Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes (Falling Kingdoms book 4)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first three books in the series, Falling Kingdoms, Rebel Spring and Gathering Darkness, Stop! I don’t want to ruin one of my favorite series for you!

Please visit the Recaptains blog in you need a refresher on the first book in the series.

“CLEO: Reeling after a bloody showdown in Limeros ending with Amara’s abduction of the water crystal, and a vacancy in the Mytican throne, Princess Cleo must cast aside her feelings and look toward her kingdom with the eyes of a Queen.

MAGNUS: With the kingdom in chaos, Princess Lucia still missing and quite possibly in danger, and a shocking realization about Cleo, the steely prince is once again torn between love and duty, leaving him wondering whether he’s strong enough to rule his people.

LUCIA: The young sorceress has had her vengeance after the cruel death of her first and only love. Heartbroken and unable to trust anyone, she allies with the awoken Fire god, who also seeks revenge.

JONAS: After escaping death by the skin of his teeth, the defeated rebel—along with a mysterious stranger–leader reunites with Princess Cleo, only to find himself a mere pawn in a dangerous hunt for the elusive Kindred.

KING GAIUS: Abandoned by Melenia and betrayed by his own children, Gaius flees Mytica and sails to Kraeshia, where he attempts to ally with the famously brutal emperor across the Silver Sea.”

In Gathering Darkness,  the four Kindred were located and scattered among the major players in the quest for control of elemental magic. King Gaius has gone to the Emperor of Kraeshia to seek an alliance. He desires to rule the world and holds the air Kindred. Princess Lucia is reeling the death of her first love and has unleashed the fire Kindred. Princess Amara killed her brother Ashur, stole the water Kindred and returned home to Kraeshia. Prince Magnus doesn't realize that Princess Cleo and Jonas Agallon recovered the earth Kindred. Who will win and who will lose in this latest installment of the Fallen Kingdoms series? And who will emerge from the shadows to throw Mytica off balance?

Visit Morgan Rhodes’ website.

Endure by Sara B. Larson (Defy book 3)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first two books in this trilogy, Defy and Ignite, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

King Damien and Alexa have brought hope back to the people of Antion. Trying to rebuild the kingdom his father enslaved, a new threat had emerged from outside of the kingdom. Alexa wants to go after and save her friend Rylan. She also needs to find a way to kill Rafe and free herself from his control before she can do harm to Damien. Alexa had received a message from Rafe that she must come alone if she wants Rylan alive. If anyone else comes, he is dead. Word of General Tinso’s letter declaring war on Antion is circulating throughout the palace and people want to know what measures Damien if or will take against his Blevon. When one of King Armando’s black sorcerers escapes from the dungeon and makes it to the throne room, he unleashes a magical smog that causes Alexa and several others to fight against their friends. She knows that she really isn't fighting against Damien but it still doesn't make the situation any easier. When the smog dissipates, several of their friends are dead. Alexa, Damien and their surviving friends are devastated.

After the funeral pyres are lit, Damien leaves abruptly, causing concern amongst his friends and guard. Alexa goes to him and neither likes where their conversation is heading. Damien asks Alexa to stay with him. He cannot lose her as well. She loves Damien and has even accepted his marriage proposal but she loves Rylan as well. He has been there for her just like her twin brother Marcel, especially since Marcel's death.  If she didn't go after him, she would be unable to live with the guilt. Damien understands but thinks their goodbye will be their last, he doesn't think Alexa's luck will hold out. She promises to return and become Antion’s queen.

Will Alexa be successful in her attempt to rescue Rylan? Can she kill Rafe and set herself free from his curse? What is the real reason behind General Tinso’s act of war against Antion? Does Alexa return to Damien and become his queen?

Fans of  the Defy trilogy will want to see how Alexa’s story ends.

Visit Sara B. Larson’s website.

Rook by Sharon Cameron

"What will be has already been..."

When the Great Death struck the Earth, many believed that it was caused by the Ancients’ reliance on technology. A few think that the downfall of the Time Before came from the shifts in the Earth itself that allowed for the radiation to come in. Paris, the former City of Light, is now known as the Sunken City. Parts dropped into the catacombs beneath the city and society is now divided between the Upper and Lower. Premier Allemande condones the use of technology. To keep the people of the Sunken City in line, history once again repeats itself. The guillotine is used to remove the heads of the wealthy who secretly fund outlawed technology. Allemande believes that society will fail once more if people become too dependent on machines again. Several countries, including Spain and China, have broken the Anti-Technology PAct and now refuse to trade with the Commonwealth, crippling its economy.

