This Week's New Releases

So many good contemporaries coming out this week! Since I started this weekly feature I have added a bunch to my TBR pile. As usual, plenty of contemporary romances. I have no problem finding these because it's what I read the most of. I would love to see more historical releases so if anyone knows of any, please let us know in the comments.

I have read one Lauren Layne book so far (Blurred Lines) and enjoyed the heck out of it. While To Have and To Hold is the first book in a new series, there is a prequel of sorts, the novella, From This Day Forward. I have yet to read it but like the blurb as well as the blurb for this one. And for some reason the term "fancy-pants" has always cracked me up!

To Have and To Hold
Lauren Layne
Contemporary Romance
The Wedding Belles/Book 1

USA TODAY bestselling author Lauren Layne is the “queen of witty dialogue and sexy scenes” (Rachel Van Dyken)! Now, Sex and the City meets The Wedding Planner in The Wedding Belles, her sizzling brand new contemporary romance series about three ambitious wedding planners who can make any bride’s dream come true... but their own.

Discovering her fiance is an international con man just moments before they exchange vows devastates celebrity wedding planner Brooke Baldwin's business—and breaks her heart. Now a pariah in Los Angeles, she seeks a fresh start in New York City and thinks she’s found it with her first bridal client, a sweet—if slightly spoiled—hotel heiress. Then she meets the uptight businessman who’s holding the purse strings.

Seth Tyler wishes he could write a blank check and be done with his sister Maya's fancy-pants wedding. Unfortunately, micromanaging the event is his only chance at proving Maya’s fiance is a liar. Standing directly in his way is the stunning blonde wedding planner whose practiced smiles and sassy comebacks both irritate and arouse him. He needs Brooke’s help. But can he persuade a wedding planner on a comeback mission to unplan a wedding? And more importantly, how will he convince her that the wedding she should be planning... is theirs?

A heroine named Vivian Leigh? I can't resist! And the hero has a heart attack? I'm curious as to how old he is. And I like what I've previously read from Ms. Gibson. All reasons to add to the list!

Just Kiss Me
Rachel Gibson
Contemporary Romance

"Hello, Ms. Vivian . . . it's been a long time.

And with those words, Vivian Leigh Rochet nearly melted. It's been years since she last saw Harrison Whitley-Shuler. She was a teenager scrubbing houses for a living. He was the gorgeous son of rich parents, not fit for the likes of her.

Vivian had vowed to get out of Charleston, become a big Hollywood star, and stick it to the snooty girls who made her cry.

She got what she wanted—and more—but why does her glamorous life seem so trivial?

Harrison got out too . . . making it all the way to Wall Street, until a heart attack forced him to trade in his cufflinks for a good set of hand tools.

Making furniture soothes his soul, but escaping the Whitley-Shuler heritage is nearly impossible. And now he's come face-to-face with the one who got away. He's not looking for love. He's not even looking for sex . . . so why is resisting her the hardest thing he's ever done?

I decided to get this next release from Netgalley so I have a little head start on reading it. So far, the heroine's experiences with her neighbors are much better than mine have ever been!

Don't Tempt Me
Lori Foster
Contemporary Romance
The Guthrie Brothers/Book 1

Love comes along when it's least wanted.

Jason Guthrie has no time for entanglements—between helping out his widowed brother and teenage nephew and getting his hometown back on its feet, his days are spoken for. But his nights are another story… And when his lovely new neighbor, Honor Brown, reluctantly accepts his help in remodeling her house, Jason finds himself wishing his handyman skills could knock down the defenses she keeps building around herself.

Martial arts teacher Sullivan Dean knows real danger when he sees it—even when it takes the form of the gorgeous blonde helping her friend move in across the street. After putting his wayward past behind him to focus on teaching control to troubled kids, Sullivan has learned to avoid party girls like Lexie Perkins. But Sullivan can't seem to keep his hands off the real woman behind that flirty charm—or keep his heart from landing at her feet…

Kasie West is a favorite Young Adult author of mine. She writes characters who are genuine in their feelings and situations. Love the premise of this one. Can't wait to dive in!

P.S. I Like You
Kasie West 
Young Adult/Contemporary

What if the person you were falling for was a total mystery?

While Lily is spacing out in Chemistry one day, she picks up her pencil and scribbles a line from one of her favorite songs on the desk. The next day, someone else has written back to her on the desk! Soon enough Lily and the mystery student are exchanging notes, and lyrics, and even sharing secrets. When Lily finds out that her anonymous pen pal is a guy, she's flustered -- and kind of feels like she's falling for him. She and her best friend set out to unravel the identity of the letter writer -- but when the truth is revealed, the guy is the LAST person Lily could have ever imagined it to be. Now that Lily knows the truth, can she untangle her feelings and gather the courage to listen to her heart? 

 From beloved author Kasie West (The Distance Between Us) comes an utterly charming story about mixed messages, missed connections, and the magic of good old-fashioned secret admirer notes. 

I've been waiting for this book ever since reading the first book in the series, All Hell Breaks Loose. There was enough of a teaser for the second book to make me want it right now.

Hell Breaks Loose
Sophie Jordan
Contemporary Romance
Devil's Rock Series/Book 2

Hell hath no hunger like a man let out of a cage . . .

