The Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli (The Crimson Moth book 1)

 

“On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.

Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe - a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution - who she can't help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?” - taken from Goodreads.

In this gender-swapping take of The Scarlet Pimpernel, Rune Winters depicts herself as a boring socialite to everyone while concealing her true identity. Masquerading as the Crimson  Moth, Rune is determined to save every witch she can after sacrificing her own grandmother to save her own life. When she fails to rescue the one witch she promised her grandmother she would save, Rune decides that her best course of action to find the necessary information is to “court” Gideon Sharpe, her best friend’s older brother and a witch hunter, Using each other to in an attempt in uncover elusive information, Rune and Gideon soon turn from enemies to lovers while trying to glean information from one another. With feelings in the way, the ending is a jaw dropping, high stakes reveal to set up the next book in the series.

A great series starter for fans of Shelby Mahone's Serpent and Dove trilogy.

Book two is not yet published.

Visit Kristen Ciccarelli’s website.

The Hunting Moon by Susan Dennard (The Luminaries book 2)

 

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

“Winnie Wednesday has gotten everything she thought she wanted. She passed the deadly hunter trials, her family has been welcomed back into the Luminaries, and overnight, she has become a local celebrity.

The Girl Who Jumped. The Girl Who Got Bitten.

Unfortunately, it all feels wrong. For one, nobody will believe her about the new nightmare called the Whisperer that's killing hunters each night. Everyone blames the werewolf, even though Winnie is certain the wolf is innocent.

On top of that, following her dad's convoluted clues about the Dianas, their magic, and what happened in Hemlock Falls four years ago is leaving her with more questions than answers.

Then to complicate it all, there is still only one person who can help Jay Friday, the boy with plenty of problems all his own.

As bodies and secrets pile up around town, Winnie finds herself questioning what it means to be a true Wednesday and a true Luminary―and also where her fierce-hearted loyalties might ultimately have to lie.” - taken from Goodreads.

This book picks up where the last one left off.  Winnie is still full of questions surrounding her father's bombshell confessions and what exactly is happening in the forests of Hemlock Falls. Lots of things occur like discovering her father's clues, growing closer to Jay Friday, and her family’s return to The Luminaries, but even more secrets are uncovered. With one mystery now discovered by Winnie, the conclusion to this trilogy is set up nicely for the next volume. 

The trilogy will conclude with The Whispering Night on October 1, 2024.

Visit Susan Dennard’s website.

Betting on You by Lynn Painter

“When seventeen-year-old Bailey starts a new job at a hotel waterpark, she is less than thrilled to see an old acquaintance is one of her coworkers. Bailey met Charlie a year ago on the long flight to Omaha, where she moved after her parents’ divorce. Charlie’s cynicism didn’t mix well with Bailey’s carefully well-behaved temperament, and his endless commentary was the irritating cherry on top of an already emotionally fraught trip.

Now, Bailey and Charlie are still polar opposites, but instead of everything about him rubbing Bailey the wrong way, she starts to look forward to hanging out and gossiping about the waterpark guests and their coworkers—particularly two who keep flirting with each other. Bailey and Charlie make a bet on whether or not the cozy pair will actually get together. Charlie insists that members of the opposite sex can’t just be friends, and Bailey is determined to prove him wrong.

Bailey and Charlie keep close track of the romantic progress of others while Charlie works to deflect the growing feelings he’s developed for Bailey. Terrified to lose her if his crush becomes known, what doesn’t help his agenda is Bailey and Charlie “fake dating” in order to disrupt the annoying pleasantries between Bailey’s mom and her mom’s new boyfriend. Soon, what Charlie was hoping to avoid becomes a reality as Bailey starts to see him as not only a friend she can rely on in the midst of family drama—but someone who makes her hands shake and heart race. But Charlie has a secret—a secret that involves Bailey and another bet Charlie may have made. Can the two make a real go of things…or has Charlie’s secret doomed them before they could start?” - taken from Goodreads.

Can a boy and a girl just be friends? That’s the bet Bailey and Charlie make when two co-workers continually flirt with one another. As Bailey and Charlie become fast friends, the lines begin to blur between friendship and something more. Will Bailey and Charlie’s friendship survive when their feelings turn towards romance or will it crash and burn?

Visit Lynn Painter's website.

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

 

“Niamh Ó Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland.

But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn. But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more—until an anonymous columnist starts buzzing about their chemistry, promising to leave them alone only if Niamh helps to uncover the royal family’s secrets. The rot at the heart of Avaland runs deep, but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible.”  - taken from Goodreads.