Sophia Bellamy is about to enter into a marriage contract with the handsome and wealthy René Hasard to save her family from financial ruin. The Parliament of the Commonwealth revoked the last license for private printing from the family because their book, Wesson’s Guide to Paintings of the Time Before, clouded people’s minds and is now an illegal item. With twenty-six days left to pay his debts, Mr. Bellamy will lose the family’s estate since his son Tom doesn’t have the money or assets to inherit it. It is now up to Sophia to wed the son of a wealthy Parisian businesswoman to secure the funds to pay off her father’s debt and to fund Tom’s inheritance of the estate. Having met René just before their engagement party, she believes that he will be an agreeable match and she can continue her life as she pleases. Sophia spends her spare time rescuing her friends before Allemande’s Ministre of Security, Albert LeBlanc, can separate them from their heads. Her world is turned upside down when LeBlanc makes an appearance at her engagement party hours after her latest rescue of an entire family from the Sunken City before their scheduled executions. It turns out that LeBlanc is a distant cousin to Hasard but it isn’t long before she discovers that he has traced the Red Rook to the doors of Bellamy House, across the Channel Sea. A mystery or legend, the Red Rook leaves behind a red-tipped rook feather in place of Allemende’s prisoners. LeBlanc will keep the Hasard fortune and her family’s salvation in tact if she can supply him with information about the Red Rook. LeBlanc gives her one week.

Snooping though LeBlanc’s room one night, Sophia is unnerved when she discovers an unfinished letter that he is writing to René. In it he tells René that the capture of the Red Rook is of the utmost importance. He should glean any information he can from his current situation but shouldn’t attempt to rush into a sacrificial marriage to Sophia. Angry, she realizes that LeBlanc has suspected Tom for awhile. She also ponders if René suspects the truth about her. Leaving LeBlanc’s room through a window, she hears a sword being unsheathed . Turning in time to keep from being hit in the spine, she gets cut in her side. Dropping quickly, the sword cuts her rope in half and she crashes to the ground where she blacks out.

Sophia awakes only what seems like minutes later to find the sword-bearing man dead with a knife in his chest. Hearing the foxes, she takes the knife, grabs her bleeding side and makes her way back to Bellamy House. She enters through a secret door and descends into an underground room that Tom has dubbed his sanctuary. She collapses on a cot. Sophia later awakes to find herself covered by a thick blanket, something tight around her middle and a man with his back to her. When he speaks to her over his shoulder, Sophia is startled to learn that it is René. He seems so unlike the man she met at their engagement party. She is sure that René has discovered the truth about her. Sophia is having problems trying to figure out this very different René Hasard from the one she first met. This René seems to be very dangerous but offers to keep her secrets if she will keep his once they are married. René sutures her wound. He leans down and Sophia thinks and kind of hopes that he will kiss her. Before anything can happen, René passes out from the knockout powder that Sophia placed in his drink. She leaves him behind and wonders how she will deal with LeBlanc later that night at dinner.

Is Sophia Bellamy the Red Rook? Who is René Hasard? Can Sophia trust him or is he really conspiring with the enemy? Does Sophia save her father from debtor’s prison and find a way for Tom to inherit Bellamy House? Can the guillotine be stopped once again? Will technology make a revival in the world? What happens when Sophia discovers that she isn’t the only one harboring a secret?

Based on The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emma Orczy, readers will be entranced by Sophia’s story.

Visit Sharon Cameron’s website.

Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty (Lock & Mori book 1)

London, Present Day

March 4th was the day that James “Mori” Moriarty first met Sherlock “Lock” Holmes during a fire drill. Her drama teacher sent her to fetch him from his private laboratory in the basement beneath the theater. The two come to a standoff when he immediately pegs her but she has unnerved Sherlock. The two part and go about their day. Mori knows that it will be a bad night when she comes home. Her mother died six months earlier and her father is unable to deal with the situation. Mori not only acts as mother for her younger brothers when the drinking and reminiscing occur but as a distraction for her father’s ire. Her father does tell her to stay out of Regent Park because a murder has occurred there and is under investigation. Mori’s well meaning comment about the police needing her father on the scene to complete the job blows up. Physically abusive, he finally stomps off to his room and continues to drown his sorrows over his wife’s death. Mori ends up doing the one thing her told her not to do, she heads off to the park.