Shy and awkward, First Daughter Grace Reeves has always done what she’s told. Tired of taking orders, she escapes her security detail for a rare moment of peace. Except her worst nightmare comes to life when a ruthless gang of criminals abducts her. Her only choice is to place her trust in Reid Allister, an escaped convict whose piercing gaze awakens something deep inside her. Reid is nothing like her other captors.

He’s tougher, smarter…and one blistering look from him makes her hotter than any man ever has.

Reid spent years plotting escape and revenge . . .years without a woman in his bed. For this hardened felon, Grace Reeves isn’t just out of his league—she’s from another planet, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting her. Escaping Devil’s Rock was tough, but resisting this woman could be the end of him. For a man with nothing to lose, protecting her . . . claiming her as his own, becomes more necessary than his next breath.

When I was a little kid, I would fall asleep with my mom while we listened to a radio mystery show. I don't remember any of the stories but I've always loved a good mystery. Maybe that's where I first got my love of mysteries.

The Unseen World
Liz Moore
Mystery/Contemporary

The moving story of a daughter’s quest to discover the truth about her beloved father’s hidden past. 

Ada Sibelius is raised by David, her brilliant, eccentric, socially inept single father, who directs a computer science lab in 1980s-era Boston. Home-schooled, Ada accompanies David to work every day; by twelve, she is a painfully shy prodigy. The lab begins to gain acclaim at the same time that David's mysterious history comes into question. When his mind begins to falter, leaving Ada virtually an orphan, she is taken in by one of David's colleagues. Soon after she embarks on a mission to uncover her father’s secrets: a process that carries her from childhood to adulthood. What Ada discovers on her journey into a virtual universe will keep the reader riveted until The Unseen World's heart-stopping, fascinating conclusion.

Look! It's an urban fantasy!

Thunder Road
Sierra Dean
Urban Fantasy

Being Chosen was supposed to be a gift. 

That’s what Tallulah Corentine’s parents told her when they handed her over to the Rain Chasers on her seventh birthday. It was an honor to be born with a destiny, to be hand selected by the gods before taking her first breath. She should be overjoyed.

Twenty years later, Tallulah is still waiting for the gift. She might have the power of the storm at her fingertips, but she’s spent her whole adult life living under a cloud. 

 A cross-country trip to find the wayward son of Seth, god of the storm, turns into a fight for her life when she dupes Death out of a valuable treasure. With only a wily con man, a dangerously handsome bad-luck priest, and a lot of lightning to help her, can she deliver the package and keep herself out of an early grave?

Or will Seth be looking for a new Rain Chaser before it’s all over?

Review: An Ember in the Ashes ~ Sabaa Tahir

An Ember in the Ashes
Sabaa Tahir
An Ember in the Ashes/Book 1
Young Adult/Fantasy
Razorbill/February 9, 2016

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

I find myself almost wishing I had waited to read this, at least until the second book is released. It was an incredible experience and with only one book, I'm addicted to the world Sabaa Tahir has created. I did in fact listen to the audio book, not once but twice! It was that good! Kudos goes to the narrators as well, Fiona Hardingham and Steve West.

From the beginning, I was drawn into the lives of Laia and Elias. They both live in different worlds. Laia is a scribe, one of the conquered, while Elias seems to live the life of privilege, the conqueror. But neither have much, if any, control over their lives. Laia is thrown out of her dismal home when her brother is arrested. She barely escapes the Empire's soldiers and seeks out the rebels, hoping they will help her rescue her brother. In exchange for the rebel's help, Laia must become a house slave to the Commandant of Blackthorne Academy. Laia is a teenager, seventeen, but her hard life has given her the determination to overcome horrendous odds in just surviving the Commandant.

The Academy is where the Martial Empire trains their soldiers. The training starts at age six. The children are brought to the academy and given training many adults would not survive. Sadly, many of the children do not survive the harsh environment of the Academy. The descriptions are brutal, conditions at the Academy are severe. The weak do not survive here. They are eliminated, mostly by the Commandant who takes sadistic pleasure in whipping the boys who disobey her rules. She killed a ten year old who tried to escape, was captured by the Masks and then punished by the Commandant. I absolutely hated her.

The Masks are the soldiers who have graduated from the Academy. They got their name from the masks they wear, which they are not allowed to remove. The soldiers received their masks while still in training and the masks slowing begin to "bond" to the soldiers' faces. The description is, disturbing, and I had the impression the masks are made out of some type of pliable metal. I don't remember if it was mentioned what exactly they are made of but they gradually attached the the face and head of each trainee until they become a part of the soldier.

The whole setting of the Academy is brilliantly developed from the grounds, the trainees' rooms, the kitchen and halls, and the Commandant's quarters. It felt like a real place with not only the physical description but the atmosphere. Everyone always ready to follow orders at a moments notice or be punished for the slightest infraction. This was not a happy place, but rather a prison camouflaged as a military academy where most of the inmates think they want to be there and are brainwashed into believing they are doing the right thing for the Empire.

The character of Laia is a magnificent heroine. She is terribly scared and out of her element when she leaves her home and searches out the rebels. You can feel her terror as she encounters the hostility of the rebels and later the soldiers and the Commandant. You can also feel her resolve to follow through on her mission in the face of the real fear she has for her life. I felt as if I was right there with Laia. The writing is extremely detailed not only the physical components but the emotional turmoil Laia and the other characters go through.

