. Soon she finds herself thrown back into the world of chess when she sees how much money she can make. When Mallory sees Nolan Sawyer the next time, sparks begin to fly. Can two rivals on the board become friends and more outside of tournaments?

Visit Ali Hazelwood’s website.

This Time it’s Real by Ann Liang

 

“When seventeen-year-old Eliza Lin’s essay about meeting the love of her life unexpectedly goes viral, her entire life changes overnight. Now she has the approval of her classmates at her new international school in Beijing, a career-launching internship opportunity at her favorite magazine…and a massive secret to keep.

Eliza made her essay up. She’s never been in a relationship before, let alone in love. All good writing is lying, right?” - taken from Goodreads.

When Eliza’s made up essay goes viral, her life quickly spirals out of control. In order to save face, Eliza makes a deal with classmate Caz to fake date in exchange for writing his college essays. The problem is that Caz is a popular movie star. What happens when feelings begin to get in the way? And will Eliza be able to keep the charade up?

Visit Ann Liang’s website.

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

“After losing spectacularly to her ex-girlfriend in their first game since their break up, Scottie Zajac gets into a fender bender with the worst possible person: her nemesis, the incredibly beautiful and incredibly mean Irene Abraham. Things only get worse when their nosey, do-gooder moms get involved and the girls are forced to carpool together until Irene’s car gets out of the shop.

Their bumpy start only gets bumpier the more time they spend together. But when an opportunity presents itself for Scottie to get back at her toxic ex (and climb her school’s social ladder at the same time), she bribes Irene into playing along.” - taken from Goodreads.

Trying to get over her girlfriend, Scottie decides to fake date the popular Irene when a car accident forces the two of them to carpool to school. But not all is fair in love and “war” when feelings get in Scottie’s way as she tries to navigate past hurts and new found feelings without losing her way. Super cute read.

Visit Kelly Quinlin’s website.

The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park

“Chloe Kwon can't stand Peter Li. It's always been that way. Their families don't get along either: their parents operate rival restaurants in the Riverwood Mall food court―Korean food for the Kwons and Chinese food for the Lis. Now it's the holiday season and Chloe's the photographer at the mall's Santa Land, and Peter works at the virtual reality North Pole experience right across the atrium. It's all Chloe can do to avoid Peter's smug, incredibly photogenic face.

But it turns out the mall is about to be sold to a developer and demolished for condos. Eviction notices are being handed out right before Christmas. Their parents don't know what to do, and soon Chloe and Peter realize that the two of them need to join efforts to try to save the mall. Just when it seems like they can put aside their differences and work closely (very closely) together, they discover that the Kwon and Li feud goes far deeper than either of them realize...:” - taken from Goodreads.

For me, this book fell flat and nothing was really resolved at the end. Expecting a Christmas story, Santa at the mall is the extent of the holiday season that is portrayed. Thanksgiving got the most page time of any holiday story. Not one of my best reads.

Visit Suzanne Park’s website.

This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson (This Dark Descent book 1)

 

“Mikira Rusel’s family has long been famous for breeding enchanted horses, but their prestige is no match for their rising debts. To save her ranch, Mikira has only one option: she must win the Illinir, a treacherous horserace whose riders either finish maimed or murdered. Yet each year, competitors return, tempted by its alluring prize money and unparalleled prestige.

Mikira’s mission soon unites her with Arielle Kadar, an impressive yet illicit enchanter just beginning to come into her true power, and Damien Adair, a dashing young lord in the midst of a fierce succession battle. Both have hidden reasons of their own to help Mikira -- as well as their own blood feuds to avenge…

Steeped in Jewish folklore, This Dark Descent is a pulse-pounding new fantasy full of forbidden magic, sizzling romance, and epic stakes. In a world as dangerous as this, will the need for vengeance butcher Mikira’s chances of winning the Illinir … or will another rider’s dagger?” - taken from Goodreads.

This book was incredible! It’s full of romance, magic, and a high stakes game where the winner takes all and the loser is left with nothing. With everything dependent on winning the Ilinar, a deadly horse race, Mikira must place her trust in two people who have their own reasons for wanting Mikira to win the Illinar. Can she survive to win or wil she lose it all? Perfect for fans of Maggie Stiefvater’s The Scorpio Races, one of my favorite books.

This story will conclude with Our Deadly Designs on September 24, 2024.

Visit Kalyn Josephson’s website.