Mori and Lock run into each other that night in Regent Park. She heads to the deserted bandstand but once again notices a man, smoking a clove cigarette, leaning against a monument in the shadows. Paying him no attention, she dries her tears and attempts to pull herself together. Mori is disbelieving at first when the man speaks to her but soon realizes that it is Sherlock when he remarks that she never told him her name. He has seen her multiple times in the park at night but he never wondered about her until today. Mori tells him her name, since it is unlikely that her would ever guess that her real name is James. Sherlock asks her to follow him and she is baffled when her takes her to the active crime scene in the park.

Reluctant at first, Mori trails after him, even when he ducks under the police tape to hide in the woods. The two get an upclose view of the scene and notice the position of the body. They also hear what the police officers are saying about the scene and speculate that it was a robbery gone wrong. Sherlock proposes that the two of them could do a much better job and challenges Mori to the task. He knows that her father is a police officer. Even though Sherlock doesn’t know Mori all that well, he figures the two of them can solve the case first. He suggests they it a game and the first one to solve the case, wins. Mori wants to know the rules but Sherlock states that there will only be one; no transparency. She tells him that she isn’t sure and explains that her father can never find out. Mori states that they will have to meet in the middle of the lake where no one can overhear their conversations. Sherlock has a smile on his lips as he walks away after hearing Mori comment that the blood is fake.

Mori has decided against playing Sherlock’s game the next morning. During play practice, once again Mori is playing her understudy part, Sherlock shows up. Unsure why he is there, she tries to back out of his game until he states that they need to talk to the girl whose part she has overtaken. Turns out, her father was the man killed the park the night before. Mori sends Sherlock away and tries to find out some information about Lily Patel, the girl for who she is the understudy. She eventually finds out that there will be a memorial on Saturday from Lily’s boyfriend when she says that she wants to offer her condolences. Sherlock and Mori attend the service. Alone out in the lobby, she sees the display of photographs they family put together. She is shocked to see her mother in a photo with Mr. Patel and several other people. She pockets the picture before a member of the family comes up to her. The white haired woman begins talking of the life Mr. Patel lived even after his troubled youth. She begins searching for the photo that Mori has taken, saying that a woman was at the center of it all. She looked innocent on the outside but was a real wolf once you knew her. Before she can cover her face, the woman remarks that Mori resembles her. Mori heads off to find Sherlock who believes the two of them have wasted their time. She keeps her new found information quiet from Sherlock, breaking their pact.

What secrets does Mori uncover about her mother and the photograph she lifted from the memorial service? Why was Mr. Patel murdered? Can her father’s rage at her stop or does it continue to escalate? Does Mori lay bare her dysfunctional home life to Sherlock? Who solves the case first? What happens when Sherlock discovers Mori’s deception after the two of them grow close?

Book two in the trilogy is expected to be published in 2016.

Visit Heather W. Petty’s website.

Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass (The Selection books 0.4, 0.5, 2.5, 2.6)

Meet Prince Maxon before he fell in love with America, and a girl named Amberly before she became queen. See the Selection through the eyes of a guard who watched his first love drift away and a girl who fell for a boy who wasn't the prince. This gorgeous collection features four novellas from the captivating world of Kiera Cass's #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series, as well as exclusive, never-before-seen bonus content.

This series companion is a must-have for any Selection fan, and includes:

• The Prince
• The Guard
• The Queen
• The Favorite
• Exclusive new scenes from The Selection, The Elite, and The One
• Introductions to each novella from Kiera Cass
• A map of Illéa and other illustrations
• And more!

Taken from barnesandnoble.com

Half Wild by Sally Green (Half Bad Trilogy book 2)

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

Kept in a cage for two years by the Council of White Witches, Nathan was trained to kill his father, the most violent and feared of Black Witches. Now Nathan has escaped, and he dreams of a quiet life of freedom with Annalise, the girl he loves - but Annalise is a prisoner, wasting away in a death-like sleep. Nathan's friend Gabriel is missing, likely dead, and although Nathan has found his unique magical Gift, he can't control it. The Council's Hunters are on his trail, so he is always on the run. Nathan's only hope of survival is to join with new friends and old enemies in an alliance to bring down the Council, and they want Nathan's help: they, too, want Nathan to be a killer. Maybe that's the only way out. Maybe that's just who he is now. - Goodreads.com

The story concludes on March 29, 2016 with Half Lost.