The secondary characters are well developed and fit like puzzle pieces into the story. There are the other soldiers, Elias' best friend Helene was a particular favorite of mine and will be featured more prominently in the second book. She is currently the only female cadet and worked her ass off to get as far as she has. She is confident in her abilities but holds dangerous secrets that could get her killed. I can not wait to learn more about Helene. There is also Marcus, the Commandant's protégé and Elias' enemy. Marcus is evil and has a sadistic streak that given time, will be on the same level as the Commandant's.

We also meet some of the rebels. Resistance fighters who have their own agenda and use Laia to get what they want. Then there is another favorite of mine - kitchen girl. She is a sweet, brave young girl who works in the kitchen at the academy and befriends Laia. Cook is also there and can be brisk and even rude but her heart is in the right place.

The story is told in alternating POV of Laia and Elias. It's interesting how closely their thoughts and feelings parallel each other. They have such different backgrounds and yet have similar moral codes. Laia is a young woman and a slave so you would think she is in the weaker position while Elias is a physically powerful young man, trained in warfare so he must be the more powerful of the two. When in fact, Elias wants desperately to run away from his responsibilities while Laia is embracing hers. Elias is afraid of what he will become if he stays and takes up his role as a Mask.

When I'm reading an incredibly good book, I get pictures in my head. Pictures of the characters and the setting. I'll also find my body tensing up and my heart will feel as if it's beating faster when the scene is reaching the point where I know something dreadful or shocking is about to happen. This book was like that. There are graphic fight scenes, tense situations, adventurous spying, daring escapes and the passion of friendships both new and old. I absolutely loved this book!

Rating: A+

An Ember in the Ashes Series ~

An Ember in the Ashes
A Torch Against the Night (August 30, 2016)
Untitled (Expected publication 2017)

This Week's New Releases

This week there are some new to me authors and some favorites, both longtime and recent. What new releases are you looking forward to?

Oh, boy. This is book four in the series and I have read... zero. So not only do I need to catch up on Ms. Singh's Guild Hunter series, I need to start this one. Who here has been reading this series? Like it?

Rock Wedding
Nalini Singh
Contemporary Romance

After a lifetime of longing for a real family, Sarah Smith thought she’d finally found her home with rock star Abe Bellamy, even if she knew Abe didn’t love her the way she loved him. But their brief relationship, filled with tragedy and heartache, nearly destroyed her. Alone, emotions in turmoil, and already shaky self-esteem shattered, Sarah struggles to pick up the pieces in the wake of their divorce.

Abe knows he’s to blame for the end of his marriage. Caught in a web of painful memories, he pushed away the best thing in his life – the sexy, smart woman he adores – breaking them both in the process. Then fate throws him a second chance to get things right, to prove to Sarah that she means everything to him. Abe desperately wants that second chance at love...even if he knows he doesn’t deserve it.

But can he convince Sarah – now strong and independent without him – to risk her wounded heart one more time?

I've been enjoying Vi Keeland's writing lately and Bossman sounds like what I've come to expect from Ms. Keeland.

Bossman
Vi Keeland
Contemporary Romance

The first time I met Chase Parker, I didn’t exactly make a good impression.

I was hiding in the bathroom hallway of a restaurant, leaving a message for my best friend to save me from my awful date.

He overheard and told me I was a bitch, then proceeded to offer me some dating advice.

So I told him to mind his own damn business—his own tall, gorgeous, full-of-himself damn business—and went back to my miserable date.

When he walked by my table, he smirked, and I watched his arrogant, sexy ass walk back to his date.

I couldn’t help but sneak hidden glances at the condescending jerk on the other side of the room. Of course, he caught me on more than one occasion, and winked.

When the gorgeous stranger and his equally hot date suddenly appeared at our table, I thought he was going to rat me out.

But instead, he pretended we knew each other and joined us—telling elaborate, embarrassing stories about our fake childhood.

My date suddenly went from boring to bizarrely exciting.

When it was over and we parted ways, I thought about him more than I would ever admit, even though I knew I’d never see him again.

I mean, what were the chances I’d run into him again in a city with eight million people?
Then again…

What were the chances a month later he’d wind up being my new sexy boss?

A new Young Adult from a debut author is a reason to get happy. For me at least because 1) I enjoy finding new authors & 2) I like reading the YA genre, even though I'm no longer a "YA".

That is one of those things I don't understand when people are: shocked, surprised, confused, as to why I read YA. It seems acceptable for adults to enjoy G rated movies and TV shows whose target audiences are kids. So why shouldn't adults enjoy well written books regardless of the age of the MCs?

Signs of You
Emily France
Young Adult/Contemporary

Since sixteen-year-old Riley Strout lost her mother two years ago, her saving grace has been her quirky little family in the grief support group she joined as a freshman. Jay, Kate, and Noah understand her pain; each lost a loved one, and they’ve stuck together in spite of their differences, united by tragedies only they understand.

When Riley thinks she spots her mother shopping in a grocery store, she fears she is suffering some sort of post-traumatic stress. Then Jay and Kate report similar experiences. Only Noah hasn’t had some kind of vision, which is perhaps why he’s become so skeptical and distant.

