Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy

“Ramona was only five years old when Hurricane Katrina changed her life forever.

Since then, it’s been Ramona and her family against the world. Standing over six feet tall with unmistakable blue hair, Ramona is sure of three things: she likes girls, she’s fiercely devoted to her family, and she knows she’s destined for something bigger than the trailer she calls home in Eulogy, Mississippi. But juggling multiple jobs, her flaky mom, and her well-meaning but ineffectual dad forces her to be the adult of the family. Now, with her sister, Hattie, pregnant, responsibility weighs more heavily than ever.

The return of her childhood friend Freddie brings a welcome distraction. Ramona’s friendship with the former competitive swimmer picks up exactly where it left off, and soon he’s talked her into joining him for laps at the pool. But as Ramona falls in love with swimming, her feelings for Freddie begin to shift too, which is the last thing she expected. With her growing affection for Freddie making her question her sexual identity, Ramona begins to wonder if perhaps she likes girls and guys or if this new attraction is just a fluke. Either way, Ramona will discover that, for her, life and love are more fluid than they seem.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I really enjoyed delving into Ramona’s complicated life. Just a senior in high school, she took on a tremendous amount of responsibility in the years since her mother’s abandonment after Hurricane Katrina and her pregnant sister, When a childhood friend moves back to Eulogy, Ramona’s world is turned upside down. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and seeing where Ramona’s journey would take her.

Visit Julie Murphy’s website.

Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig

“Flynn's girlfriend has disappeared. How can he uncover her secrets without revealing his own?

Flynn's girlfriend, January, is missing. The cops are asking questions he can't answer, and her friends are telling stories that don't add up. All eyes are on Flynn—as January's boyfriend, he must know something.

But Flynn has a secret of his own. And as he struggles to uncover the truth about January's disappearance, he must also face the truth about himself.” - taken Goodreads.com

This book was one of the best mysteries that I’ve read, or in this case, listened to, in a long time. Flynn and his girlfriend January have a fight that results in her breaking up them him. Several days later, he arrives at home to find two police officers at his house. It tu7rns out that January is missing. Determined to find out what happened to January while trying to keep his own secret, Flynn begins his own investigation and soon learns that everything that he thought he knew about January was wrong. Flynn’s story is interspersed with flashbacks of times spent with January that help the reader piece together the mystery behind not only her disappearance but Flynn’s acceptance of his own secret. Readers will be entranced until they are able to resolve the mystery of January’s disappearance.

Visit Caleb Roehrig’s website.

Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray (Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray book 1)

“Our Worlds Belong To Us.”

“She’s a soldier.

Noemi Vidal is a seventeen years old and sworn to protect her planet, Genesis. She’s willing to risk anything—including her own life. To their enemies on Earth, she’s a rebel.

He’s a machine.

Abandoned in space for years, utterly alone, Abel has advanced programming that’s begun to evolve. He wants only to protect his creator, and to be free. To the people of Genesis, he’s an abomination.

Noemi and Abel are enemies in an interstellar war, forced by chance to work together as they embark on a daring journey through the stars. Their efforts would end the fighting for good, but they’re not without sacrifice. The stakes are even higher than either of them first realized, and the more time they spend together, the more they’re forced to question everything they’d been taught was true.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I really didn’t know what to expect when I first started this book. Told in alternating points of view from both Noemi and Abel, readers dive into a story full of mystery, intrigue, and romance. Enemies at first, it’s not long before Noemi and Abel realize that they are actually on the same side. Also the romance between human and machine is a slow burn that will have readers cheering the duo on. I really didn’t know how I expected the book to end, be it was phenomenal! With the story somewhat tied up, readers will be clamouring for the next installment in this series.

Book two, Defy the Worlds, (what a teaser!) will be out in 2018.

Visit Claudia Gray’s Website.

Denton Little's Still Not Dead by Lance Rubin (Denton Little book 2)

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

“Now he needs a life …”

“You only live once—unless you’re Denton Little!

The good news: Denton Little has lived through his deathdate. Yay! The bad news: He’s being chased by the DIA (Death Investigation Agency), he can never see his family again, and he may now die any time. Huh. Cheating death isn’t quite as awesome as Denton would have thought…

Denton Little’s Deathdate, showed readers just how funny and poignant imminent death could be. Now in this sequel, he takes on the big questions about life. How do we cope, knowing we could die at any time? Would you save someone from dying even if they were a horrible person? Is it wrong to kiss the girl your best friend is crushing on if she’s really into you instead? What if she’s wearing bacon lip gloss?” taken from Goodreads.com

This is the long awaited conclusion to Denton Little’s story and the wait was well worth it. Humorous, snarky and serious at times, Denton begins to unravel the mysteries and reasons behind his survival. I listened to the audio versions of this title and once again, the author does a fabulous job of bring Denton’s story to life. This book is a definite recommend!