Visit Sally Green’s website.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (Illuminae Files book 1)

“First, survive. Then tell the truth.”

“This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Even though this is a “hefty” book, readers will not be able to it down until the end to see how Kady and Ezra’s story turns out. Written in a unique style, I was afraid that I would be lost or easily bored. Definitely not the case. It turned out to be one of my favorite reads of the year. A sci-fi mystery with with an underlying twist of rebudding romance, readers will be left hanging for The Iluuminae Files book 2.

Visit Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff’s websites.

Winter by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles book 4)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first four books in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder, Scarlet, Cress and Fairest, Stop! I don’t want to ruin one of my favorite series for you.

Please visit the Recaptains blog if you need a refresher on any of the previous books in this series.

I don’t want to go into too much detail and ruin the story for anyone. Here is where Meyer left off all of our favorite characters. Earth and Luna are at war since Linh Cinder, aka Princess Selene, has escaped from prison. Emperor Kai was kidnapped just before his wedding ceremony to Levana thus foiling her attempts to be crowded Empress of the Eastern Commonwealth. Scarlet Benoit is being held prisoner as one of the displays in Levana’s zoo where Princess Winter has taken a liking to her. Everyone else is aboard the Rampion plotting their next move. When it is decided that the marriage ceremony will take place on Luna, the action heats up as Cinder is determined to take her rightful place on Luna’s throne.

Who will come to Cinder’s aid in her attempts to overthrow Levana? Can Earth be saved from Levana’s determination to rule?  Will our beloved heroines find their happily ever afters?

At over 800 pages to wrap up the storylines of eight different characters, readers are in for a treat to see how this fractured fairytale finally ends.

Stars Above: A Lunar Chronicles Collection, Meyer’s printed collection of short stories, is due out February 2, 2016.

Visit Marissa Meyer’s website
Visit the Lunar Chronicles website.

Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick

"Stella Gordan's life is a lie."

Stella Gordon, not her real name, is given ten minutes to say goodbye to her boyfriend Reed. The two are entering the Witness Protection Program because her testimony will put Danny Balando in prison. Balando, her mother's drug dealer, is facing a first degree murder charge as well as multiple counts of drug possession and trafficking. Stella, who hates her new name, is heading to Thunder Basin, NE while her mother is going to rehab. She is angry at her mother and blames her for the situation that she finds herself in. Stella hopes to never see her again. She is estranged from her father because he refused to join her in the Program. Reed doesn't know where he is being relocated. She will never be able to come back home to Philadelphia and knows that Balando and his henchmen will never stop searching for her. Before the two are separated after being given ten minutes to say goodbye, Reed whispers in her ear to remember their joint email account.

Agent Price drives Stella to the middle of nowhere, small town Nebraska. He tells her about Carmina Songster, the retired cop Stella will be living with for the next three months until she turns eighteen. Everyone in town likes Carmina. They call her Gran and she knows the truth about Stella. They arrive after dark and Carmina is waiting on the porch for them. Right away, Stella knows this isn’t home. Her life and everything in it is back in Philadelphia.  She isn’t very receptive to Carmina’s welcoming gestures. Getting out of the car, she has a flashback to that night at her house where everything went wrong. Agent Price thinks everyone will be better with a good night’s sleep. Inside the house, Stella feels like she is in a time warp back to the twentieth-century. Carmina tells her that breakfast is at 7am sharp. Her room looks like it hasn’t been occupied in a while and a few of the previous inhabitant’s things are still there. She begins to wonder about Carmina’s past.