When Noah disappears, Riley fears she’s lost another loved one. As they frantically search for him, she, Kate, and Jay are drawn into the mystery surrounding a relic that belonged to Jay’s dead father and contains clues about the afterlife. Riley finds herself wrestling with her feelings for both Noah and Jay—which have become clear only in Noah’s absence. If Riley is to help those she loves, and herself, she must set things right with the one she’s lost.

Best friends to lovers AND second chance at love? Yes, PLEASE! Two of my favorite tropes! Now if this was a historical and the heroine was a mail-order bride? Trifecta of romance tropes!

Until Harry
L. A. Casey
Contemporary Romance

He was my best friend, my best not-really-big-brother, and my best protector.

He was my best everything.

He was mine.

Coming home is hard for Lane. Hard because Harry, her beloved uncle, has died suddenly, but also because of him. Kale.

Kale Hunt has been her best friend since childhood. But it was never that simple. He was Lane’s reason for leaving home and moving to New York. Seeing him with someone else, in love with someone else, shouldn’t have hurt. But it did. It really, really did. So she upped sticks and left, started a new life and cut herself off from her past.

But now she’s back, and all the feelings are right there. As if she had never left.

Emotions are running high for everyone, and tragedy has a funny way of bringing people together. But is Lane reading the signs right? Are they still just friends, or is there something more? 

The blurb intrigues me and frankly scares me a little. I'm not sure what to make of it. My guess is that Bo and Sofia have mental health issues and the story is about how they survive their daily struggle. I'll have to read it to find out. 

A World Without You
Beth Revis
Young Adult/Contemporary

Seventeen-year-old Bo has always had delusions that he can travel through time. When he was ten, Bo claimed to have witnessed the Titanic hit an iceberg, and at fifteen, he found himself on a Civil War battlefield, horrified by the bodies surrounding him. So when his concerned parents send him to a school for troubled youth, Bo assumes he knows the truth: that he’s actually attending Berkshire Academy, a school for kids who, like Bo, have "superpowers."

At Berkshire, Bo falls in love with Sofia, a quiet girl with a tragic past and the superpower of invisibility. Sofia helps Bo open up in a way he never has before. In turn, Bo provides comfort to Sofia, who lost her mother and two sisters at a very young age.

But even the strength of their love isn’t enough to help Sofia escape her deep depression. After she commits suicide, Bo is convinced that she's not actually dead. He believes that she's stuck somewhere in time — that he somehow left her in the past, and now it's his job to save her.

This Week's New Releases

End of June and the summer is already flying by. This week there are a some familiar authors as well as a couple of new-to-me authors.

If you have any you'd like to add to the list, please leave the info in the comments. :)

Two girls, one who is blind, on a road trip. I'm liking the premise a lot! There will most likely be a boy or two somewhere in the mix. I'm kind of hoping not. I'd like to see the focus on the girls and their bond of best friends.

Run
Kody Keplinger
Young Adult/Contemporary

Bo Dickinson is a girl with a wild reputation, a deadbeat dad, and a mama who's not exactly sober most of the time. Everyone in town knows the Dickinsons are a bad lot, but Bo doesn't care what anyone thinks.

Agnes Atwood has never gone on a date, never even stayed out past ten, and never broken any of her parents' overbearing rules. Rules that are meant to protect their legally blind daughter -- protect her from what, Agnes isn't quite sure.

Despite everything, Bo and Agnes become best friends. And it's the sort of friendship that runs truer and deeper than anything else.

So when Bo shows up in the middle of the night, with police sirens wailing in the distance, desperate to get out of town, Agnes doesn't hesitate to take off with her. But running away and not getting caught will require stealing a car, tracking down Bo's dad, staying ahead of the authorities, and -- worst of all -- confronting some ugly secrets.

A new series from Jill Shalvis! She's been a favorite author of mine for years so it's a happy day whenever she has a book coming out. And this new series has a heroine who is a boat captain and hero who is a hottie. Can't ask for more!



Sweet Little Lies
Jill Shalvis
Contemporary Romance
Heartbreaker Bay/Book 1

Choose the one guy you can’t have...

As captain of a San Francisco Bay tour boat, Pru can handle rough seas—the hard part is life on dry land. Pru loves her new apartment and her neighbors; problem is, she’s in danger of stumbling into love with Mr. Right for Anybody But Her.

Fall For Him - Hard...

Pub owner Finn O’Riley is six-foot-plus of hard-working hottie who always makes time for his friends. When Pru becomes one of them, she discovers how amazing it feels to be on the receiving end of that deep green gaze. But when a freak accident involving darts (don’t ask) leads to shirtless first aid, things rush way past the friend zone. Fast. 

And then tell him the truth. 

Pru only wants Finn to be happy; it’s what she wishes for at the historic fountain that’s supposed to grant her heart’s desire. But wanting him for herself is a different story—because Pru’s been keeping a secret that could change everything...

It's been a while since I read anything from Christine Feehan. I've read many of her Dark series novels and Ghost Walker series. I enjoyed both series but haven't kept up. This is a new series with elements of magic.

Shadow Rider
Christine Feehan
Paranormal Romance
Shadow/Book 1

Whether it’s fast cars or fast women, Stefano Ferraro gets what he wants. When he’s not fodder for the paparazzi, he commands Ferraro family businesses—both legitimate and illegitimate.

