The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix (The Left-Handed Booksellers of London book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“There is often trouble of a mythical sort in Bath. The booksellers who police the Old World keep a careful watch there, particularly on the entity that inhabits the ancient hot spring.

This time trouble comes from the discovery of a sorcerous map, leading left-handed bookseller Merlin into great danger, requiring a desperate rescue attempt from his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, and art student Susan Arkshaw, who is still struggling to deal with her own recently discovered magical heritage.

The map takes the trio to a place separated from this world, maintained by deadly sorcery and guarded by monstrous living statues. But this is only the beginning. To unravel the secrets of a murderous Ancient Sovereign, the booksellers must investigate centuries of disappearances and deaths. If they do not stop her, she will soon kill again. And this time, her target is not an ordinary mortal.” - taken from Goodreads.

Our story now finds us in Bath and Susan Arkshaw is trying to find her way after discovering who her father is. After rescuing Merlin from a mysterious map, Susan, Merlin, and Vivien realize that a magical serial killer is lurking and will soon strike again. As the Booksellers work to uncover the killer’s motives, Susan’s father begins reaching out through her dreams. When the Booksellers discover that Susan is the serial killer’s next victim, will they be able to save her and what does her father want with her? 

After that ending, there has to be another book in this series.

Visit Garth Nix’s website.

Royal Blood by Aimee Carter (Royal Blood book 1)

 

“As the King of England’s illegitimate daughter, 17-year-old Evan Bright knows a thing or two about keeping secrets.

But when she’s forced to spend the summer in London with her father and the royal family, who aren’t exactly thrilled she exists, her identity is mysteriously revealed, and suddenly the world is dying to know every juicy lie the press prints about her.

After a fun night turns deadly and Evan becomes the primary suspect in a murder investigation, the escalating rumors and fallout threaten to tear her life apart. As she fights to uncover the truth about what happened, she discovers royal secrets that are even more scandalous than she imagined – secrets that could change the monarchy forever.

And her own may be next.” - taken from Goodreads.

All Evangeline Bright wants is to leave behind her boarding school and return to her mother. When her latest escapade at boarding school lands her in jail, her father’s representative decides to take Evan back to her father, the King of England. Definitely not welcomed by the royal family, it’s not long before her existence is leaked to the press. With few friendly faces in the palace, Evan finds herself as the prime suspect of the murder of Jasper Cunningham, the boy who befriended her and then attempted to take advantage of her at his party. Determined to clear her name and make her way in the palace, can Evan discover the truth about Jasper’s death while finding her role in the royal family? A delightful read that I sailed through.

The good news is that there will be two more books in the Royal Blood series.

Visit Aimee Carter’s website.

Blood Like Fate by Liselle Sambury (Blood Like Magic book 2)

 

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

“Voya fights to save her witch community from a terrible future.

Voya Thomas may have passed her Calling to become a full-fledged witch, but the cost was higher than she’d ever imagined.

Her grandmother is gone.
Her cousin hates her.
And her family doesn’t believe that she has what it takes to lead them.

What’s more, Voya can’t let go of her feelings for Luc, sponsor son of the genius billionaire Justin Tremblay—the man that Luc believes Voya killed. Consequently, Luc wants nothing to do with her. Even her own ancestors seem to have lost faith in her. Every day Voya begs for their guidance, but her calls go unanswered.

As Voya struggles to convince everyone—herself included—that she can be a good Matriarch, she has a vision of a terrifying, deadly future. A vision that would spell the end of the Toronto witches. With a newfound sense of purpose, Voya must do whatever it takes to bring her shattered community together and stop what's coming for them before it’s too late.

Even if it means taking down the boy she loves—who might be the mastermind behind the coming devastation.” - taken from Goodreads.

In the conclusion to Voya’s story, she is dealing with the catastrophic decisions she had to make to pass her Calling. Now the matriarch of the Thomas family, she is struggling to lead and her family isn’t very supportive. After a devastating vision, Voya realizes that she needs the help of her family and community in stopping the boy she loves. With several surprises thrown in along the way, Voya’s story comes to a satisfying end.

Visit Liselle Sambury’s website.

Midnight Strikes by Zeba Shahnaz

“Seventeen-year-old Anaïs just wants tonight to end. As an outsider at the kingdom’s glittering anniversary ball, she has no desire to rub shoulders with the nation’s most eligible (and pompous) bachelors—especially not the notoriously roguish Prince Leo. But at the stroke of midnight, an explosion rips through the palace, killing everyone in its path. Including her.

The last thing Anaïs sees is fire, smoke, chaos . . . and then she wakes up in her bedroom, hours before the ball. No one else remembers the deadly attack or believes her warnings of disaster.

Not even when it happens again. And again. And again.

If she’s going to escape this nightmarish time loop, Anaïs must take control of her own fate and stop the attack before it happens. But the court's gilded surface belies a rotten core, full of restless nobles grabbing at power, discontented commoners itching for revolution, and even royals who secretly dream of taking the throne. It's up to Anaïs to untangle these knots of deadly deceptions . . . if she can survive past midnight.” - taken from Goodreads.

Anaïs keeps reliving the night of the Anniversary Ball over and over again trying to find a way to stop the destruction that takes place as the bells toll midnight. Never forgetting what had happened the previous nights, Anaïs is able to continually build in the information she has already gathered. As the recurring days go on, will Anaïs be able to discover why the time curse started and how she can hope to stop it, before it's too late. 

Visit Zeba Shahnaz’s website.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

 

“Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He's a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes . . . except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.

Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed. Social media followers eat up her takes on everything from UFOs to holiday overconsumption--yet, she's still not cool enough for the popular kids' table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, that's how Celine sees it.)

These days, there's nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she's surprised to find Brad right beside her.

Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed . . . or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?” - taken from Goodreads.

This was a slow read for me. I heard such great things about this book that I couldn’t wait to read it. Unfortunately, it took awhile for me to get into it. Not wanting to give up and see how the story ended, the ending was okay. Definitely not one of my favorites. 

Visit Talia Hibbert’s website.