Stella is awoken by the sound of a lawn mower. She looks at the clock and sees that it is only 5am. Looking out the window, she sees a fit guy around her age. He doesn't hear her yelling because he has headphones on. She goes into Carmina’s room. She tells Stella that his name is Chet Falconer and he likes to get his work done early before it get too hot. Carmina instructs her to go back to bed. Since she wasn’t allowed to bring her iPhone, she will find something else in a dresser drawer. Back in her room, Stella pulls out a Walkman and rummages through the cassette tapes before finding one to her liking. She turns up the volumes and goes back to sleep. Stella goes down to the kitchen around ten and finds that breakfast is over. Carmina is out back, weeding her garden. Carmina tells her that bacon and eggs aren’t good cold and Stella states that she gets it; if you snooze, you lose. Stella hasn’t had a parent figure in a while and can do for herself. Carmina tells her that they are going into town to look for her a job, something Stella has never done. Stella thinks that maybe Carmina is looking for a fight but Stella decides that two can play at that game and goes along. She isn’t looking to get past her anger and open up to Carmina. On the way into town, the two pass by Chet at a house with a toolbox in hand. Stella starts to ask questions about Chet and Carmina warns her off. She states that he has enough problems without her adding to them. His parents are deceased and he is now the man of the house. Stella is surprised to find out that he isn’t looking to see what she considers a dead end town. After applying for several jobs while dressed in cut off shorts, the continue to trade barbs on their way home.

Carmina leaves Stella home alone one night while she attends a bible study. To combat a flashback she has, Stella goes to her room and pulls out one of Reed’s letters that she snuck with her. While reading it, she recalls one of the last things Reed said to her and she remembers their email account. Stella decides she must find a way to get to the library. She looks in the barn to see if she can find a bike but discovers an old Mustang instead. Locating the keys, the car easily starts and Stella heads out. She is disappointed to find that Reed hasn’t left an email but she leaves one instead. Heading out to her car, she is panic stricken to find that it won’t start. A guy comes up offering to help but she doesn’t want to take it. He states that the car was his before he sold it to Carmina last year. He wants to know if he needs to call the police. Turns out the guy is Chet. Stella tells him that Carmina is her foster parent and he is shocked. Chet can’t figure out why a loner like Carmina has taken her in. Stella gives Chet her cover story and he seems to buy it. He will start the car if she does a favor for him. Stella is worried that she won’t beat Carmina home. She agrees and heads to the diner to listen into a conversation that Chet is interested in. Getting the needed information, Stella comes back to find the Mustang running. Chet tells her a short cut. Hiding the car back into the barn, Stella thinks she is in the clear until she finds Carmina waiting for her in the house. Stella will be attending church with her tomorrow and now has a curfew. She isn’t happy and drowns her sorrows by reading one of Reed’s old letters.

People in church are shocked to see Stella with Carmina. She steers clear of any questions someone might ask and they want to ask. Stella begins to wonder what Carmina’s cover story for her appearance might be and why she was picked by the U.S. attorney’s office. Stella asks Carmina what she is getting in return. That is the answer Chet wants to know as he sits down in the pew behind them. Carmina isn’t answering and the conversation turns to Chet’s past. Carmina had arrested Chet in the past. She is surprised that Chet and Stella were together the night before. Stella is talked into staying for the church social after the service. Talking, Stella discovers that she listened in to a conversation between Chet’s young brother Dusty and Cooter Saggory, the town’s drug dealer. Chet fears that his brother is going to get caught up in something that will land him in prison. Their parents’ death hasn’t been easy on him. Stella wants to stir clear of the conversation because Chet’s problems with Dusty are all too familiar to her. Carmina come to retrieve her to go home. Stella tries to get out of leaving with her but Chet won’t play along. The Reverend tells Stella that he hoped to see her again. She comments that Carmina keeps her on a tight leash but Carmina comments that she isn’t Stella’s parole officer. H offers to see if Chet can find a church softball team to join. Stella is all to happy to play.

What occurred that caused Stella to enter the Witness Protection Plan? Why has Carmina taken in Stella? What is in Carmina’s past that she isn’t telling anyone?  Can Stella open up about her problems to Carmina or will she continue to shut her out? Does Chet uncover the truth about Stella? What secrets is Chet hiding? Can Stella and her mother ever repair their relationship? Will Stella ever see Reed again? What happens when Stella’s cover is blown?

Visit Becca Fitzpatrick’s website.

Half Bad by Sally Green (Half Bad book 1)

Wanted by no one.
Hunted by everyone.

