Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte

“One big lie. Two forbidden romances. Three days to catch a killer.”

“Seventeen-year-old Keralie Corrington may seem harmless, but in fact, she's one of Quadara's most skilled thieves and a liar. Varin, on the other hand, is an honest, upstanding citizen of Quadara's most enlightened region, Eonia. Varin runs afoul of Keralie when she steals a package from him, putting his life in danger. When Varin attempts to retrieve the package, he and Keralie find themselves entangled in a conspiracy that leaves all four of Quadara's queens dead.

With no other choices and on the run from Keralie's former employer, the two decide to join forces, endeavoring to discover who has killed the queens and save their own lives in the process. When their reluctant partnership blooms into a tenuous romance, they must overcome their own dark secrets in hopes of a future together that seemed impossible just days before. But first they have to stay alive and untangle the secrets behind the nation's four dead queens.” - taken from Goodreads.com 

This book has it all!! Royalty, lies, forbidden love with splashes of fantasy and science fiction into the mix. But what I enjoyed most about the story was the incredible mystery of who was assassinating the queens and why. I definitely didn’t see the plot twist coming and was completely shocked. This book an incredible read. 

Visit Astrid Scholte’s website.

Once and For All by Sarah Dessen

“Louna, daughter of famed wedding planner Natalie Barrett, has seen every sort of wedding: on the beach, at historic mansions, in fancy hotels and clubs. Perhaps that's why she's cynical about happily-ever-after endings, especially since her own first love ended tragically. When Louna meets charming, happy-go-lucky serial dater Ambrose, she holds him at arm's length. But Ambrose isn't about to be discouraged, now that he's met the one girl he really wants.” - taken from Goodreads.com

This was another super sweet rom-com from Sarah Dessen. Louna is still heartbroken over the tragic ending of her first love/relationship. It doesn’t help that she works for her wedding planner mother who has also disillusioned herself with the idea of happily ever after. When Ambrose joins Natalie Barrett weddings for the summer, Louna discovers that maybe she can open her heart up again. 

Visit Sarah Dessen’s website.

Children of Blood & Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (Legacy of Orïsha book 1)

“They killed my mother.

They took our magic.

They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I had put off reading this book for a while but with book two coming out, I jumped right into the audio version. This was a fantastic listen and once again Bahni Turpin proves why she is one of my favorite audiobook narrators. Tomi Adeyemi weaves an incredible magical fantasy that finds the magic of Orisha diminished by the brutal slaying of the maji by the dominating King Saran. On an unlikely quest to restore the power of the Diviners, Zelie, her brother Tzain and the escaped princess Amari, journey through Orisha while being tracked by the Crown Prince Inan. There is never a dull moment in this action-packed story.

Book two, Children of Virtue & Vengeance is due out Dec. 3, 2019.

Visit Tomi Adeyemi's website.

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (Alex Stern book 1)

WARNING! This is an adult title. Mature readers only.

"Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Ninth House is Leigh Bardugo’s first foray into ADULT literature. This is a book with adult themes just like Stephen King. The first third of the book is a bit slow as Bardugo sets the storyline and setting and may turn some teen readers off. With that said, this was an incredible murder mystery that left me speechless at the end. I thoroughly enjoyed how the ending sets up the plotline for book two due out on June 1, 2021.

Visit Leigh Bardugo’s website.

Stealing Home by Becky Wallace

“Fight for your dreams, even if it means breaking a few rules.

Seventeen-year-old Ryan Russell has life perfectly planned. If she keeps up her hard work, one day she’ll take over the family business: owning the Buckley Beavers, a minor league baseball team, and become one of the only female General Managers in the sport.

But when the newest member of the Beavers, child-phenom Sawyer Campbell, shows up, Ryan’s carefully laid plans are thrown a major curveball. Sawyer is far more charming than the arrogant jocks she usually manages, his ambition rivals her own workaholic nature—and he’s completely out of bounds. Fraternizing is against every rule in the Beaver’s handbook.

Then Ryan’s divorced parents butt heads over the future of the Beavers, and her mom plans to sell her shares to a business group known for relocating teams. If this happens, Ryan’s dreams of becoming GM disappear. In a bid to save her future, she partners with Sawyer to use his star power to draw in sponsors who will keep the team in Buckley. But the more time she spends with him, the more impossible it becomes to play by the Beaver’s rules, and she can’t afford a strikeout on the path to her dreams.

Full count with two outs, Ryan’s one pitch away from losing the whole ball game.” - taken from Goodreads.com

When I started this book, I wished I had a free day to have read it all in one sitting. I loved Ryan and Sawyer’s story and couldn't wait to find out the ending. Brought together by their love of baseball, Ryan's determined to hold Sawyer at arm's length. Rule number one is no fraternizing with the players. When both their worlds are turned upside down, Ryan fights to keep her dream alive even if she hurts Sawyer in the process. What I adored about the story is the ending. I cannot wait to see what this author writes next. 

Visit Becky Wallace's website.

Vow of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson (Dance of Thieves book 2)

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

“Kazi and Jase have survived, stronger and more in love than ever. Their new life now lies before them―the Ballengers will be outlaws no longer, Tor's Watch will be a kingdom, and the two of them will meet all challenges side by side, together at last.

But an ominous warning mars their journey back, and in their rush to return to Tor's Watch, just outside the fortress walls, they are violently attacked and torn apart―and each is thrust into their own new hell.

Unsure whether the other is alive or dead, Kazi and Jase must keep their wits among their greatest enemies and unlikeliest allies. And all the while, Death watches and waits.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I wish I had the time to devour this book in one setting but dragging the story out was good for me too. Kazi and Jace's happily ever after is short-lived when they arrived back at Tor’s Watch to find it has been taken over by an unexpected enemy. Without spoiling the story too much, be aware the Kazi and Jace are apart for much of the book. The ending was fantastic and my favorite characters from The Remnant Chronicles make an appearance. A great ending to the series. 

Visit Mary E. Pearson’s website.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo

“Desi Lee believes anything is possible if you have a plan. That’s how she became student body president. Varsity soccer star. And it’s how she’ll get into Stanford. But—she’s never had a boyfriend. In fact, she’s a disaster in romance, a clumsy, stammering humiliation magnet whose botched attempts at flirting have become legendary with her friends. So when the hottest human specimen to have ever lived walks into her life one day, Desi decides to tackle her flirting failures with the same zest she’s applied to everything else in her life. She finds guidance in the Korean dramas her father has been obsessively watching for years—where the hapless heroine always seems to end up in the arms of her true love by episode ten. It’s a simple formula, and Desi is a quick study. Armed with her “K Drama Steps to True Love,” Desi goes after the moody, elusive artist Luca Drakos—and boat rescues, love triangles, and staged car crashes ensue. But when the fun and games turn to true feels, Desi finds out that real love is about way more than just drama.” - taken from Goodreads.com

This wasn't my favorite Maurene Goo novel but granted, I did read her newer stuff first. I love how Desi Lee believes that with the best-laid plans, anything is possible, including love. What I couldn't believe are the absolute lengths that Desi went to in order to make Luca fall for her. At times, I wanted to scream at her to stop her foolishness because it kept turning into a disaster. The best part of this story was the fact at the end that Desi learns that sometimes the best things in life don’t go according to plan.

Visit Maurene Goo’s website.