This book was a Regency-inspired story set in a fantasy world where Niamh is a talented seamstress that can infuse memories and emotions into her creations. Her ability is also the reason that her life will be short-lived as is killing herself the more she uses her powers. Being named as the seamstress for the prince’s upcoming nuptials is an opportunity that her family cannot pass up. What Niamh doesn’t expect is to uncover palace secrets and to fall for the prince himself. Prince Christopher or Kit is infuriating to most everyone and is particularly unhappy to be marrying a woman he has no interest in but to be a good political match. As Niamh works on the wedding wardrobe, her and Kit’s feelings for one another get in the way. Can forbidden love win in the end?

Visit Allison Saft’s website.

Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington

 

“You must work twice as hard to get half as much.

Adina Walker has known this the entire time she’s been on scholarship at the prestigious Edgewater Academy—a school for the rich (and mostly white) upper class of New England. It’s why she works so hard to be perfect and above reproach, no matter what she must force beneath the surface. Even one slip can cost you everything.

And it does. One fight, one moment of lost control, leaves Adina blacklisted from her top choice Ivy League college and any other. Her only chance to regain the future she’s sacrificed everything for is the Finish, a high-stakes contest sponsored by Edgewater’s founding family in which twelve young, ambitious women with exceptional promise are selected to compete in three mysterious events: the Ride, the Raid, and the Royale. The winner will be granted entry into the fold of the Remington family, whose wealth and power can open any door.

But when she arrives at the Finish, Adina quickly gets the feeling that something isn’t quite right with both the Remingtons and her competition, and soon it becomes clear that this larger-than-life prize can only come at an even greater cost. Because the Finish’s stakes aren’t just make or break… they’re life and death.

Adina knows the deck is stacked against her—it always has been—so maybe the only way to survive their vicious games is for her to change the rules.” - taken from Goodreads.

When a split second decision costs you everything you have worked for, to what lengths would you go to redeem yourself? That is the question that Adina Walker must answer in order to get her desired future back. She lost her composure and it cost her everything, including her acceptance to Yale. Her only hope to regain everything that she has lost is to secure an invitation to the Finish, a high stakes game sponsored by the uber wealthy Remington family. The winner gets the power and wealth of the family behind them. When she receives an invitation, Adina is ready to take back what was taken from her. But when a shocking event occurs the first night, Adina quickly realizes that she is in over her head and the outcome could be either life or death. Will Adina survive the Finish or die trying?

Visit Joelle Wellington’s website.

Destroy the Day by Brigid Kemmerer (Defy the Night book 3)

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

“Left for dead, but desperate to survive . . . they have one last chance to save their kingdom.

Prince Corrick is out of options. Held captive by the vicious Oren Crane, he’s desperate to reunite with Tessa, but will need to ally with the rebel leader Lochlan, who until now wished him dead. An unlikely but deadly pair, Corrick and Lochlan must plot their next moves carefully.

An island away, Tessa Cade is heartbroken and angry. Grieving Corrick, and unsure how to find a way back to Kandala, she doesn’t know who to trust. Until Rian—the man she trusts least—makes an offer: aid in a plot to finally oust Oren Crane and see what the future holds . . .

Meanwhile in Kandala, Harristan is dethroned and on the run. He’s struggling to unite the rebels in his fractured kingdom, but he finds support—and maybe more—in unexpected places.

Can Harristan be the king his people need? Can Corrick and Tessa find their way back to each other? As outside threats loom and the fires of revolution burn from within, time is running out to save their kingdom.” - taken from Goodreads.

This was a fantastic ending to this trilogy. Scattered from one another, each of our characters must fight their own battles to get back home. With non stop action and secrets uncovered, the last chapters of this book will bring all of the emotions to the forefront. I cannot wait to see what this author writes next.

Visit Brigid Kemmerer’s website.

Unnecessary Drama by Nina Kenwood

“Eighteen-year-old Brooke is the kind of friend who not only remembers everyone’s birthdays, but also organizes the group present, pays for it, and politely chases others for their share. She’s the helper, the doer, the maker-of spreadsheets. She’s the responsible one who always follows the rules―and she plans to keep it that way during her first year of college.

Her student housing only has one "no unnecessary drama." Which means no fights, tension, or romance between roommates. When one of them turns out to be Jesse, her high-school nemesis, Brooke is determined she can handle it. They’ll simply silently endure living together and stay out of each other’s way. But it turns out Jesse isn’t so easy to ignore.” - taken from Goodreads.

Brooke is starting her first year at university in Melbourne, Australia. She is excited but her joy is short-lived when she finds out that her former best friend Jesse and the boy who broke her heart and humiliated her turns out to be her new roommate. Trying to navigate her new life while balancing her anxiety is tough enough but soon her unresolved feelings for Jesse get in the way. Can Brooke figure out her feelings for Jesse before it's too late?

A cute read about second chances.

Visit Nina Kenwood’s website.