While their criminal activity is simply a rumor yet to be proven, no one knows the real truth. The Ferraros are a family of shadow riders capable of manipulating light and dark, an ability Stefano thought ran in his family alone—until now…

With little left to her name, Francesca Cappello has come to Chicago in hopes of a new life. She wasn’t expecting to attract the attention of a man with primal hunger in his eyes, driven to claim her as his to protect and to please. And if he discovers her secret, it could ruin her...

I like the not-so-sweet princess. I wonder how brutal she will be? And who she will be more loyal to - her brother or her love interest? The author has said the trilogy is loosely based on the story of Vlad the Impaler aka Dracula. The big difference is that Vlad is a girl in this story.

And I Darken
Kiersten White
Young Adult/Paranormal/Historical
The Conquerors Saga/Book 1

NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. 

And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

The Winner's Crime ~ Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Crime
Marie Rutkoski
Young Adult/Fantasy
The Winner's Trilogy/Book 2
Farrar Straus Giroux/March 2, 2015

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement... if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

 As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

I could make this an incredibly short review. If I did, I wouldn't tell you about the plot, the world building or the characters. I would simply write - READ THIS TRILOGY - NOW.

And that would be the end. But I'm guessing you'd like a little more. Since I don't want to disappoint, I will attempt to tell you how much love I have not only for the plot, the world building and the characters but also for Marie Rutkoski's ability to weave all of those things into an experience in reading not soon forgotten.

First - This is a trilogy with each book building on the next. You can read my review of the first book here. If you have not read the first book, be warned, there are spoilers ahead. You don't want to spoil the infinite pleasure of the first book so only read on if you have read book one.

In the first book, The Winner's Curse, Kestrel buys a slave and has no idea the events she sets in motion by bringing Arin, the slave, into her home. In The Winner's Crime, we find Arin in charge of the resistance and Kestrel living in exile, engaged to a prince. This is the one aspect of the story I wasn't crazy about - they spend much of the book apart. I understand why the plot must go in this direction and The Winner's Crime is a part of the whole, you can't read one book without the other two.

Kestrel is walking a fine line in the capital city. She is engaged to the prince but engaging in spying for the rebels. At any moment she could be accused of treason against the crown. She is desperate to see Arin, if only to assure herself that he is alright. But she must also keep up the pretense of being loyal to the crown and with the emperor keeping a close eye on his son's fiancée, Kestrel could at any moment be caught helping the rebels. The tension is such an integral part of the setting. There was more than one moment when I thought, "This is it, she's going to get caught." It was nerve-racking since I had come to like Kestrel and want her and Arin to get their HEA. Not easy to do if she's locked up for treason. She is an intelligent, strong-willed character which was infinitely thrilling to read.

Arin, oh Arin. What have you done? He was not who he claimed to be in the first book and now in this second installment I feel like I'm getting to know him much better. Which makes it so interesting to read his scenes. He is an enigma, although he wants to free his people, the Herrani, but he doesn't always show complete hatred for their conquers. He came to care deeply about Kestrel and she bought him at auction! Things are not always black and white for Arin which is why he sometimes wavers in his decisions regarding the governing of Herran. He was appointed governor by the emperor which might seem a victory but Arin knows he can not trust the emperor and must still use spies to obtain critical information.

While Kestrel and Arin are residing in different cities, they still have beautiful, if somewhat painful, moments together. Arin doesn't know that Kestrel trader her freedom for his. He sees her as the fiancée of the prince, living in luxury in the capital. While he and his people are barely surviving despite having won their freedom.  He still has strong feelings for her which play havoc with his loyalty to his people. Kestrel wants only to help Arin however she can but it is dangerous spying right under the nose of the emperor.

Their romance is volatile, with outside influences creating distance, both physical and emotional, between Kestrel and Arin. The author does well in showing the struggle Kestrel and Arin go through with their feelings for each other as well as their feelings for their people. Kestrel's loyalty isn't as strong towards the empire as Arin's is towards the Herrani. When she bought Arin and came to know him, it made her see the Herrani people as more than slaves. Arin's hatred of the slave owners is a strong, burning in his gut but Kestrel shows him that not all of the Valorians are the evil conquerors he's believed they are. I think their romance, when they finally get their HEA, will be hard won and make it that much more satisfying.

The secondary characters are a variety of both cunning, evil and kind. The prince was not what I was expecting and surprisingly likable.  Arin has some loyal compatriots who have his back. One such is his cousin Sarsine who is headstrong and doesn't always agree with Arin's decisions but is fiercely loyal to him. Arin also has a wise mentor in Tensen who is the contact for Arin's spy in the capital. Tensen also helped Kestrel when he could. The secondary characters keep the connection between Kestrel and Arin when it looks like they will be kept apart.

I have the third book in the trilogy, The Winner's Kiss, waiting patiently for me. I've put off reading it partly because I have other books I needed to read but also because I want to hold off on finishing this wonderful trilogy.

Rating: A-

The Winner's Trilogy ~

The Winner's Curse
The Winner's Crime
The Winner's Kiss

This Week's New Releases

The first full week of June and it's been terribly hot here, triple digits, which means it's a great time to stay inside and read!