"Sixteen-year-old Nathan lives in a cage: beaten, shackled, trained to kill. In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, Nathan is an abomination, the illegitimate son of the world's most terrifying and violent witch, Marcus. Nathan's only hope for survival is to escape his captors, track down Marcus, and receive the three gifts that will bring him into his own magical powers—before it's too late. But how can Nathan find his father when there is no one safe to trust, not even family, not even the girl he loves?" - taken from Goodreads.com

Nathan's story continues with book two i the trilogy, Half Wild.

Visit Sally Green's website.

Persuasion by Martina Boone (Heirs of Watson Island book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book the series, Compulsion, Stop! I don’t want to ruin one of my favorite series for you.

Barrie has returned to Watson's Landing after spending four days in San Francisco to retrieve her Godfather's ashes. What Seven and Eight Beauford neglected to tell her while they were gone is that reporters and ghost hunters have been hanging around since the story about the boat explosion made the news. Pru and Seven decided to close up the tea room over concerns of unwanted visitors. Barrie is upset because she doesn't know how to keep Watson’s Landing safe if she doesn't know what is going on. Seven reassures her that the excitement will die down after Cassie’s hearing and Wyatt's funeral. He believes that everything can go back to normal then.

Eight and Barrie go outside to steal some time together. Eight states that he would like to be rid of his gift but Barrie has embraced hers, even though she develops migraines upon leaving Watson’s Landing. Her gift ties her to the house. Eight says that things would be simpler if she was free of her gift. Barrie just wants the reporters and ghost hunters to quit looking for the Fire Carrier. She is afraid someone else will get hurt. Eight tells her that Wyatt and Ernesto chose to be drug runners and their death is the result of their choices. Barrie is broken when she realizes that the whole time they were in California making plans for their future restaurant, Eight knew they wouldn’t come to fruition. She wishes that they had more time together before he leaves for college. Eight drops the bomb on Barrie that he turned down his baseball scholarship to USC to stay in South Carolina and be close to her. Barrie wants to know if he is staying because he wants to or because of his gift of knowing that she wants him to. They get into an argument over his change of heart over leaving the island. When the implications of what Eight is assuming over a possible future between the two of them, she gets scared. She runs off, leaving a miserable Eight behind.

Barrie’s not mad at Eight, just all of the circumstances that have come their way. Rounding the corner of the house, she realizes that the yunwi are agitated and try to get her to leave. Her gift pulls her to a green object on the ground. Barrie bends over to pick up the token and sees that there is a raven on the backside. She looks for the person who dropped it but doesn’t see anyone at first. Then a man in a dark suit with dreadlocks materializes. Barrie realizes that it is the same man she thought she saw on on the wall the day she came home.  He remarks that he wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t witnessed it, saying that he didn’t think the gift would still be around after all this time. Barrie wants him to leave but he tells he that she has no reason to be afraid of Obadiah. She tries to scream but finds that she cannot. Obadiah tells her that he isn’t there to hurt her and that the Beaufort boy isn’t needed. He overheard their argument earlier and is there to help. He knows Eight wants to be rid of his gift gone. Barrie finds that she can let out a muffled scream and Obadiah is gone. Eight comes running and asks what is wrong. She tries to tell him about Obadiah, but the harder she tries to recall her memories, the hazier they become. Barrie finds that she cannot remember him.

Later, Seven has a chat with Barrie. He wants her to make sure that Eight leaves Watson’s Island while he still has the chance. It is up to her to convince him that she no longer wants him. Barrie is stunned to discover that Eight doesn’t know that his gift will tie him to the island. His father refuses to tell him and won’t answer any of Barrie’s questions. Seven does tell her that a future together with Seven isn’t in the cards. Each will be tied to their respective family homes. If they live together in the future, one would always be in pain. Barrie is left with seeing Seven in a new light and wondering what the future holds.

Who is Obadiah? Can he really take away Eight’s gift? What did he mean when he realizes that Barrie still had the Watson gift of finding things? Why does Barrie have issues recalling any memories of Obadiah?  Is there buried treasure at Coleworth Place? Will Barrie be able to convince Eight to leave Watson’s Island before his gift ties him to Beaufort Hall? What isn’t Seven telling either Barrie or Eight about the family gifts? Do the ghost hunters finally leave Watson’s Island? Is there a chance that Barrie and Eight can have a future together?

Barrie’s story will conclude with Illusion due out on October 25, 2016.

Visit Martina Boone’s website.

