Wednesday, February 4, 2026

The Same Backward as Forward by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Inheritance Games book 0)


SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t started this series, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

Read her side of the story, then flip the book over to experience their love anew through his eyes in this novel that you can read backward or forward.


“Hannah Rooney knows how to be invisible. At twenty, she keeps her head down and her eyes open, and so far, she’s managed to avoid being pulled into the dealings of her notorious criminal family. Hannah lives her life in countdown mode, biding her time in nursing school as she waits for her beloved sister, Kaylie, to turn eighteen so Hannah can get them both far, far away from Rockaway Watch and start a new life.

Tobias Hawthorne II acts every inch the entitled heir that he is. As the only son of one of the country's richest men, there isn't a door that isn't open to him. Yet behind his razor sharp cheekbones and devil-may-care attitude, Toby is guarding a nest of deadly secrets and a fiery anger fierce enough to burn everything in his path.

Their lives collide in one tragic, stormy night, where an act of arson and nature leave Kaylie and two others dead and Toby just barely alive--with no memory of who he is. The fisherman who pulls him from the ocean enlists Hannah to help save the very person who she knows took away her sister. Fueled by her hatred, Hannah is determined to deny Toby's death wish by keeping him alive. He is the last person that she should ever develop feelings for, and she is the first thing he ever remembers seeing.

*Hannah’s side of the story was previously published as a novella in Games Untold.” - taken from Goodreads.

Read both Hannah and Toby's perspectives of their story.

Visit Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ website.

A Fate So Cold by Amanda Foody & C.L. Herman (A Fate So Cold book 1)


“For most of the year, Summer reigns peacefully over Alderland. Then, for six brutal weeks, Winter rages, obliterating towns and wreaking casualties. Magicians bond with powerful wands of Summer to defend the nation, a duty that costs many their lives.

Domenic Barrow never wanted such responsibility―but destiny hasn’t granted him a choice. The greatest Summer wand has awakened for the first time in a century, warning that an icy cataclysm looms on the horizon. And despite his reputation as the least suited of his classmates, the wand Chooses Domenic to wield it.

Ellery Caldwell spent years striving to be a perfect Summer magician―and burying her fears of her own power. But her worst suspicions are proven true when she accidentally creates the first ever Winter wand.

Now, as the unprecedented Chosen Two, Domenic and Ellery must thwart the oncoming cataclysm together. And in trying to fulfill their destinies, they wonder if they were brought together for a second fate: to fall in love.

Until they discover the unthinkable truth. The Chosen Two aren’t fated allies, but eternal rivals, and the only way to save their home is for one of them to slay the other.

This is no love story. It's a tragedy.”
- taken from Goodreads.

The first book in a unique duology, this opening story begins the tale of two magicians who are brought together by a horrific fate that sets them at odds against their wills. In the battle of summer versus winter, two unlikely champions have been chosen. For Dominic and Ellery, it seems like kismet has brought them together. As they join forces to battle winter from completely taking over summer, they soon realize that in order to win, only one of them can be standing at the end.

Beautiful storytelling, vivid scenes, and a heartbreaking romance that places during the heat of battle, readers will be left hanging over what’s to come in this story’s conclusion.

Book two is due out in 2026.

Visit Amanda Foody’s website.

Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet

 

“When Beth March is found dead in the woods on New Year’s Day, her sisters vow to uncover her murderer.


Suspects abound. There’s the neighbor who has feelings for not one but two of the girls. Meg’s manipulative best friend. Amy’s flirtatious mentor. And Beth’s lionhearted first love. But it doesn’t take the surviving sisters much digging to uncover motives each one of the March girls had for doing the unthinkable.


Jo, an aspiring author with a huge following on social media, would do anything to hook readers. Would she kill her sister for the story? Amy dreams of studying art in Europe, but she’ll need money from her aunt—money that’s always been earmarked for Beth. And Meg wouldn’t dream of hurting her sister…but her boyfriend might have, and she’ll protect him at all costs.


Despite the growing suspicion within the family, it’s hard to know for sure if the crime was committed by someone close to home. After all, the March sisters were dragged into the spotlight months ago when their father published a controversial bestseller about his own daughters. Beth could have been killed by anyone.


Beth’s perspective told in flashback unfolds next to Meg, Jo, and Amy’s increasingly fraught investigation as the tragedy threatens to rip the Marches apart.” - taken from Goodreads.


I have never read the book Little Women but one only needs to know the basics of the story to enjoy this modern day retelling. The father, Mr. March has written a controversial best selling novel based on the lives of his four daughters, Little Women. Just like in the original story, Beth dies in the book. Only in real life, Beth is still alive…until she isn’t.


This book is told in four POVs, between before Beth’s death and after and begins with Jo and Amy finding Beth’s body on the morning of January 1. As the March sisters begin to tell their stories and the pieces come together surrounding the mystery over Beth’s death, readers will be shattered by the ending.


Visit Katie Bernet’s website.

Fearful by Lauren Roberts (Powerless book 3.5)

 

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


“Love too grand, it kills.


Mara never intended to set foot in Ilya again. But when the king makes a life-altering decision, her interest is piqued, and Death is determined to understand Kitt Azer’s mind if he is destined to join her in the Mors.


Spending time with the king while observing the castle’s inhabitants reminds Mara that there is more to life than just death. There is love. But even the purest of intentions spur revenge and the pursuit of power. And fate will have its way with all of them—to live, to rule, to love, and most certainly, to die….” - taken from Goodreads.


The main focus of this story is between Kitt as he is suffering from the effects of the plague and Mara, Death personified. Also throw in Blair and Lenny to explore their story deeper. A read for true fans.


Visit Lauren Roberts’ website.