Please add any new releases I missed in the comments! Thanks. :)

No, I haven't read the first book in the series, Kick, Push, but it is on my Kindle just waiting for me to obtain the superpower of reading 10 books a day. Then I might get caught up on my TBR pile. Until then, I will continue to happily add anything Jay McLean writes to my buy list.

*This is a continuation of the story begun in book one. Same hero & heroine so please read in order.*

Coast
Jay McLean
Contemporary Romance
Kick Push Series/Book 2

One life-changing summer.
One boy.
The boy.
The boy who offered me safe touches and heart-stopping - smiles he shared with his son.
We filled our days with porch-step kisses,
filled our ears with laughter,
filled our hearts iwth love.
Deep, soul-aching, desperate love.
But love is misleading.
It's an invisible, fleeting moment.
Somewhere between false adoration and pure hatred comes an
emotion, a vulnerable need, a single desire.
It lives within the ones who miss it, who crave it,
who know better than to expect it.
Love is relentless.
Even when that love turns to hate, turns to loathing,
turns to pain.
Love should heal you.
But it can also break you.
Believe me, I know...
Because I'm Becca Owens - a broken girl...
...And he's Josh Warden - the boy who broke me.

Another second book in a series. Another series I have yet to read the first book. Another first book I have waiting patiently for me on my Kindle. I sense a trend here.

The Fixer, book 1, comes highly recommended from Nath with an A- grade. I need to get on this!

The Long Game
Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Young Adult/Suspense
The Fixer Series/Book 2

For Tess Kendrick, a junior at the elite Hardwicke School in Washington D.C., fixing runs in the family. But Tess has another legacy, too, one that involves power and the making of political dynasties. When Tess is asked to run a classmate's campaign for student council, she agrees. But when the candidates are children of politicians, even a high school election can involve life-shattering secrets.

Meanwhile, Tess's guardian has also taken on an impossible case, as a terrorist attack calls into doubt who can--and cannot--be trusted on Capitol Hill. Tess knows better than most that power is currency in D.C., but she's about to discover first-hand that power always comes with a price.

This next one sounds like the perfect read for a summer day. I have read one other book from Ms. Swank, Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes, which I remember enjoying.

One Paris Summer
Denise Grover Swank
Young Adult/Contemporary

Most teens dream of visiting the City of Lights, but it feels more like a nightmare for Sophie Brooks. She and her brother are sent to Paris to spend the summer with their father, who left home a year ago without any explanation. As if his sudden abandonment weren't betrayal enough, he's about to remarry, and they’re expected to play nice with his soon-to-be wife and stepdaughter. The stepdaughter, Camille, agrees to show them around the city, but she makes it clear that she will do everything in her power to make Sophie miserable.

Sophie could deal with all the pain and humiliation if only she could practice piano. Her dream is to become a pianist, and she was supposed to spend the summer preparing for a scholarship competition. Even though her father moved to Paris to pursue his own dream, he clearly doesn't support hers. His promise to provide her with a piano goes unfulfilled.

Still, no one is immune to Paris’s charm. After a few encounters with a gorgeous French boy, Sophie finds herself warming to the city, particularly when she discovers that he can help her practice piano. There’s just one hitch—he’s a friend of Camille’s, and Camille hates Sophie. While the summer Sophie dreaded promises to become best summer of her life, one person could ruin it all.

This next one should be a quick read, 100 pages, and is a prequel for a new series by Lauren Layne. I recently read and reviewed my first Lauren Layne novel, Blurred Lines, and found it entertaining.

*Note: I just love Ms. Layne's author pic on Goodreads. She looks so happy! Why do some authors post those serious pictures that look like they don't enjoy what they do?

From This Day Forward
Lauren Layne
Contemporary Romance
The Wedding Belles Series/Book 0.5

Up-and-coming wedding photographer Leah McHale’s career is on the rise–thanks in no small part to the Wedding Belles, the elite New York wedding planning agency that always throws top-tier business Leah’s way. So when one of the Belles asks Leah to fill in at the former First Daughter's wedding, Leah is overjoyed to say yes–until she finds out who she’ll be working with.

Jason Rhodes is the one man who was able to capture Leah’s heart and, once he had it, promptly stepped all over it and left her broken. Now he’s working side-by-side with her at the biggest wedding of the season and Leah is determined to give him the cold shoulder. Despite his persistence, she is not going to fall for his charming, impish ways again. Not even if he still has that killer, irresistible smile...

Review: The Winner's Curse ~ Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Curse
Marie Rutkoski
Young Adult/Fantasy
The Winner's Trilogy/Book 1
Farrar Straus Giroux/March 4, 2014

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love...

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

~ Review is of the audio book, narrated by one of my all time favorite narrators, Justin Eyre.

This is a case of interest in a new release, final book in the trilogy, leading to picking up the first book in the trilogy. What a stroke of luck coming across Marie Rutkoski's brilliantly beautiful story of a girl, a guy and a need to set the world right.

The Winner's Curse took me to a world where not everyone is what they seem. Some are hiding behind their perceived short comings while others allow people to believe what they see, instead of showing what is real. For Kestrel, she believes her father can never be proud of her, that she is only a disappointment to him. For Arin, he is a slave with a past in conflict with his present. It is a past that will soon collide with the present and his feelings for Kestrel.