Visit Lance Rubin’s website.

The Ship Beyond Time by Heidi Heilig (The Girl From Everywhere book 2)

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

Please visit the Recaptains blog if you need a refresher on the first book.

“Some things should not be stolen.”

“Nix has escaped her past, but when the person she loves most is at risk, even the daughter of a time traveler may not be able to outrun her fate—no matter where she goes.

Nix has spent her whole life journeying to places both real and imagined aboard her time-traveling father’s ship. And now it’s finally time for her to take the helm. Her father has given up his obsession to save her mother—and possibly erase Nix’s existence—and Nix’s future lies bright before her. Until she learns that she is destined to lose the one she loves. But her relationship with Kash—best friend, thief, charmer extraordinaire—is only just beginning. How can she bear to lose him? How can she bear to become as adrift and alone as her father?

Desperate to change her fate, Nix takes her crew to a mythical utopia to meet another Navigator who promises to teach her how to manipulate time. But everything in this utopia is constantly changing, and nothing is what it seems—not even her relationship with Kash. Nix must grapple with whether anyone can escape her destiny, her history, her choices. Heidi Heilig weaves fantasy, history, and romance together to tackle questions of free will, fate, and what it means to love another person. But at the center of this adventure are the extraordinary, multifaceted, and multicultural characters that leap off the page, and an intricate, recognizable world that has no bounds.” - taken From Goodreads.com

I know I was in a reading slump when I picked this book up. It took me way longer than usual to finish. I liked the story and reading from Kashmir’s point of view. The last 100 pages had me gripped but I did feel like the ending was rushed. The mix of real life characters from history and legend was great but I was left with a few questions at the end.

Visit Heidi Heilig’s website.

Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton (Rebel of the Sands book 2)

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

Check out Book Series Recaps for a refresher on the first book.

Please visit the Recaptains blog if you need a refresher on the first book.

“Rebel by chance. Traitor by choice.”

“The sizzling, un-put-downable sequel to the bestselling Rebel of the Sands!

Mere months ago, gunslinger Amani al'Hiza fled her dead-end hometown on the back of a mythical horse with the mysterious foreigner Jin, seeking only her own freedom. Now she's fighting to liberate the entire desert nation of Miraji from a bloodthirsty sultan who slew his own father to capture the throne.

When Amani finds herself thrust into the epicenter of the regime—the Sultan's palace—she's determined to bring the tyrant down. Desperate to uncover the Sultan's secrets by spying on his court, she tries to forget that Jin disappeared just as she was getting closest to him, and that she's a prisoner of the enemy. But the longer she remains, the more she questions whether the Sultan is really the villain she's been told he is, and who’s the real traitor to her sun-bleached, magic-filled homeland.

Forget everything you thought you knew about Miraji, about the rebellion, about djinni and Jin and the Blue-Eyed Bandit. In Traitor to the Throne, the only certainty is that everything will change.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I don’t know where to start with this second book in the trilogy. It is a massive volume that took me a while to read, not because the story was slow but because of all of the new information Hamilton divulges to the reader.. Amani is not only on a journey with her fellow rebels to bring down the Sultan, but she finds herself in a much more personal quest than she ever dreamed of. Secrets about her life and missing pieces fall into place when she least expects it. Several new characters are introduced and readers are submerged into life at the Sultan’s palace where Amani begins to question who the real enemy is. No second book slowness here and the ending sets up the next book perfectly. Readers will be anticipating Amani’s continuing adventure.

Book three is expected to be published sometime in 2018.

Visit Alwyn Hamilton’s website.

Disruptor by Arwen Elys Dayton (Seeker book 3)

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

“One house will rise.”

“Quin has spent her life as her father’s pawn. She was trained to kill and manipulated to guarantee her family’s power. And now that she’s broken free of that life, she’s found herself trapped again, hostage to a plot that has been centuries in the making.

It’s taken generations for the pieces to come together, and finally all is in place. Her best friend Shinobu’s mind has been corrupted, the Young Dread has aligned with her enemy John, and the bloodthirsty Watchers are being awakened and gathered. Now there is nothing that can stop the force of time.

But Quin will no longer be a pawn. Quin is a Seeker. She stands for light in a shadowy world. She will face the vengeance of the past and its enemies and save herself and the ones she loves, or she will die trying.” - taken from Goodreads.com

This is a series that I feel has been overlooked by most readers. Yes, the first book is slow as the author builds the world of the Seekers, outlines their history and sets the stage for the remaining two books in the trilogy. The action really picks up in book two but Disruptor is where all of the pieces fall into place. Our three main characters; Quin, John, and Shinobu, aren’t together most of the book but with the emergence of some new characters, readers will be racing towards the end to see how everything plays out. The ending of the story was not what I was expecting at all. Complete surprise. A must read for fans of action, adventure and science fiction.

Visit Arwen Elys Dayton’s website.