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.

Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco (A Hundred Names for Magic book 1)

“When a hidden prince, a girl with secrets, a ragtag group of unlikely heroes, and a legendary firebird come together…something wicked is going down.

Many years ago, the magical Kingdom of Avalon was left encased in ice when the Snow Queen waged war. Its former citizens are now refugees in a world mostly devoid of magic. Which is why the crown prince and his protectors are stuck in…Arizona.

Prince Alexei, the sole survivor of the Avalon royal family, is hiding in a town so boring, magic doesn’t even work there. Few know his secret identity, but his friend Tala is one of them.

A new hope for their abandoned homeland reignites when a famous creature of legend, the Firebird, appears for the first time in decades. Alex and Tala must unite with a ragtag group of new friends to journey back to Avalon for a showdown that will change the world as they know it.” - taken from Goodreads.com

A great mashup of alternative history, family, identity, and lots of well-known fairy tales. It sounds confusing but I didn't find it that way for long. I loved uncovering how Tala and Alex's backgrounds fit together and what the future may bring for the two of these characters. That cliffhanger ending has ensured that I'll be picking up book two in the future.

Visit Rin Chupeco’s website.

Guinevere Rising by Kiersten White (Camelot Rising book 1)

“There was nothing in the world as magical and terrifying as a girl.

Princess Guinevere has come to Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur. With magic clawing at the kingdom's borders, the great wizard Merlin conjured a solution--send in Guinevere to be Arthur's wife . . . and his protector from those who want to see the young king's idyllic city fail. The catch? Guinevere's real name--and her true identity--is a secret. She is a changeling, a girl who has given up everything to protect Camelot.

To keep Arthur safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old--including Arthur's own family--demand things continue as they have been, and the new--those drawn by the dream of Camelot--fight for a better way to live. And always, in the green hearts of forests and the black depths of lakes, magic lies in wait to reclaim the land. Arthur's knights believe they are strong enough to face any threat, but Guinevere knows it will take more than swords to keep Camelot free.

Deadly jousts, duplicitous knights, and forbidden romances are nothing compared to the greatest threat of all: the girl with the long black hair, riding on horseback through the dark woods toward Arthur. Because when your whole existence is a lie, how can you trust even yourself?” - taken from Goodreads.com

I love delving into this re-imagining of the Arthurian legend. The author put some unique twists to the story and the characters that I really don't want to get into so as not to spoil all of the surprises. Guinevere and the reader discover what is going on in and around Camelot at about the same time. This book really sets up the characters, background, and basic plot points that will drive this trilogy forward.

Book two, The Camelot Betrayal, is due out on November 10, 2020.

Visit Kiersten White'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.

Cloaked by Alex Flinn

“There once was a shoemaker who worked very hard, but was still very poor … -The Elves and the Shoemaker"

Johnny and his mother run a shoe repair business at the Coral Reef Grand, a posh resort located on Miami’s South Beach. Times are tight as Johnny works eighteen hour days and his mother works at a hot dog stand in a failing attempt to keep their heads above water. His dream is to be a shoe designer and Johnny spends his free time creating shoes. One day a beautiful princess checks into the hotel. Her reputation as a spoiled socialite precedes her. Johnny’s friend Meg, who runs the coffee counter next to Johnny, is unimpressed with the princess but he is a bit smitten.

When the princess drunkenly visits Johnny’s shop one night to fix her shoe, he is excited by the opportunity to work on such an exquisite shoe. The catch, he must personally deliver it to her when he is finished. The next morning, Johnny goes to her penthouse and soon learns the princess created a ruse about herself. She is really in Miami to search for her missing brother, the heir to the throne of Aloria. He fell for a village girl who was really a witch and she turned him into a frog. The spell can only be broken “by ze kiss of one wiz love in her heart.” But he is kidnapped and placed on a ship bound for Miami. The witch promised to break the spell on her brother if the princess marries the Zalkenbourgian heir and combined their countries. Johnny has a hard time believing the princess but soon realizes that she believes she is sincere.

The princess confides in Johnny because she sees him as a hard worker and a good boy who would be willing to help her. She offers to pay him handsomely and even marry him if her brother is found. Will Johnny decides to help the princess find her brother/frog? Does his dream of becoming a shoe designer come true? And just which young lady captures Johnny’s heart?

Cloaked is a mixture of several fairy tales including The Elves and the Shoemaker, the Frog Prince, Six Swans, and several others.

Visit Alex Flinn’s website.

The Looking Glass Wars trilogy by Frank Beddor

The start of what I hope will be a great series. Helps to know a little about the Alice in Wonderland story but a quick view of the entry in Wikipedia will do the trick although it’s not necessary for this to be a good read.

The “true story” behind Alice in Wonderland! Princess Alyss Heart is brutally cast out of Wonderland by her vicious Aunt Redd, who beheads Alyss’ mother (Off with her head, she cries!) and begins to rule over Wonderland with an iron fist. Alyss escapes from Wonderland and is exiled to another world entirely–Victorian London–where she is adopted into a new family, renamed Alice, and befriended by Lewis Carroll. At age 20 she returns to Wonderland to battle Redd, reclaim the throne, and lead Wonderland into its next golden age of imagination.

 
 
 

Second book in the Looking Glass Wars series. A great read that picks up with the start of Alyss Heart’s reign as queen of Wonderland and everyone wondering what has happened to Redd and The Cat after their jump into the Heart Crystal. Also a new enemy has entered into the picture. At the end of this book, you will want to pick up the next.

Alyss of Wonderland’s rules has only just begun and already those who prefer chaos to peace are threatening to destroy everything worth imagining. Trailed by newly appointed Royal Bodyguard Homburg Molly, Alyss is doing her best to keep pace with the non-stop demands of being Queen while attempting to evade Molly for a few private moments with Dodge. Alyss’s life is already a challenging mix of duty, love and imagining when a series of phantom sightings set fire to an urban myth of her imperial viciousness’s return and have everyone…Seeing Redd.

The conclusion to the Looking Glass Wars trilogy. A good series but wished the book had ended a little differently. Big build up at the end that falls flat when all of the ends are wrapped up a little bit too quickly. Also there was at least one unanswered question that I had which makes me believe Beddor may have a sequel in mind.

Check out Frank Beddor's website: http://www.lookingglasswars.com/