Kestrel is a such a complex character, for being only seventeen. She is the daughter of the general of the Valorian army. Lady Kestrel is meant to be taken care of and held above the lesser people. She is accustomed to others doing the menial tasks and for herself, trying to live up to her father's expectations but always seeming to fall short. Kestrel did not always come across as a seventeen year old young woman but resembled someone far older if not in experience than in wisdom. She has a sharp mind and uses it to her advantage to disentangle herself out of the formidable situations she finds herself in. I loved seeing how her mind worked and the results of her creative thinking. This showed how her strength would lead her down her true path. It's is not an easy path and I did questions some of her decisions, that's when I was reminded that she is a seventeen year old young woman who has lived a fairly sheltered life. It was fascinating to see her sheltered life fall away and for Kestrel's new experiences to shape who she is to become.

Arin is a character whom you know from the start is not all that he seems. He is a slave, bought at auction and taken into Kestrel's home. But you get the sense he is no ordinary slave. He is far too outspoken, too familiar to the world around him, Kestrel's world, to not have some experiences outside that of a slave. Arin, was a tough character for me to like because I fell for Kestrel so quickly. When Arin's true motives are shown, I understood what inspired his actions but the fallout was not always easy to take. Still, seeing Arin's conflict for what he must do and how the results affected him, showed a side of him which made it easier to understand and like him.

The world Rutkoski has created is multifaceted, like a jewel of the rarest stone.  From the grand mansions to the meager slave quarters, the descriptions give life to the places Kestrel and Arin take us. But the world is really a backdrop for the story of Kestrel and Arin and their fight for what they believe in. The conflict between them only heightens the difficult decisions they must make.

What makes this story such a winner is you knows something big is going to happen and while I wanted to get to what I knew was coming, I also wanted to enjoy the ride getting there. It's that feeling you have when you're exciting about a upcoming event. The days prior with the build up of excitement all leading to the culmination of the event. That's how this felt and it was wonderful!

This is a trilogy which means the ending of The Winner's Curse is not a true ending for Kestrel and Arin. Their story continues in the next book. So if you don't like cliffhanger endings, then think of The Winner's Curse as a part of the whole story and read the next book, The Winner's Crime.

Rating: A

The Winner's Trilogy ~

The Winner's Curse
The Winner's Crime
The Winner's Kiss

Tomorrow's New Releases

This week's releases on my radar have two releasing today and the others tomorrow. There is a good variety with some contemporary, mystery, young adult and fantasy. At first there weren't too many on the list but as I kept hunting I found some very promising releases!

L. H. Cosway is an auto-buy for me. After flying through her Hearts series, highly recommend, I can't get enough of her writing. Her heroes are unusual and her heroines are smart, funny and you want to be friends with them. Cosway writes characters you wish were real people.

Showmance
L. H. Cosway
Contemporary Romance

Damon Atwood was Hollywood’s golden boy. Having won an Oscar at the tender age of thirteen, he had the life many could only dream about. But his success came at a price, and after a short but fruitful film career, he chose to live a life of obscurity on a remote Scottish island. Almost a decade later he’s finally ready to make his return, starting with a lead role in a musical on London’s West End.

As a choreographer’s assistant, Rose Taylor has always faded into the background. She watches shows come to life from the side lines, but has never craved the attention of stardom. When rumours begin circulating of Damon’s involvement in her latest gig, she doesn’t predict how she will be thrust into the limelight, nor how the mysterious and strangely introverted man will need her to teach him how to be a star again.

Rose knows that show crushes don’t last. Actors fall for each other during the intensity of a production, often losing themselves in their roles. These kinds of affairs burn bright and then they fade. The question is, should Rose let herself shine with Damon, or guard her heart from being broken after the final curtain call?

Even though this is the third book in a series I haven't started yet, I'm putting on my list. 1) Because I've enjoy Ms. Madsen's writing and 2) I have the first two books on my TBR pile. It only makes sense to get the third book.

The Bad Boy's Baby
Cindi Madsen
Hope Springs/Book 3

There are certain words that have always described Cam Brantley: Town bad boy. Soldier. Protector. But never, ever dad. Until he returns home from his latest military tour to discover the girl he had one smoking-hot night with is now mom to the adorable two-year-old Zoey. Who has his eyes.

Plenty of words could describe Emma Walker these days. Mom, dutiful granddaughter, budding designer, the town’s golden child. But when her longtime crush Cam Brantley comes back to town, she knows the perfect word to describe herself: screwed.

Cam and Emma are both shocked to discover he truly wants Zoey in his life. But Cam’s not sure he’s ready to be a dad, and Emma can’t gamble her daughter on maybes. As the long-simmering heat between Cam and Emma reaches a boiling point, he’ll have to work past his demons in order to be the man both girls need.

Daddy duty might be his toughest mission yet…

As much as I've enjoyed this series, I'll be getting this from the library. It's a hardcover novella. Goodreads lists it at 208 pages. Amazon has the Kindle version priced at $10.99. Nope.

The Highwayman
Craig Johnson
Walk Longmire Series

Sherriff Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear embark on their latest adventure in this novella set in the world of Craig Johnson’s New York Times bestselling Longmire series—the basis for the hit drama Longmire, now on Netflix.

