The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith

 

“Every citizen of England is granted one bargain from their immortal fae queen.

High society girls are expected to bargain for qualities that will win them suitors: a rare talent for piano in exchange for one’s happiest childhood memory. A perfect smile for one’s ability to taste.

But Ivy Benton’s debut season arrives with a shocking twist: a competition to secure the heart of the Queen’s fae son, Prince Bram. A prize that could save Ivy’s family from ruin… and free her sister from the bargain that destroyed her.

Yet every glittering fae deal has a rotting heart—and at the center of this contest is a dark plot that could destroy everything Ivy knows.” - taken from Goodreads.

This book was pitched as The Cruel Prince meets The Selection and boy was that correct. It is also a twist on the history of English royalty where a fae queen sits on the throne. Ivy Benton is determined to find out what happened to her older sister Lydia during her disappearance. Fallen from society because of her sister, the family’s hopes are dependent on the match Ivy can make during her season. The stakes are raised substantially when the Queen announces that her son, Prince Bram, will be looking for a wife. Can Ivy survive the brutal season that she is about to face?

No word yet on a second book, but with that ending, there better be one on the horizon,

Visit Sasha Peyton Smith’s website.

Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson (Truly Devious book 5)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first four books in the series, Stop! You may not know some of the past details revealed in the previous books.

“Senior year at Ellingham Academy for Stevie Bell isn’t going well. Her boyfriend, David, is studying in London. Her friends are obsessed with college applications. With the cold case of the century solved, Stevie is adrift. There is nothing to distract her from the questions pinging around her brain—questions about college, love, and life in general.

Relief comes when David invites Stevie and her friends to join him for study abroad, and his new friend Izzy introduces her to a double-murder cold case. In 1995, nine friends from Cambridge University went to a country house and played a drunken game of hide-and-seek. Two were found in the woodshed the next day, murdered with an ax.

The case was assumed to be a burglary gone wrong, but one of the remaining seven saw something she can’t explain. This was no break-in. Someone’s lying about what happened in the woodshed.

Seven suspects. Two murders. One killer still playing a deadly game.” - taken from Goodreads.

This was an interesting installment in the Truly Devious series. With David studying in London, Stevie and her friends concoct a plan to study abroad so that she can visit David. Upon arrival, they meet one of David’s friends, Izzy, who wants Stevie’s help to solve the murders of two of her aunt’s college roommates. Blindsiding her aunt Angela with Stevie’s arrival, Izzy panics when Angela disappears. Begging for Stevie’s help, it’s not long before she is on the case. Told between flashbacks to June 1995 and the present, can Stevie solve this latest mystery that she has stumbled upon before she needs to leave for Ellingham?

Visit Maureen Johnson’s website.

Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare (The Lost Hours book 2, Shadowhunters book 14)

SPOILER POTENTIAL! This is the second book in this series. Please stop if you haven’t read the first book, Chain of Gold.

“Cordelia Carstairs seems to have everything she ever wanted. She’s engaged to marry James Herondale, the boy she has loved since childhood. She has a new life in London with her best friend Lucie Herondale and James’s charming companions, the Merry Thieves. She is about to be reunited with her beloved father. And she bears the sword Cortana, a legendary hero’s blade.

But the truth is far grimmer. James and Cordelia’s marriage is a lie, arranged to save Cordelia’s reputation. James is in love with the mysterious Grace Blackthorn whose brother, Jesse, died years ago in a terrible accident. Cortana burns Cordelia’s hand when she touches it, while her father has grown bitter and angry. And a serial murderer is targeting the Shadowhunters of London, killing under cover of darkness, then vanishing without a trace.

Together with the Merry Thieves, Cordelia, James, and Lucie must follow the trail of the knife-wielding killer through the city’s most dangerous streets. All the while, each is keeping a shocking secret: Lucie, that she plans to raise Jesse from the dead; Cordelia, that she has sworn a dangerous oath of loyalty to a mysterious power; and James, that he is being drawn further each night into the dark web of his grandfather, the arch-demon Belial. And that he himself may be the killer they seek.” - taken from Goodreads.com

OMG! I don’t know how Ms. Clare continues to draw me into the Shadowhunters’ realm without getting bored. This book was so incredible that I couldn’t wait to get to the end yet never wanted the story to stop. And that ending is a killer cliffhanger! One year is going to be a terrible wait.

Book three, Chain of Thorns, is expected in March of 2022.

Visit Cassandra Clare’s website.
Visit Shadowhunters.com

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

 

“Authorized to kill ...and sell books”

“In a slightly alternate London in 1983, Susan Arkshaw is looking for her father, a man she has never met. Crime boss Frank Thringley might be able to help her, but Susan doesn’t get time to ask Frank any questions before he is turned to dust by the prick of a silver hatpin in the hands of the outrageously attractive Merlin.

Merlin is a young left-handed bookseller (one of the fighting ones), who with the right-handed booksellers (the intellectual ones), are an extended family of magical beings who police the mythic and legendary Old World when it intrudes on the modern world, in addition to running several bookshops.

Susan’s search for her father begins with her mother’s possibly misremembered or misspelt surnames, a reading room ticket, and a silver cigarette case engraved with something that might be a coat of arms.

