The Girl in Question by Tess Sharpe (Girls I’ve Been book 2)

 

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

“High school is over, but Nora O'Malley's life isn't, which is weird now that her murderous stepdad Raymond is free.

Determined to enjoy summer before her (possibly) imminent demise, Nora plans a ten day backpacking trip with Iris and Wes. Her plans hit a snag when Wes's girlfriend tags along. Amanda is nice, so it's not a huge issue—until she gets taken. Or rather, mistaken...for Nora. All because of a borrowed flannel.

Now Raymond has a hostage. Nora has no leverage. Iris has a spear and Wes is building boobytraps. It'll take all of their skills to make it out of the forest alive.

There are three problems: Someone is lying. Someone is keeping secrets.

And someone has to die.” - taken from Goodreads.

A great continuation of Nora O’Malley’s story now that most of her secrets are out. A backpacking trip with Iris, Wes, and Wes’s girlfriend Amanda goes off the rails when Raymond Keene decides to reclaim his daughter Ashley (Nora), no matter the cost. Delving into Ashley’s (Nora’s) past life along with the unexpected return of a former mark, not everyone will make it out of the forest alive. Hold on tight because this sequel is as good as the first.

Visit Tess Sharpe’s website.

Twelfth Night by Alexene Farol Follmuth

 

“Viola Reyes is annoyed.

Her painstakingly crafted tabletop game campaign was shot down, her best friend is suggesting she try being more “likable,” and school running back Jack Orsino is the most lackadaisical Student Body President she’s ever seen, which makes her job as VP that much harder. Vi’s favorite escape from the world is the MMORPG Twelfth Knight, but online spaces aren’t exactly kind to girls like her―girls who are extremely competent and have the swagger to prove it. So Vi creates a masculine alter ego, choosing to play as a knight named Cesario to create a safe haven for herself.

But when a football injury leads Jack Orsino to the world of Twelfth Knight, Vi is alarmed to discover their online alter egos―Cesario and Duke Orsino―are surprisingly well-matched.

As the long nights of game-play turn into discussions about life and love, Vi and Jack soon realize they’ve become more than just weapon-wielding characters in an online game. But Vi has been concealing her true identity from Jack, and Jack might just be falling for her offline…” - taken from Goodreads.

Inspired by the Shakespeare play of the same name. Viola plays an online game where she poses as a boy to keep the harassment at bay. When Duke Orsino, the star quarterback, is sidelined with an injury, he spends his newfound time playing the same game as Viola. As the two grow closer online and in real life, what happens when Duke realizes that he's been duped by Viola?

Visit Alexene Farol Follmuth’s website.

Icon and Inferno by Marie Lu (Smoke and Stars book 2)

 

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

“A year has passed since superstar Winter and secret agent Sydney Cossette went undercover - on a dangerous mission to bring down the baddest man in London.

Winter hasn't stopped thinking about Sydney since, and she's been trying not to think about him

Family secrets and nasty newspapers has Winter desperate to re-enter the secret world. And it's not long before he gets his chance.

Sydney is back, and this time the mission goes right to the heart of the United States of America. A rescue gone wrong, an assassination attempt - and the return of an old flame - puts Winter right back into the action . . . and into a country on the brink of chaos.

And when a murder accusation has Sydney on the run, suddenly it's not just a life at stake, but all-out war.” - taken from Goodreads.

I was super stoked to get back into the world with Winter and Sydney and see where their next mission would take them. Fans of the author’s Warcross duology will be surprised to see a couple of guest appearances. Not quite the epic ending the Marie Lu’s is usually know for but fans will be able to fantasize about this duo’s future.

Visit Marie Lu’s website.

Burning Crowns by Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber (Twin Crowns book 3)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, Twin Crowns and Cursed Crowns, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“Twin queens Rose & Wren survived the Battle for Anadawn and brought back magic to their kingdom. But danger lurks in Eana’s shadows.

Wren is troubled. Ever since she performed the blood spell on Prince Ansel, her magic has become unruly. Worse, the spell created a link between Wren and the very man she’s trying to forget: Icy King Alarik of Gevra. A curse is eating away at both of them. To fix it they must journey to the northern mountains—under the watchful guard of Captain Tor Iversen—to consult with the Healer on High.

Rose is haunted. Waking one night to find her undead ancestor Oonagh Starcrest by her bed, she receives a warning: surrender the throne—or face a war that will destroy Eana. With nowhere to turn and desperate to find a weapon to defeat Oonagh, Rose seeks help from Shen-Lo in the Sunkissed Kingdom, but what she finds there may break her heart.