When Wyoming highway patrolman Rosey Wayman is transferred to the beautiful and imposing landscape of the Wind River Canyon, an area the troopers refer to as no-man's-land because of the lack of radio communication, she starts receiving “officer needs assistance” calls. The problem? They're coming from Bobby Womack, a legendary Arapaho patrolman who met a fiery death in the canyon almost a half-century ago.

With an investigation that spans this world and the next, Sheriff Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear take on a case that pits them against a legend: The Highwayman.

I have not read anything by Ms. Kubica but boy does this one sound good! The blurb has me itching to find out what happened to Esther. Maybe she ran away and became Pearl? Or maybe Pearl is evil and did something horrible to Esther and now she has her sights on Alex. And Quinn gets too close to the truth and is in danger. Yep, got all that from the blurb. Now I need to read it and find out if any of what I speculated is true.

Don't You Cry
Mary Kubica
Mystery/Suspense

In downtown Chicago, a young woman named Esther Vaughan disappears from her apartment without a trace. A haunting letter addressed to My Dearest is found among her possessions, leaving her friend and roommate Quinn Collins to wonder where Esther is and whether or not she's the person Quinn thought she knew.

Meanwhile, in a small Michigan harbor town an hour outside Chicago, a mysterious woman appears in the quiet coffee shop where eighteen-year-old Alex Gallo works as a dishwasher. He is immediately drawn to her charm and beauty, but what starts as an innocent crush quickly spirals into something far more dark and sinister than he ever expected.

As Quinn searches for answers about Esther, and Alex is drawn further under Pearl's spell, master of suspense Mary Kubica takes readers on a taut and twisted thrill ride that builds to a stunning conclusion and shows that no matter how fast and far we run, the past always catches up with us in the end.

This one is a friends to couple romance, which is one of my favorite tropes. I'm certainly curious about what Mallory's nightmare was and how Rider is connected to it.

The Problem with Forever
Jennifer L. Armentrout
Young Adult/Contemporary

For some people, silence is a weapon. For Mallory “Mouse” Dodge, it’s a shield. Growing up, she learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it’s been four years since her nightmare ended, she’s beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime.

Now, after years of homeschooling with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she’s imagined, there’s one she never dreamed of—that she’d run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn’t seen since childhood, on her very first day.

It doesn’t take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet the deeper their bond grows, the more it becomes apparent that she’s not the only one grappling with the lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider’s life spiral out of control, Mallory faces a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants, and the truths that need to be heard.

It's a historical. It takes place in Russia. And there's magic! I love the whole description. The battle with magic. The two young men falling for the young woman. And it takes place in Russia! (Yes, I have a fascination for Russia.)

The Crown's Game
Evelyn Skye
Young Adult/Fantasy

Vika Andreyeva can summon the snow and turn ash into gold. Nikolai Karimov can see through walls and conjure bridges out of thin air. They are enchanters—the only two in Russia—and with the Ottoman Empire and the Kazakhs threatening, the Tsar needs a powerful enchanter by his side.

And so he initiates the Crown’s Game, an ancient duel of magical skill—the greatest test an enchanter will ever know. The victor becomes the Imperial Enchanter and the Tsar’s most respected adviser. The defeated is sentenced to death.

Raised on tiny Ovchinin Island her whole life, Vika is eager for the chance to show off her talent in the grand capital of Saint Petersburg. But can she kill another enchanter—even when his magic calls to her like nothing else ever has?

For Nikolai, an orphan, the Crown’s Game is the chance of a lifetime. But his deadly opponent is a force to be reckoned with—beautiful, whip smart, imaginative—and he can’t stop thinking about her.

And when Pasha, Nikolai’s best friend and heir to the throne, also starts to fall for the mysterious enchantress, Nikolai must defeat the girl they both love... or be killed himself.

As long-buried secrets emerge, threatening the future of the empire, it becomes dangerously clear... the Crown’s Game is not one to lose.

I just started listen to my first Lauren Layne and am genuinely enjoying her writing. So I'm adding the next book in the series to my list. Although, the h/h are new characters so I'm not sure how it links to the first book. Still, I like the blurb so on the list it goes!


Good Girl
Lauren Layne
Contemporary Romance

Country music’s favorite good girl is hiding away from the world—only to find herself bunking with a guy who makes her want to be a little bad.

Jenny Dawson moved to Nashville to write music, not get famous. But when her latest record goes double platinum, Jenny’s suddenly one of the town’s biggest stars—and the center of a tabloid scandal connecting her with a pop star she’s barely even met. With paparazzi tracking her every move, Jenny flees to a remote mansion in Louisiana to write her next album. The only hiccup is the unexpected presence of a brooding young caretaker named Noah, whose foul mouth and snap judgments lead to constant bickering—and serious heat.

Noah really should tell Jenny that he’s Preston Noah Maxwell Walcott, the owner of the estate where the feisty country singer has made her spoiled self at home. But the charade gives Noah a much-needed break from his own troubles, and before long, their verbal sparring is indistinguishable from foreplay.

But as sizzling nights give way to quiet pillow talk, Noah begins to realize that Jenny’s almost as complicated as he is. To fit into each other’s lives, they’ll need the courage to face their problems together—before the outside world catches up to them.