Royals by Rachel Hawkins (Royals book 1)

“Meet Daisy Winters. She’s an offbeat sixteen-year-old Floridian with mermaid-red hair; a part-time job at a bootleg Walmart, and a perfect older sister who’s nearly engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid attention forces her to join Ellie at the relative seclusion of the castle across the pond. 

While the dashing young Miles has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal, the prince’s roguish younger brother kicks up scandal wherever he goes and tries his best to take Daisy along for the ride. The crown–and the intriguing Miles–might be trying to make Daisy into a lady . . . but Daisy may just rewrite the royal rulebook to suit herself.” - taken from Goodreads.com

All that Daisy Winters is looking forward to is going to Key Con with her best friend over the summer. Her plans drastically change when her sister becomes engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland and Daisy becomes tabloid fodder when her boyfriend sells their prom photo and gives an interview. To keep Daisy’s image in line with the Royal family, she is forced to spend her summer in Scotland. Unfortunately, her hot throb future brother-in-law has other plans. In a hilarious and sarcastic filled book, Daisy sets out to prove that she is not one for all of the royal trappings. Or is she? 

Book two in the series, Her Royal Highness, is due out on May 7, 2019.

Dances of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson (Dance of Thieves book 1)

“A new novel in the New York Times–bestselling Remnant Chronicles universe, in which a reformed thief and the young leader of an outlaw dynasty lock wits in a battle that may cost them their lives—and their hearts.

When the patriarch of the Ballenger empire dies, his son, Jase, becomes its new leader. Even nearby kingdoms bow to the strength of this outlaw family, who have always governed by their own rules. But a new era looms on the horizon, set in motion by a young queen, which makes her the target of the dynasty's resentment and anger.

At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by the queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements. When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought. As unexpected events spiral out of their control, bringing them intimately together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I don't know why I didn't pick this book up sooner than I did. I loved Pearson's The Remnant Chronicles and her new series continues along the same path. One doesn't need to read the previous trilogy to understand the story but beloved characters and past history do play a part of the storyline.

Kazi is a strong girl with an undying sense of loyalty to her Queen. On a secret mission to track down a war criminal and bring him back to justice, Kazi soon finds herself in a completely unexpected situation. Jase's father has just died and named him patriarch of the family business. Struggling to keep his family’s control over Hell’s Mouth, Jase finds himself captured by a gang of labor hunters and chained to Kazi. They are able to escape but find themselves still shackled together at the ankle. Keeping secrets from one another, feelings develop between the two of them that throw both of their lives in turmoil.

A fantastic ending to a great new fantasy series that will leave fans begging for more. 

Book two, Vow of Thieves, comes out on August 6, 2019.

Visit Mary E. Pearson’s website.

Wildcard by Marie Lu (Warcross book 2)

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

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

“Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo's new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she's always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.

Determined to put a stop to Hideo's grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone's put a bounty on Emika's head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn't all that he seems--and his protection comes at a price.

Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?” - taken from Goodreads.com

I don't think I have a read a Marie Lu book that I didn't love or the ending didn't to my soul apart. Wildcard was no exception. Once again shocked by how the storyline flowed, the very last page was extremely satisfying. My only question is trying to figure out who exactly Asher is. Don't name drop and leave me hanging. 

Visit Marie Lu’s website.