The Rose Society by Marie Lu (Young Elites book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book the series, The Young Elites, Stop! I don’t want to ruin one of my favorite series for you.

Please visit the Recaptains blog if you need a refresher on the first book in the series.

“Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all.”

It has been three weeks since Adelina Amouteru and her sister Violetta, left Kenettra. She feels a tremendous amount of guilt over Enzo Valenciano’s death and not trusting the Dagger Society  sooner. Even though she helped rescue Raffaele Bessette, the Daggers still cast her away and she now considers them her enemy. The sisters are in Merroutas to flee the Inquisition's eyes but also to see if they can locate another Young Elite by the name of Magiano. While searching, the two girls are approached by a street vendor who is operating a gambling game. Among the participants is a young malfetto boy. Adelina and Violetta believe that may have found Magiano. Violetta is able to sense Elites by their powers. When the malfetto boy wins, the other participants aren’t happy. After collecting his winnings, he leaves, not sensing the danger behind him. The men who lost their money, follow him down an alley. The girls decide to follow as well. They find the men accosting the boy. Adelina decides to help him. Using her power of illusion, she begins torturing the men. Violetta talks her back to reality and they realize the malfetto boy has escaped. Adelina and Violetta realize that the boy isn’t Magiano. He isn’t the Elite that Violetta sensed. Adelina hears a familiar voice speak to them and Violetta whispers that it belongs to the Elite she sensed earlier. They turn around to see the game operator staring down at them from a balcony.

The sisters tell him that they are searching for Magiano. He wants to know why they are searching for an imaginary person that mothers tell stories about to get their children to behave. They ask why he is so successful at his gambling operation and he reports magic. He also thanks the two of them for helping his young assistant. He wishes them luck in finding their Young Elite. When he says Young Elite, recognition dawns on her. It turns out that the reason Adelina recognizes his voice is that he was in the prison cell next to hers before her scheduled execution. He tries to play it off but realizes that she is Adelina Amouteru. He lets her know that she saved his life that day but doesn't say how. He does tell them that they would have better luck finding Magiano at the Little Baths of Bethesda, one of the abandoned bath halls of southern Merroutas. He warns them that they better have a good reason for seeking him out and leaves. It turns out that the gaming operator is actually Magiano. The sisters will have to prove their worth before he will agree to join up with them. When they complete the task he gave them with what seems to be disastrous results, Magiano is eager to join their ranks. Adelina wonders what drives Magiano; greed or revenge.

Raffaele has assumed leadership of the Dagger Society since the death of Enzo. He and the remaining members have traveled to Beldain to meet with Queen Maeve. Very few of their supporters have been in contact with them since they fled Kenettra. Raffaele realizes that Maeve is an Elite. Her former companion, Lucent, was blamed for Tristan’s ,Maeve's brother, death and banished by Maeve’s mother. Lucent is surprised to see Tristan alive. Raffaele asks Maeve how that is possible and she explains that no one knew that Tristan died. She kept her power a secret. Maeve wants to wrestle control over Kenettra from Giulietta. If Raffaele helps her bring Enzo back to life, his powers would be tenfold. In order for it to work, Enzo has to be tethered to someone. Maeve wants to use Raffaele but she will find someone else if he refuses. Raffaele recognizes that something is off about Tristan now.

Teren Santoro, Leader of the Inquisition Axis, is fiercely loyal to Queen Giulietta. In fact, he is her lover and co-conspirator. He has been enamoured with her since they were children. Now that she is sitting on the throne, it seems her agenda towards malfettos has changed. She wants their “slaves” treated better but Teren is driven to rid Kenettra of all malfettos. He is fighting with himself over his desire to be with Giulietta and to carry out his own personal agenda.

Why does Magiano decide to join forces with Adelina and Violetta? Will Raffaele help Queen Maeve with her plans for Enzo and Kenettra? How come Giulietta wants to save the Malfettos

now that she is on the throne? Why is Teren so determined to rid Kenettra of its malfettos? What happens when Adelina encounters Raffaele and the Black Daggers?  Will Adelina and Teren cross paths again? Who survives? Will Adelina always be a “villain" or can she be redeemed?   Does Adelina’s fame/notoriety help or hinder her endeavors?    

Stay tuned for book three in the Young Elites trilogy due out in 2016 to see how the story ends.

Visit Marie Lu’s website.