As Oonagh threatens all Rose and Wren hold dear, it will take everything they have to save Eana–including a sacrifice they may not be prepared to make.” - taken from Goodreads.

Not quite the ending that I was expecting but the storyline is wrapped up by the ending.

Visit Catherine Doyle’s website.

Visit Katherine Webber’s website.

Royal Scandal by Aimee Carter (Royal Blood book 2)

 

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

“American girl turned monarchy nightmare, Evan Bright, has gotten used to the press about her but the media attention has only seemed to get worse. 

From desperate clickbait articles about her and the President's son to Royal Record headlines pitting her against Princess Maisie, it seems everyone is dying for Evan to return back to America for good. Meanwhile Evan is receiving mysterious threats about her real story being revealed in a tell-all biography. 

When more information is leaked about Evan, she fears she will always be Britain's media villain. But the threats escalate when there is an attempted assassination with no suspects...and Evan believes the person is in the palace's walls. 

They say what doesn't kill you will make you stronger...but what if it's the royal family who wants you dead?” - taken from Goodreads.

Six months have passed since american teenager Evan Bright was outed as the illegitimate daughter of Alexander II,the king of England. The road hasn’t been easy for Evan either in the media spotlight or privately with the royal family. When an assassination attempt on Evan’s life almost succeeds, she takes it upon herself to uncover who wants her dead. And that person is closer than she wants. Uncover all of the dark secrets that the British royal family would like undiscovered as Evan finds out who is determined to be rid of her, once and for all.

Book three is due out in 2025.

Visit Aimee Carter’s website.

The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe (The Girls I’ve Been book 1)

 

“Nora O’Malley’s been a lot of girls. As the daughter of a con-artist who targets criminal men, she grew up as her mother’s protégé. But when mom fell for the mark instead of conning him, Nora pulled the ultimate con: escape.

For five years Nora’s been playing at normal. But she needs to dust off the skills she ditched because she has three problems:

#1: Her ex walked in on her with her girlfriend. Even though they’re all friends, Wes didn’t know about her and Iris.

#2: The morning after Wes finds them kissing, they all have to meet to deposit the fundraiser money they raised at the bank. It’s a nightmare that goes from awkward to deadly, because:

#3: Right after they enter bank, two guys start robbing it.

The bank robbers may be trouble, but Nora’s something else entirely. They have no idea who they’re really holding hostage…” - taken from Goodreads.

This was an unexpected book that wasn’t on my radar but I’m so glad that I picked it up. Imagine going to the bank to make a deposit with your ex-boyfriend and current girlfriend and hoping that it will be quick. If that isn’t enough of a nightmare, before you can leave, wwe bank is held up for a robbery that goes terribly wrong. Readers get to meet Nora O’Mallery (not her real name) as she tries to figure out a way to get everyone out of the situation alive. Told in present day with flashbacks to Nora’s previous lives with her con artist mother and hoe she escaped, readers will be clamoring for the ending to see if everyone survives and what Nora chooses to divulge about her past.

Book two, The Girl in Question, is out now.

Visit Tess Sharpe’s website.

Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew

 

“Wyatt Westlock has one plan for the farmhouse she's just inherited -- to burn it to the ground. But during her final walkthrough of her childhood home, she makes a shocking discovery in the basement -- Peter, the boy she once considered her best friend, strung up in chains and left for dead.

Unbeknownst to Wyatt, Peter has suffered hundreds of ritualistic deaths on her family's property. Semi-immortal, Peter never remains dead for long, but he can't really live, either. Not while he's bound to the farm, locked in a cycle of grisly deaths and painful rebirths. There's only one way for him to break free. He needs to end the Westlock line.

He needs to kill Wyatt.

With Wyatt's parents gone, the spells protecting the property have begun to unravel, and dark, ancient forces gather in the nearby forest. The only way for Wyatt to repair the wards is to work with Peter -- the one person who knows how to harness her volatile magic. But how can she trust a boy who's sworn an oath to destroy her? When the past turns up to haunt them in the most unexpected way, they are forced to rely on one another to survive, or else tear each other apart.” - taken from Goodreads.

Once again, Kelly Andrew has written a fantasy romance story that is a horror tale at its core. Wyatt Westlock is prepared to burn down the family home after her fathers death until she makes a shocking discovery that derails her plans. The more she digs into her father’s past, the more twisted her family’s legacy becomes. Determined to right the wrongs of her family's past, the more she must rely on the boy who broke her heart. 

Peter just wants to end the Westlock line and his suffering. But the closer he gets to Wyatt, old feelings begin to resurface between the two of them. Plans begin to change as the two decide how to break the cycle and move forward. But not everything is as it seems and not everything can be put back the way it was.

Visit Kelly Andrew’s website.