Merlin has a quest of his own, to find the Old World entity who used ordinary criminals to kill his mother. As he and his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, tread in the path of a botched or covered-up police investigation from years past, they find this quest strangely overlaps with Susan’s. Who or what was her father? Susan, Merlin, and Vivien must find out, as the Old World erupts dangerously into the New.” - taken from Goodreads.com

How could I not love this book? It’s not very often that I find a story where the main character shares my name. This was a fun-filled, light-hearted fantasy that romps through jolly old England as Susan is determined to discover who her father is even after she stumbles across the Booksellers of London. Teaming up with Merlin and Vivien, who are on a quest of their own, the three find themselves on an unexpected adventure of a lifetime.

Visit Garth Nix’s website.

Mind the Gap, Dash & Lily by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (Dash & Lily book 3)

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

“Dash and Lily were feeling closer than ever...it's just too bad they're now an ocean apart. After Dash gets accepted to Oxford University and Lily stays in New York to take care of her dogwalking business, the devoted couple are struggling to make a long distance relationship work. And when Dash breaks the news that he won't be coming home for Christmas, Lily makes a decision: if Dash can't come to her, she'll join him in London. It's a perfect romantic gesture...that spins out of Lily's control. Soon Dash and Lily are feeling more of a gap between them, even though they're in the same city. Will London bring them together again--or will it be their undoing?   - taken from Goodreads.com

Without spoiling too much, Dash and Lily are going to be apart at Christmas time, that is until Lily devises a plan to surprise him in London. Since nothing ever goes according to plan, can our favorite Christmas couple figure out their post high school plans in time to enjoy their holiday? 

 

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare (The Lost Hours book 1, Shadowhunters book 13)

SPOILER POTENTIAL! This is the start of a new series in the Shadowhunter world but the adult characters in this book were the main characters in the Dark Artifices trilogy. Some background knowledge was also revealed in some of the short stories contained in The Bane Chronicles.

“Welcome to Edwardian London, a time of electric lights and long shadows, the celebration of artistic beauty and the wild pursuit of pleasure, with demons waiting in the dark. For years there has been peace in the Shadowhunter world. James and Lucie Herondale, children of the famous Will and Tessa, have grown up in an idyll with their loving friends and family, listening to stories of good defeating evil and love conquering all. But everything changes when the Blackthorn and Carstairs families come to London…and so does a remorseless and inescapable plague.

James Herondale longs for a great love, and thinks he has found it in the beautiful, mysterious Grace Blackthorn. Cordelia Carstairs is desperate to become a hero, save her family from ruin, and keep her secret love for James hidden. When disaster strikes the Shadowhunters, James, Cordelia and their friends are plunged into a wild adventure which will reveal dark and incredible powers, and the true cruel price of being a hero…and falling in love.” - taken from Goodreads.com

The main characters in the beginning of this new trilogy are the children of the protagonist in The Infernal Devices trilogy. The Herondale, Carstairs, Fairchild, and Lightwoods are among the most well-known Shadowhunter families that appear. If you are hoping to get more Will and Tessa, you will but only in small snippets as their children and friends take over the main stage.

I thoroughly enjoyed going back into the Shadowhunter realm but this time in 1903 London. After a relatively peaceful time, demons have come back to attack in ways previously unknown. I adored every minute of this book but all of the twists, turns and shocking revelations up until the very end will leave readers desperately awaiting the next book. 

Book two, Chain of Iron, is expected in March of 2021.

Visit Cassandra Clare’s website.
Visit Shadowhunters.com

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.

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (Infernal Devices book 3/Series book 8)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read any of the previous books in the Infernal Devices series, Stop! I don’t want to ruin my absolute favorite series for you. For maximum enjoyment and understanding, read intermixed with the Mortal Instruments series in publication order.

“The Internal Devices are without pity.
The Internal Devices are without regret.
The Internal Devices are without number.
The Internal Devices will never stop coming.”

A fantastic end to the Infernal Devices trilogy that leaves a set up for the ultimate showdown that will take place in City of Heavenly Fire, due out on March 1, 2014. Questions you didn’t even know you had will be answered but even more that will not be resolved until the Mortal Instruments finale.

This book just proves that all readers of Ms. Clare’s books should read them in publication not series order as she has masterfully interwoven the history and story of the Shadowhunters throughout each book. After you have read the epilogue you need to remember that the Mortal Instruments series takes place in 2007!.

Visit Cassandra Clare’s website. Be careful, there are spoilers to be found there.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

“Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?”

Seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan would like nothing more than to not be heading to London to attend her father’s wedding to a woman she has never met. Forced to go and be a bridesmaid by her mother, Hadley is still a bit bitter about her father’s move to England and the subsequent divorce between her parents. She is just four minutes late to board her plane and is left behind. Now she is going to be three hours later getting to the wedding and will just barely arrive in time. Hadley thinks everyone is going to blame her for missing her flight. Claustrophobic, Hadley is now even more stressed because she fought with her mother before leaving. The last thing she expects to happen is to catch the attention of the cute boy who turns out to be on the same flight she is now on.

Oliver, a Yale student heading home to London for an event, offers to watch Hadley’s suitcase when an older woman next to her refuses. He notices her struggling with her things and offers to help. They soon strike up a conversation that lasts all night through their flight to London. As the two of them depart from the plane, they realize they will be separated at customs. As Hadley aches from having to say good-bye, Oliver pulls her close for a kiss, they promise to meet up in the baggage claim but she cannot find him before leaving for the wedding.

With Hadley’s thoughts never straying from Oliver, will they be able to find each other again in London? Is it possible to fall in love at first sight? Can Hadley find it in herself to forgive her father? And what will Hadley do when she realizes the reason Oliver came home? This story of fate, destiny and love will be hard to put down.